mr. warnock, aye. the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye. mr. crapo, no.

mr. wicker, no.

the clerk: mr. cornyn, no. mr. tillis, no. mr. kennedy, no.

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

vote: the clerk: mr. hagerty, no. mr. hawley, no.

mr. mullin, no. mr. rounds, no. the clerk: mr. vance, no. mr. rubio, no.

the clerk: mrs. capito, no. mr. romney, no. the clerk: mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mr. cramer, no. mrs. fischer, no. mr. risch, no.

you the clerk: mr. cotton, no.

the clerk: mr. young, no.

the clerk: mr. schmitt, no. mr. barasso, no. the clerk: mr. lummis, no. ms. ernst, no.

mr. grassley, no. mr. mcconnell, no. mr. graham, no. mr. daines, no.

the clerk: come thune, no. mr. thune, no. mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: mr. lee, no.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 50, the nays are 47. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: the judiciary, keneally could iia cato of california to be united states district judge for the central district of california. the presiding officer: 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. butler. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin.

mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. the clerk: mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. 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: mr. lankford, no.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- can't well, hassan, kelly, lujan, rosen and warren. senators voting in the negative -- fischer, grassley, hoeven, hyde-smith, kennedy, lankford, mullin, rubio, and tillis. mrs. gillibrand, aye. mr. tester, aye.

ms. lummis, no. vote:

the clerk: ms. baldwin, aye.

mr. warner, aye. mr. reed, aye. mr. fetterman, aye. mr. durbin, aye. mr. wyden, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. crapo, no. ms. smith, aye. mr. warnock, aye.

the clerk: mrs. shaheen, aye.

the clerk: ms. ernst no. mr. daines, no.

the clerk: mr. paul, no. ms. butler, aye.

the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye. mr. menendez, aye. mr. moran, no.

the clerk: mr. barrasso, no. mr. king, aye. the clerk: mr. carper, aye.

the clerk: mrs. capito, no. mr. sullivan, no. mr. schmitt, no. mr. risch, no.

the clerk: mr. ossoff, aye. mr. cardin, aye. mr. heinrich, aye. mr. kaine, aye. mr. schatz, aye.

the clerk: mr. welch, aye. mrs. murray, aye. ms. cortez masto, aye.

ms. stabenow, aye. mr. sanders, aye. the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye. mr. padilla, aye. mr. marshall, no.vote:

vote:

the clerk: mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mr. vance, no. the clerk: ms. hirono, aye.

the clerk: mr. markey, aye.

mr. wicker, no.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, no. ms. collins, no.

the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye. the clerk: mr. merkley, aye.

the clerk: ms. sinema, aye.

mrs. blackburn, no. mr. young, no.

the clerk: mr. booker, aye. mr. cramer, no.

the clerk: mr. lee, no.

the clerk: mr. graham, no. the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye.

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

the clerk: ms. duckworth, aye. mr. boozman, no. mr. romney, no.

the clerk: mr. -- mr. brown, ay.

the clerk: mr. manchin, aye.

the clerk: mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: mr. hickenlooper, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. johnson, no.

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

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no.

mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

the clerk: mr. coons, aye.

vote: the clerk: mr. hagerty, no.

the clerk: mr. ricketts, no.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 51, the nays are 46, 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 the debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 36, julia e. kobick, of massachusetts, to be united states district judge for the district of massachusetts, 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 julia e. kobick, of massachusetts, to be united states district court judge for the district of massachusetts 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. 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, blumenthal, cantwell, casey, coons, hickenlooper, hirono, kaine, merkley, murphy, murray, rosen, shaheen, sinema, smith, stabenow, welch, wyden.

senators voting in the negative -- barrasso, boozman, capito, cassidy, crapo, ernst, graham, hagerty, johnson, lee, marshall, mcconnell, mullin, paul, tuberville, wicker. mr. kennedy, no.

the clerk: mr. reed, aye. the clerk: mr. grassley, no. mr. scott of florida, no. mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. hawley, no. the clerk: mr. cramer, no. mr. kelly, aye. mr. tillis, no.

mr. whitehouse, aye. ms. baldwin, aye. mr. young, no. mr. schmitt, no. mr. romney, no.

the clerk: ms. warren, aye. the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye. mr. sullivan, no. mrs. fischer, no.

the clerk: mr. schatz, aye. the clerk: ms. lummis, no.

the clerk: mr. rounds, no. mr. risch, no. the clerk: mr. peters, aye.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye. mr. cotton, no. mr. ricketts, no.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye. the clerk: mr. vance, no.

the clerk: mr. rubio, no. mr. daines, no. the clerk: ms. collins, aye.

the clerk: mr. durbin, aye. mrs. hyde-smith, no. the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

the clerk: mr. manchin, no.

the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye. mr. hoeven, no. mrs. blackburn, no. the clerk: mr. cornyn, no.

the clerk: ms. d.c. duckworth, aye. -- ms. duckworth, aye. mr. thune, no..

the clerk: ms. cortez masto, aye.

the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye.

the clerk: mr. lankford, no.

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

the clerk: mr. padilla, aye.

the clerk: mr. ossoff, aye. mr. cardin, aye.

mr. markey, aye. the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. moran, no.

the clerk: mr. brown, aye.

the clerk: mr. butler, aye. the clerk: mr. carper, aye.

mr. sanders, aye. mr. king, aye.

the clerk: mr. menendez, aye. mr. warner, aye.

vote: the clerk: ms. hassan, aye.

mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. tester, aye.

the presiding officer: on this vote the ayes are 52. the nays are 46. and the motion to invoke cloture is passed. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: thank you, mr. president. on october 7, hamas brutally assaulted israel killing over

1,000 people, israelis, and taking 240 hostages. on october 22, i was in israel with ten senators, five democrats, five republicans. we were there to see firsthand what hamas had done. to tell you that it was beyond description, hit each one of us extremely hard. we saw the anguish in the country. the most difficult meeting we had was not with the war cabinet, and we met with the war cabinet and the major members of the war cabinet. but was with the families of the hostages. it broke our heart. the hostages' families told us you're not going to see tears because there's no tears left in our body.

unspeakable things happened. and the horror was beyond description. i know my colleague senator collins has put up a photo of abigail, a 3-year-old, a 3-year-old who was taken hostage by hamas. we express to the israelis our commitment to stand with israel, israel's right and obligation to defend itself, the need to take out hamas, and our commitment to do everything we possibly can to bring the hostages home safely. i want to start by thanking president biden for his extraordinary leadership on behalf of our nation in that mission. he's held meetings with the hostage families, with government leaders, from israel and other countries, and so have we. we've had numerous meetings here in washington and in our states

with families of the hostages. we've had personal meetings and calls with leaders of other countries that we think can play a constructive role in bringing the hostages home. we are committed to always putting a spotlight on the hostages until they are brought home safely. we stand ready to do anything we possibly can. so let me just give you an example of my weekend. on friday night, the jewish community in baltimore hosted a shabbat dinner with 240 empty seats at a table. my wife merna represented me at that gathering, reading a letter that i had written in solidarity with the community. on saturday i attended religious services in montgomery county,

and i was proud of what that congregation did to put a spotlight on the hostages and demanding their safe return. there was a beautiful rendition in honor of our continued commitment to bring the hostages home. and then on sunday which we normally have morning prayers in our congregation, normally, mr. president, there might be 15 or 20 that will show up for the morning prayers on a sunday morning. we had in excess of 240 representing every hostage. rememberingthem in our prayers and making it clear that we are committed to doing everything we can to bring them home. so that is why i'm on the floor speaking to my colleagues and expressing my views as a senator, as chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, and as a human, that

we will not forget the hostages and we will continue to do everything we can to bring them home. on october 7 for many the last they heard from their loved ones was the moments after the attack began or worse, just as they were being taken hostage. one woman was texting with her family as hamas terrorists approached. she wrote, if i don't live, stay happy in your life and take care of mom and dad all your life. then, they're here. one man's wife and children were missing after the attack. the soldiers could not identify them among the dead. but then they learned someone had seen them being led off away alive, being taken hostage. the person said well, it sort of felt like winning the lottery. winning the lottery because your loved one was abducted and not

murdered? such painful combination, of hope and dread. but this is the unspeakable shock and grief being felt by so many since october 7. because every hostage there are family members and loved ones praying that they're still alive, who cannot sleep at night as they imagine the pain and danger the hostages are facing in the tunnels of gaza right now, who have been enduring a nightmare since october 7. my trip to israel we met with the families of the hostages, like the family of hersch who was last seen loaded in a truck by hamas after losing his arm in a grenade attack. i'm on the floor today because i want to tell just a few of the stories of those hamas abducted and represent all the families of the hostages. families whose young children are being held by terrorists. their stories are moving not

only because of their suffering but because of their bravery. heard about a family that hamas captured atigun point -- at gunpoint. in a moment of incredible heroism, the mother handed her toddler to her husband because he was a faster runner. he ran with bullets flying overhead so their daughter could be safe. the mother is still in captivity. the families of the hostages will not give up. their grace and bravery in the face of such horror is an inspiration. the father of etay, the father of edin, parents of omar, all three who are from the new york area and even live near each other. they didn't know one another until this terrible tragedy unfolded which now has brought them together.

many of the families are communicating with each other, working together through -- with what thes app groups. within hours of the attack they created a website called bringingthemhome now. they're making sure the word hears their pleas. i want to make one thing crystal clear. we hear you. we stand with you in your effort to return your family mechanics home safely, and i can assure you the biden administration is working around the clock to help bring them home. they're working with governments that have the ability to negotiate using all the leverage they have to release them. american personnel from the fbi are working with israeli operators. secretary blinken said, quote, the entire united states

government will work every minute of every day to bring them home. working as though these family members are our own, as i am. president biden has spoken repeatedly with prime minister netanyahu. they have discussed efforts to locate and secure the release of hostages, including american citizens. on behalf of the foreign relations committee, i want to assure you that we in the united states senate stand with you as well. we must keep up the effort for the sake of those being held in gaza. don't forget -- they can come home safely. i'm not naive. it will be tough. but it can happen. one of the hostages that has already been released is an 85-year-old woman from a kibbutz in southern israel whose husband remains in hamas' captivity.

like many of the hostages, she lived near the palestinians in the kibbutz outside of gaza. they would regularly drive the patients to the hospital for treatment. like a woman that hamas actually murdered who worked focusing mainly on children. she was a longtime activist of women. seven of her family are still being held hostages, including a 3-year-old. the cruel irony of the hamas terrorist attack is that those who faced the worst of october 7 will be the least in peace. they cared for their palestinian neighbors. they believed in a two-state

solution. this attack has changed their community and all of israel forever. i know that the kind of sheer evil we saw in the attack on october 7 is shocking and horrible. i was 15 months old when automatic wits and other concentration camps were liberated. i was too young to understand the headlines. when i grew up, i heard the stories of life and death from survivors first is hand. this experience of the holocaust was imprinted on me and on an entire generation of jews. it shaped our values in how we work, how we enact policy, how we live with our families. it guides me today here on the floor of the senate. it tells me that despite this being the darkest days for jews since the holocaust, we must have faith. despite bearing witness to some of the most horrific, evil acts ever committed, we must find a

way to reserve hope. so,mr. president, in closing, to the families of loved ones being held by hamas, do not lose hope. we will never stop standing with you. to the hostages themselves, you're not alone. we will not stop working for your safe return. i pray that you will be back home soon playing soccer, practicing piano, celebrating your birthdays. living life in israel that is safe and secure and at peace. that is our prayer, but it's also our mission. we will not rest until we do everything we can for the return of the hostages. with that, a i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin w.

the bipartisan standalone legislation to provide aid to the israel while the strongest ally in the middle east during their ongoing war with hamas. it is hard to believe that today marks a month, a month since the october 7 savage attacks by the hamas army of terror on the people of israel. unleashing an attack that was worse than animals. killing thousands of israelis and 36 american citizens. right now as many as 240 million people taken hostage by the savages that only know one language death and destruction. right now families of hostages right here at the united states capitol begging for their loved ones to be no longer tortured for the loved ones to reach safety from the grips of this

evil army of terror. mr. president, time is of the essence. time is of the essence. it is imperative that they not delay delivering this crucial to israel another day. a timely military aid package with a unified voice from congress showing support from israel not only adding to the ability. providing military assistance to israel at the exact same level the biden administration is requested. i want to emphasize these are the exact that he agrees israel needs in this time of war. you can imagine my surprise to hear that our commander-in-chief admitted significantly threatening to this aid package. so think about this.

our president is threatening to veto the 80 requested from congress. with this veto he would snatch, defeat from the jaws of victory. and why? why many many people are asking. just because it is not being leveraged with another blank check to another unending war in ukraine. today, calling the president's bluff and recalling this measure in a bipartisan victory for the white house. we must fast-track this to one of the allies, the people of israel. that aid in our strong message israel will find itself fighting a war on three fronts. we know that iran has those capabilities that through the proxy forces long-range missiles to israel.

helping our allies fighting a war from all angles against hamas should not require it should have been done yesterday or the week before. mr. president, the support for this package to israel is bipartisan and bicameral. a legislation honoring the spending levels outside for israel and keep satan israel separate from the other conflicts. what i want to make perfectly clear to every american is that our standalone package is an opportunity to secure a huge bipartisan when for all of humankind and get aid to israel quickly. the legislature ensures that it is not coupled with billion dollars of additional monies in a two ukraine, taiwan or a mass amnesty program at the border. bypassing the standing alone bill today it will expedite the

arrival of the assistance to israel after the house in our newly elected speaker mice -- mike johnson passed with bipartisan support. until the white house answers the five questions imposed by the white house and a clear-cut piece strategy, many of us will continue to block spending billions more dollars to what looks like a stalemate. already tragically costs lives. in the home front, what is even more disheartening is this white house embrace of open border policies that allowed almost 10 million, that is right, approaching 10 million in illegal crossings of our border. making every state a border state and every american less safe. it is a poke in the eye to every member of congress that is been to the border and advocated for border security. $105 billion bill to small

fraction of the money going to israel. making our border even more open with an asylum assist program on steroids. this is a slap in the face and disrespectful to the families that lost a loved one to the fentanyl crisis. the community is overwhelmed by our open borders and every american who feels less and less safe in their own homes every day. this package the white house has given us is the only unserious package in town. very serious topics and each of these issues should be debated fully, completely and individually. but, today, on the senate floor we have the opportunity to make a difference for the people of israel and all mankind. the legislation provides $14 billion to israel including three and a half million dollars

for foreign military financing and $200 million in diplomatic funding to help protect the u.s. embassy and personnel. this bill would provide funding for the iron dome and ir defense systems. allowing them to stockpile more weapons and provide more funding to protect u.s. embassies. all aid to gaza which we know was frequently commandeered by hamas. all this will make israel safer and help stop this war. yes, israel has a right to defend itself and to defend its people. legislation is a real opportunity to find common ground and unite here to help our allies. passing 226 bipartisan both in the house. let's stop playing politics and pass the standalone bill for israel right now. we should do the same and give it to the president's desk today

today i am pleased to be joined by one of my colleagues from the great state of ohio senator vance and leading to push forward passage today so we don't delay this critical funding for the ally in the middle east israel. stopping the spread of terror. i yield to the gentleman from ohio. >> i appreciate my colleague from kansas. . the presiding officer: without objection. cloture having been invoked, the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: the judiciary, julia e. kobick of massachusetts to be united states district judge for the district of massachusetts. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: mr. president, as a member of the senate judiciary committee, you are aware of the fact that i announced last week in the committee that we would vote to authorize subpoenas to harlan crow, robin arkley and leonard leo as part of the judiciary committee's continuing investigation into the ethical

situation at the u.s. supreme court. i do not make this decision lightly. seeking authorization to issue subpoenas is a relatively rare occurrence in the committee. so today i come to the floor for a few minutes to explain why we've taken this significant step. over the last several months it's become clear that the supreme court is in desperate need of a binding code of ethics as we learn of lavish gifts and luxury travel that certain supreme court justice have accepted from a gaggle of fawning billionaires. let's start with justice clarence thomas. the sheer number and value of gifts accepted by justice thomas is staggering, and the shamelessness with which he accepted them is stunning. for decades justice thomas has accepted lavish gifts from harlan crow, a conservative

billionaire with business before the supreme court. these gifts have ranged from a $19,000 bible once owned by frederick douglass to a $15,000 bust of abraham lincoln. justice thomas also accepted private jet trips and free lodging at bohemian grove, an all-male invitation only retreat in the redwoods of california. these are only examples of what justice thomas disclosed. after the los angeles times reported on these disclosures, justice thomas in 2004, 19 years ago, promptly stopped disclosing gifts as required by law. we learned this year that he continued to accept expensive gifts for the past 19 years and that these billionaire benefactors have been part of a growing list. there isn't time to detail all

of the undisclosed gifts which the press has discovered and luxury travel that justice thomas has accepted but for the sake of a record i'm going to give a few examples. in 2019 justice thomas and his wife flew to indonesia on harlan crow's private jet and boarded crow's 162-foot super yacht, the mcella rose, to island hop with harlan crow and his wife. the total cost of that trip alone could have exceeded $500,000 if justice thomas had charted the jet and yacht. lucky for him harlan crow covered the cost. he also went on trips to bohemian groves, spent summers at crow's private resort in the adirondacks. but there's more. crow paid thousands of dollars

to cover tuition for justice thomas' grand-nephew. he purchased real estate owned by thomas and his relatives, including thomas' mother's home where she continues to live rent-free, and crow donated half a million dollars to a conservative advocacy group founded by justice thomas' wife. i could go on and on and on because the list of gifts justice thomas has chosen to accept and failed to disclose goes on and on and on. justice thomas is not the only supreme court justice who's accepted lavish gifts from billionaires and refused to disclose them. in 2008, justice samuel alito boarded a private jet bound for alaska to enjoy a luxury fishing trip, a trip that should have cost him over $100,000, but it didn't cost him one penny because the man who organized the flight and joined alito on the luxury fishing trip, leonard leo.

mr. leo arranged justice alito's free flight to alaska and his free lodging once he arrived. their host at the luxury fishing lodge was a gentleman named robin arkley. over the next few days justice alito and his travel companions enjoyed guided fishing trips, flights on bush planes, meals of alaskan king crab and beef and wine costing upwards of $1,000 a bottle. justice alito did not disclose any of this, and when challenged, for example, on the jet ride, why that should be disclosed, he said he didn't view it as a gift because if he didn't go the seat on the plane would have gone empty. that's an interesting analysis of a gift from a constrictionist. this kind of scandalous behavior cannot continue. one former federal judge who served for years on the judiciary committee that reviews the justice's financial disclosures had this to say about the gifts to justice

thomas, quote, in my career, i don't remember ever seeing this degree of largess given to anybody. when referring to the cascade of gifts from harlan crow to justice thomas, the former chief white house ethics lawyer for republican president george bush said, and i quote, this is way outside the norm. this is way in excess of anything i've ever seen. and renowned conservative jurist judge j. michael lut tuck stated in testimony, quote, the supreme court should lead by example only it can set. it should want to conduct itself in its nonjudicial activities in always such that they are above and beyond reproach. unfortunately, the supreme court has not lived up to this expectation. that's why our senate judiciary committee is exercising its constitutional authority to investigate. months ago i along with my democratic colleagues on the committee sent letters to crow, arkley and leo, among others,

seeking details about what exactly has been provided to supreme court justices. our goal has been to understand how specific individuals and groups with justice, business before the court have used undisclosed gifts to gain private access to justices, access not afforded to others. for months crow has refused it -- to fully comply with the committee's request and leo completely stonewalled the committee. only now under threat of subpoena mr. arkley stepped forward and we are looking forward to continuing our conversation with him this week. the fact that we have to go to this length is unacceptable but necessary. the senate and the american people deserve to know the full extent of how billionaires with interest before the court use their immense wealth to buy private access to our supreme court. that's why on thursday the judiciary committee will vote to authorize subpoenas for these individuals. the vote is a critical step in the committee's exercise of its constitutional right and duty to conduct oversight of the federal

judiciary. it is critical to the committee's effort to restore the court's reputation. the highest court in the land should not have the lowest standard of ethics. this is not a fight i wanted but now that it has come to this the judiciary committee will not back down. mr. president, most americans are shocked to know or to learn that the nine justices on the supreme court are the only major elected officials in the united states of america who are beyond the reach of a code of ethics. how do you explain that? how can you explain that every federal judge in america is bound by a code of ethics except for the nine supreme court justices? what's so special about them? the constitution makes it clear that we don't have royalty in this country, but they're acting like they belong to some regal fraternity or sorority. that's come -- got to come to an end. when you look at this situation members of congress are held to standards -- and i'm not complaining, i knew what i was getting into when i took this

diswrob -- held to standards of disclosure and limitations on gifts. i cannot tell you how many times i've said to a person is this worth more than 50 bucks? if they answer it might be, i say keep it and thanks for thinking of me. that's the kind of thing that becomes a routine part of public service. these lavish gifts particularly from individuals who have business before the court are just unacceptable. it is important for us to have a response when people ask what are you doing to clean up things at the supreme court? the first thing we did, i think was the responsible, respectable thing to do. we invited the chief justice of the supreme court to appear before our committee and tell us his thoughts on the subject and what he believes should be done to deal with this bad publicity and these disclosures. he declined the invitation. i don't hold it against him. he explained in my presence a few weeks ago why he did. i understand it. i disagree with it but i understand it. but 11 years ago was the first time i contacted the chief

justice and said this has got to come to an end. tell us what you're going to do about establishing a code of ethics on the supreme court. 11 years ago, and nothing, nothing has happened since. i want to salute and commend my colleague, senator sheldon whitehouse of the state of rhode island. he's been a leader on this topic and the subcommittee which he chairs and the judiciary committee, and we have cooperated in this effort. we will meet this week. this is not the first time the judiciary committee will be asked to issue subpoenas. it happened before under republican leadership as well in a much different type of case. but the fact of the matter is we have tried carefully and studiously to come up with this information the right way and have unfortunately not had the kind of results we wanted. a subpoena, we hope will jar loose the information to explain exactly what happened with the gift giving by several individuals. mr. president, i ask that the next statement i make be in a separate part of the record.

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, one of my stwoard -- extraordinary friends in chicago is dr. sulul. dr. sulul cesarean american. he is an exceptional man. he has created an organization called med global. the best way to summarize what it does is to think of doctors without frontiers and how they travel across the world and go to some of the most dangerous places and volunteer medical assistance. dr. sulul has done the same thing. many of the doctors that volunteer for med global are muslim and from the middle east themselves, but they can be found on any spot in the world. he calls me from places i've -- i've run into him in places and seen him and i can't believe what this man does. he risks his life to go to war zones and treat people who have been injured. i think so highly of him.

he has a friend in gaza, a doctor who is highlighted in "the new york times" several days ago, dr. has sam, director of the pediatric ward. many of the casualties, the strikes, were taken to that hospital. i read this article many times, trying to understand what is happening on the ground in gaza. let me start at the beginning. what the terrorist group hamas did to israel was an atrocity. the attack on october 7 cannot be rationalized, explained, or for that matter forgiven for what they did to the innocent victims in israel. and the fact that israel is defending itself is perfectly right in my eyes. they have a right to do that. of course hamas continues to be a terrorist threat to them and to try to stop hamas and this

activity is understood. at the same time it's important that they accept the standards which civilized nations accept, even in the conduct of warfare. that's the message that's been delivered by president biden and again by anthony blinken, our secretary of state over and over, to be careful that your ultimate reaction is consistent with the threat and to the basic standards of civilization. that's been the request over and over again. the reason i come to the floor is because i got a call this morning from dr. saloul and he spoke this morning to dr. hassam again about the situation at this hospital. what the doctor had to say is basically what was in the article in "the new york times" which i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record at this moment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: here's the situation. reported from the hospital in gaza. they will be out of fuel and

electricity in 24 hours. dr. hassam said at this point five children will die. the ventilators that are keeping them alive will be turned off. they can't be transported to a better or safer place. turning off the electricity in some areas of the hospital will cause great hardship and pain. there's no fuel at the other hospitals either. in the north they basically have been cut off from any assistance. it's impossible to transfer to the south because they don't have transportation and they don't have the wherewithal, the ambulances and such, to do so. the desperate situation they've reached includes performing amputations with no anesthesia. performing amputations with no anesthesia. i asked what do they use. he said tylenol. can you imagine? tylenol. they use vinegar because they

don't have any access to iodine to clean the wounds before the operation. vinegar. every day 200 people show up at their hospital sick from the contaminated water which they're forced to drink. they're begging for help. they're asking for a pause so that basics can be provided, food, electricity, fuel, medicines, the basics. i don't think that's an unreasonable request and i'm sorry they've been turned down in their efforts to get this kind ever help. there are 150 patients in this hospital, twice the number as usual. many are sleeping on the floor and surgeries are performed on the floor. i read this article, mr. president, last friday, and kept a copy of it. now i'll enter it into the record for others to read as

well. at one point the doctor said we wish for death. it is easier than seeing the horrific scenes we're witnessing. twice now this refugee camp has been, jab jabilaya has been attd as a site of hamas terrorism. unfortunately on the first day of the attack, 40 people survived and 250 others were brought to the hospital and then the attack took a second day but basically the same results. the doctor said never in my life have i seen injuries this bad adding we saw children decapitated as a result of these attacks. asking for a pause in the war for purpose of humanitarian relief is not unreasonable. it is humane and civilized. the united states is begging both sides to take a step.

i would join in that effort. i hope this ends well and soon, but in the meantime these innocent, helpless victims need to have a helping hand from the rest of the world. we need to provide the basics so that they can survive. i will do my best to follow this closely. i encourage the united states to continue its efforts to ask for in pause -- for this pause in the action for relief for the victims. this sort of situation in any part of the world cannot be ignored, mr. president. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from massachusetts. a senator: mr. president, i have six requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. mr. markey: they have the approval of the majority and the minority leader. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. markey: thank you, mr.

president. i come to the floor do to speak in support of the nomination of ms. julia kobick to the united states court for the district of massachusetts. today the senate voted to invoke cloture on ms. kobick's nomination and soon we will vote on her confirmation. with a successful vote, ms. kobick will become the 150th biden nominee to be confirmed as a judge. julie kobick is a rising star in massachusetts' legal circles. a massachusetts native she earned her bachelor's degree in government with hon oars from harvard college. she began her career as a public schoolteacher in new york city, second and third graders. while teaching she earned a masters in elementary education at pace university. she went on to obtain her law degree, magna cum laude at harvard law school.

ms. kobick then clerked at every level of the federal judiciary. first with judge dennis saylor on the district court in massachusetts. then for chief judge michael shagaris ever the third circuit court of appeals. and finally for the great justice ruth gader ginsburg on the united states supreme court. in 2013 following her clerkships, ms. kobick joined the massachusetts attorney general's office. she worked there until 2021 as an assistant attorney general in the constitutional and administrative law division. her practice spanned a range of substantive areas including health care, child welfare, administrative law, and constitutional issues. since the summer of 2021, ms. kobick has served as deputy state solicitor where she has primarily handled civil and criminal appellate litigation. ms. kobick, as you -- has received support from a number ever groups, including massachusetts trial and

appellate judges, former massachusetts attorneys general, and her clerk colleagues at the united states supreme court, clerks who worked for justices nominated by presidents of both parties. many of ms. kobick's supporters cite her dedication and character alongside her superior skill and judgment. unsurprisingly, the american bar association has given her its highest rating of well qualified. perhaps the best evidence of ms. kobick's fitness to serve on the district court is the enthusiastic support her nomination has received from her own opposing counsel. a cadres of attorneys who have litigated cases against parties ms. kobick represented have praised her meticulous advocacy across a variety of legal proceedings. from oral arguments before state and federal trial court judges to appellate arguments before the first circuit court of appeals and the massachusetts supreme judicial court, the very

lawyers who faced off against her in court have said that, quote, her legal abilities and intellect are first-rate as shown through the clarity and persuasiveness of her written and oral advocacy. they have lauded her for preparedness and performance under pressure, her thoughtfulness as a colleague and her skill in defusing any contentious situation. over the course of her career, she has embodied the highest standards of the legal profession. true to her roots as a public schoolteacher, ms. kobick has mentored public interest oriented law students at my alma mater, boston college law school, and has served as a mentor with the appellate project, an organization that matches attorneys with law students of color interested in appellate advocacy. senator warren and i are proud to have recommended julie kobick's nomination to president biden and we proudly speak in favor of her nomination before the full senate today.

she is a dedicated public servant of the highest caliber, and she will bring a rare level of legal talent to the bench. her unquestionable integrity, her impeccable reputation and her depth in both humility and skill make her uniquely suited for service as a federal district court judge. i urge all of my colleagues to vote yes on cloture and then on confirmation. this will be a judge that all of you will be proud that you have voted for. so with that, mr. president, i yield back. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. kennedy: thank you, mr. president. i think we're all aware, mr. president, that parts of our world are on fire.

the world is on fire in ukraine and in eastern europe. the world is on fire in the middle east. i wouldn't describe the world as being on fire in the inning dough pacific -- in the indo pacific but there's certainly embers and they are smoldering. and i think it's clear to most americans, mr. president, that president xi in china, president putin in russia, and the ayatollah in iran are working together. and their objective is to have russia dominate central and eastern europe, to have the ayatollah and iran dominate the middle east.

the ayatollah, of course, has funded and supported hamas. there's no cause in the world, none that can justify what hamas did to the innocent people of israel. the people of hamas are so evil, they will kill you and drink your blood out of a boot. president xi and president putin and the ayatollah in iran are just fine with that. and the objective of china, russia, and iran is to allow china to dominate the indo-pacific and be free to make moves in south america. parts of the world are on fire. america is about to find out what it is made of because the

world i just described is not a word that's safe for america. but as we meet these challenges, mr. president, and by god we will meet them, we will meet them, while we're doing that, mr. president, i don't want us to forget about our homeland. we've got a lot of problems domesticically and i don't want to lose site of them. i think about them every day. i know you do, too, mr. president. we still have millions of americans who are too poor to be sick, despite the fact that the we have the best quality of health care in america in all of human history. notice i didn't say that we have the best way of delivering that

health care, but we have the belt quality of health care -- best quality of health care in all of human history. but we've got people in this country, many of them are middle class, who are too poor to be sick. since the affordable care act passed, we were told it was going to make our lives better, it was going to make health insurance more accessible and cheaper since the affordable care act was passed, health insurance premiums have tripled. we also know domestically, mr. president, that our border is an open, bleeding wound. it is an open bleeding wound, and it is isn't the power of this congress to fix that. -- and it is in the power of this congress to fix that. but none of those come to sticks

problems that i just described -- and i would continue with others, as i know you could, too, mr. president -- is hurting the american people as much as president biden's inflation. not a single one. president biden's inflation is gutting the american people like a fish. it is a cancer, a cancer on the american dream. in my state alone, in louisiana, we're not a wealthy state. my people are pretty middle class. they get up every day, they go to work, they obey the law, they try to do the right thing by their kids, try to save a little for retirement. the median household income for a family of four in my state is $55,000 a year.

a lot of states are above us, some are below us. president biden's inflation, which is man-made -- and that man's a name is joe biden -- is costing my people, the average louisiana family, $806 -- not a year, a month. $806 a month. that's $9,700 a year. now imagine if you were making $55,000 a year and you've got to come out of pocket with an extra $9,700 a year. you both -- go through your savings, max out your credit card, you borrow from your children's college education plan, you borrow from relatives, and then what do you do? now, i know what some of my

colleagues are thinking. but, kennedy, we're doing better. and we are. and i am so thankful. a year ago inflation in this country was 8.2%. today it's 3.7%. and i am so happy. and i hope it continues to go down. but it is important for us to remember what that means. a reduction of inflation from 8.2% to 3.7%, which is still of course too high, just means that inflation is rising less rapidly. we still have inflation. prices are still high. they're just not going -- and they continue to go up. they're just not going up as quickly as they were. now, that's a good thing. but it isn't solve the problem. -- but it doesn't solve the problem. that's what we call

disinflation. when inflation is rising and we stop it from rising so quickly, that's called disinflation. but that's not what most americans care about. though that's important to them. what they care about is prices going down, and that's deinflation, and we do not have deinflation. the point i'm trying to make is, we're stuck with these high prices. if they get inflation down to zero, those prices are not going down. they're going to remain the same, mr. president. they're just going -- not going to rise as quickly. we are stuck, the american people are stuck with these high prices. because of the biden administration. now, i could cite you, mr. president, all the sterile

statistics you would like, but i want to try to describe in specific terms what it's like for my people to go to the grocery store, to have to -- this is an exaggeration but not by much -- to have to think about, well, do i have to sell blood plasma today in order to go to the grocery store? do i have to draw down on the second mortgage on my home in order to go to the grocery store? since president biden has been in office, consumer goods in the united states of america are up 17%. electricity is up 25%. eggs are up 29%. they're not going down, folks,

even if inflation goes to zero. those prices aren't going down. potato chips up 30%, bread up 28%, rice, 26%, flowers up 28%, milk, 18%. a half gallon of ice cream, 21%. chicken, 20%. when you look at larger categories, this is what's happening to the american people. since president biden took office, since president biden took office, all goods and many services in the wealthiest country in all of human history are up 17%. food is up 20%, housing is up 17%, clothing is up 12%, used cars and trucks are up 25%, new

cars and trucks are up 20%, and mortgage rates are up 174%. 174%. now, some may be saying, well, but wages aring up, too. -- but wages are going up, too. thanks goodness, in some cases, wages have gone up. but the average wage of the average american has gone down after inflation. you don't look -- the best -- the appropriate way to look at wage increases is not to look at the raw or the aggregate increase. it's to look -- it's looking at the increase after inflation. and if you take all of the average wage increases in the united states of america and you

look at the average inflation in the united states of america, workers have actually lost ground. workers today in november of 2023 are actually making less per hour after inflation than they were of february 2021. so don't let anybody tell you that wages have made up for this. they haven't kept up with inflation. and don't let anybody tell you, mr. president, that we are winning the war on high prices. we are getting inflation down, no thanks -- no thanks to the biden administration and, quite frankly, the united states congress. that's thanks to the federal reserve. they have tightened interest rates, which has hurt a lot of

people. but they have gotten inflation down. they've had to do it with one arm tied behind their backs because the other way you attack inflation and the only way we've ever successfully gotten down is to have congress do its part and reduce the rate of growth in spending. but we haven't done that. since 2019, the population of the united states of america is up 1.9%. our country has grown 2% since 2019. you know how much our budget has grown 1234? -- has grown? 55%. disinflation is man-made. and the man's name -- this inflation is man-made. and the man's name is joe biden. and we need to address it. so, as we fight a hostile world,

which day by day is becoming less safe for the american people, i don't want us to lose sight, mr. president, of another problem, an equally important problem that is stealing the american dream, and it's called president biden's inflation. mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. cornyn: i'd ask unanimous this and that isn't a quorum call. the following senators be permitted to speak prior to the scheduled roll call votes -- myself for up to 15 minutes, senator gillibrand for up to five minutes it senator cotton for up to five minutes, and leader schumer for up to five minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, one month ago today hamas launched its unprovoked attack on the state of israel, on innocent men, women, and children, civilians all. hamas entered the country by land, air, and sea, and they brutally murdered more than 1,400 israelis. they also took hundreds of hostages, some of whom were

american citizens. they abused and assaulted innocent civilians and left a trail of devastation in their wake. in the face of hamas' barbaric attack, a israel has done what any country would do and defended its citizens and its sovereignty, and it has every right to do so. this basic truth has somehow become a point of confusion in some circles. but we should not be confused. many on the far left, including at least one member of the house of representatives, have pointed to israel's defense as an example of what she calls genocide. they act as though israel was the aggressor here, not hamas. they've called on the president to speak out against the actions

of the victim, not the aggressor. it's as though they think israel is somehow the moral equivalent of the terrorist group hamas. it's especially disturbing to see this rhetoric spreading on social media because many people who are not familiar with the facts, the circumstances, and the history of hamas and israel, iran and hezbollah, they may actually believe the disinformation and propaganda that they see on social media. it's also very deeply disturbing to see how it is absorbed and embraced by many college campuses, and it's yellowstone right disturbing, of course, to see it repeated here in the halls of congress. there should be no confusion. hamas is the aggressor, and hamas bears ultimate responsibility for the pain and

suffering in israel and in gaza. hamas' own tactics are the very reason for the loss of life in gaza and that it's been so high because these terrorists, who care nothing about the individuals, have a long history of using palestinian civilians has human shields for their own benefit. and then hamas operates a vast network of tunnels underneath gaza. the tunnels shield terrorists from the dangerous fighting above ground. they also store critical supplies like water, food, and fuel, which have -- are being kept from the palestinian civilians. as many of us are concerned about the humanitarian disaster caused by hamas' a attack on israel, it is hamas itself that is exacerbating and making the humanitarian crisis worse.

it seems likely that the tunnels are also the hiding place for more than 200 hostages taken by hamas last month. a video recently shared online of hamas gunman who was captured and interrogated by the israeli officials was particularly revealing. he said that hamas shelters in tunnels and basements under clinics, schools, and hospital because they know the israelis will not target those locations out of concern for the collateral damage or damage to innocent civilians. that's why hamas deliberately places innocent palestinians between its terrorist foot soldiers and incoming rockets. as a result of hamas' human shield strategy, the number of civilian casualties in gaza is devastating. there is no denying that. it's important, though, to remember that the pain and

suffering that's occurring throughout israel and gaza is directly attributable to hamas, a u.s.-designated terrorist organization serving as a proxy for the number-one state sponsor of terrorism which is iran. the blood of this war is clearly on hamas' hands. as the fighting continues, i'm reminded of a saying that's been around for years. if hamas laid down its weapons today, there would be no more violence. if israel laid down its weapons, there would be no more israel. hamas is not fighting for peace. it's trying to wipe israel off the map, again, as a proxy for its sponsor which is the supreme leader in tehran. they all share a desire to wipe the jewish state off the map

entirely. the united states cannot equivocate between good and evil. we must stand with israel. there's no question that words are important. we have a responsibility to voice our support, speak out against hamas, and call out dangerous anti anti-semitic slander when we see it. but words alone are not enough. america has a responsibility to come to the aid of our ally with the resources it needs not only to fight, but to actually win this war. this includes air defense systems that safeguard israeli people from rocket attacks. it includes intelligence support to stay one step ahead of the terrorists. and it includes military aid to find and eliminate the hamas threat. as part of that commitment, congress has a big job to do.

we need to pats a supplemental funding bill to ensure israel has the tools it needs to defeat hamas terrorists. and last week the house of representatives did just that. they passed an israel aid bill with bipartisan support. their legislation would provide up to $14.3 billion to ensure that israel has the resources they need to defend themselves. our friend across the capitol offset this spending by reallocating a portion of the bloated irs funding from the democrats' massive so-called inflation reduction act. i would add that that was $14.3 billion out of an $80 billion appropriation to the internal revenue service, hardly the majority of that funding. but a -- if our colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't like those pay-fors, then they're free to come up with an alternative. but the truth is they don't

believe in paying for anything, and we saw just last year, or this last year about $670 billion paid by the united states to our bondholders to help finance the national debt. and that's not getting any better by the day. and certainly if we were to pass another supplemental appropriations bill to aid israel or ukraine or for any other purpose and actually make our national debt worse, it would put us on a par rillous path -- on a perilous path. well, president biden who said we stand with israel and we'll do anything that they need us to do has actually threatened to veto the $14.3 billion supplemental appropriations bill that was passed for the house. now how he can reconcile his stated support for israel and his threat to veto a supplemental appropriations bill

escapes me. and then there's the majority leader here in the senate, the senator from new york, senator schumer, who said that the house bill is dead on arrival in the senate. and he even took his opposition a step further blasting this legislation as stunningly unserious and a joke. well, i have to respectfully disagree with the majority leader. there's nothing funny about denying israel the assistance it needs in defending itself against this terrorist threat. it's no secret that america's national debt has put us in an extremely vulnerable position. 13 years ago michael -- admiral mullin warned the most significant threat to our national security is our debt. that actually struck me as a little unusual at the time, but at that time the national debt was roughly $13.5 trillion.

since then it has more than doubled to $33.6 trillion and counting. so i think that's what he was getting at, is the more we end up spending money that we're borrowing from subsequent generations and the more interest we have to continue to pay to people willing to buy our debt, we're going to have a whole lot less financial resources and flexibility that we need when unexpected things occur like the russian invasion of ukraine or hamas' invasion of israel. we simply won't have the money and the flexibility to do what we expect america to do, which is to always lead and be an agent for peace and stability. if we continue at this pace, our children and grandchildren will have no chance of digging out from under this debt. there's an old saying that the best time to start was

yesterday. the next best time to start is now. we have a responsibility to start chipping away at the national debt now and certainly not to make it any worse. and every single spending bill is an opportunity to make tough but necessary choices to achieve that goal. i'm disappointed that the majority of our democratic colleagues don't seem to have any interest in addressing this threat to our national security. over the last couple of years, they spend on a party-line basis $2.6 trillion without a single republican vote. and now they blast an attempt to address the growing debt as unserious. well, that $2.6 trillion in spending that our democratic colleagues did on a party-line basis was partly responsible for a 40-year high inflation rate

that is eating up the standard of living of hardworking americans across the country. i think the figure i saw indicates that this broken down per capita is roughly worth slightly under $1,000 in additional costs for the average family. our democratic colleagues, if they didn't like the pay-for provided by the house of representatives, they could have suggested different offsets. you can't tell me, given the amount of money the federal government spends, that it couldn't find offsets for $14.3 billion. or the majority leader could have simply put the bill on the floor and left room open for an amendment process. but instead he resorted to name-calling and trying to belittle the serious efforts that the house has undertaken both to deal with the emergency in israel and the national debt. in the next couple of weeks the

senate and the house are going to have to work together to address the major issues that are swirling in front of congress right now, which includes israel, ukraine, the border, and yes, keeping the government funded. this is hardly the way to start off on a good foot. republicans and democrats in congress overwhelmingly support israel. we agree that the united states needs to provide support for our ally. at the same time we need to get serious about addressing another massive national security threat which is our growing national debt and the crowding out of our ability to spend money on other necessary priorities instead of paying china and japan who own that debt. washington has a spending problem. that's the first thing we need to acknowledge. and unfortunately, many of my colleagues are unwilling to

acknowledge it. we have to get it under control. so today marks one month since hamas attacked israel, and i'm disappointed that the senate has yet to act on support, financial support for our closest ally in the middle east. i have no idea what senator schumer's plans are to actually process this supplemental appropriation. i don't know how long israel will have to sustain the onslaught of hamas' rockets and terrorist attacks on its people before the united states congress and the u.s. government will respond. as president biden said we would. under the leadership of speaker johnson, the house did its job. it passed legislation to provide $14.3 billion for israel with bipartisan support. and so i come to the floor

profoundly disappointed that senator schumer refuses to take up this emergency supplemental appropriations bill to aid israel. the united states has a responsibility to stand with israel. i think that's the consensus position here in congress on a bipartisan basis. but it takes more than just words. it takes action. one month after the war began is too long to respond to the needs that the people of israel have and to defend their country and their way of life. so i hope we can see movement on this aid package for israel sooner rather than later. mr. president, i yield the floor and i'd note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the clerk: ms. baldwin.

quorum call: a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum. mr. cotton: i ask to end the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cotton: cotton last month hamas slaughtered over 30 americans and 1,400 israelis, they raped women, executed entire families, burning some of

them alive. the dead are still being identified and families are still grieving unbelievable heartbreak. yet, other the -- over the weekend former president obama described complexity and ambiguity when there is none in these attacks. he said, we, quote, have to admit nobody's hands are clean. that all of us are explicit -- complicit to some degree. he was found at cocktail parties or on podcasts, but he is also delusional. put simply, as it confession of a guilty man attempting to implicate others. we are not all complicit with hamas' massacre of jews, but barak obama is. no president did more to enrich iran and its terrorist proxies than barak obama.

as president, he stayed quiet when iranian protesters took to the streets in the green revolution, he sabotaged legislation in congress, he cut -- build a power vacuum, he refused to enforce a self-drawn red line and stood by as syria disintegrated into a geopolitical turmoil because bash ar al a -- bash yar am aside -- he chose to veto security council resolution condemning israel. and, of course, he negotiated the disastrous iran nuclear deal, handing the ayatollahs over 10 ol billion dollars in sanctions relief. barak obama saved the iranian economy and harmed relations with saudi arabia and israel. when he left office, middle east

was in flames and iran was on the march. barak obama's apologists have returned to the white house. his understudy, joe biden is now president. the man who helped to secretly negotiate the iran nuclear deal, jake sullivan is now national security advisor, and his treasury secretary is now ambassador to israel. barak obama's legacy is alive and well in this administration and it certainly shows. within days of taking office, the biden administration removed the houthis and other iranian proxies from a list of terrorist organizations without any concessions, and how did the houthis reward joe biden by firing dozens of israel and attack drones toward israeli after hamas arampage. in his first 100 days, the biden administration announced it

would send hundreds of millions of dollars in iran's friends. claiming it would foster peace and civility in the region of how did it work out? the next month they launched 4,000 rockets into israel. since taking office, joe biden has enriched the ayatollahs with over $90 billion through his lax enforcement of oil sanctions and unfreezing of iranian assets. tehran has predictably used this biden bonus to strengthen its military and arm its proxies. just last year iran doubled the budget of the revolutionary guard corps, the shock troops of the terror regime and tripled its support for hamas' military brigades. the same month that biden agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in iranian assets, the revolutionary guard corps assisted with the planning of the october 7 attacks that killed, i say again, over 30 americans and more than 1400

israelis. this is the nature of the regime that barak obama coddled for years. it is the nature of the regime that has dispatched its proxies to attack american servicemembers over 110 times since joe biden took office, let me say it again iran proxies have attacked troops in the middle east over 110 times since joe biden took office, and what has joe biden and his gang of obama accolades have done in return, they fired a few missiles, merely validating iran's proxy strategy. the eye to tell ayes -- ayatollahs are laughing at joe biden. barak obama should be the last person who should pontificate on this issue. the only thing we should hear from him is that he was wrong and apoll jiez. -- apologize. my message to him is simple, the

people complicit in the attack on israel are the terrorists who committed it, the iranian regime that funded it and the obama and biden administrations that appeased them. the responsibilities for octoben their shoulders and their shoulders alone. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mrs. gillibrand: mr. president, today i want to tell you about a story of love. a love between two people that is beautiful and deep. it is the story of a couple known as judy and god. two people in their 70's who believe in humanity and in peace. judy is a native new yorker who teaches english literature and mindfulness.

god is a chef and jazz musician. the couple raised four children and have welcomed seven grandchildren. they inspire those around them with their big hearts and open minds. on the morning of october 7, they were walking near kibbutz when rockets reigned down -- reined down overhead, they headed face down in the nearby fields. at one point judy called an ambulance because the couple had been shot, but the ambulance couldn't reach them and now they are both missing. judy and gad are just two of the hundreds of people held hostage by the terrorist organization hamas. they are peaceful, loving people who don't deserve to suffer, but since october 7, their family hasn't heard from them. and as the war in gaza grows,

they are concerned about the couple's safety and well-being. another family was also taken by a terrorist. their cousin has been working in my office and said that they are six of the human beings she loves most in the entire world and she said she won the lottery as a member of their close-knit family. according to alana, "the new yorker" we have been working with -- the new yorker woos have been -- we have been working with. danielle was with his 5-year-old daughter. they were visiting her sister, her brother-in-law and their 3-year-old twin girls. when the attack began, the family hid in their bomb shelter as hamas set fire to their neighbor's house. the shelter filled with smoke and forced them out to face the

terrorists. the last time they were heard of was from a phone call with a relative. sharone said, i don't think we'll survive this. i love you, and hung up. while these horrors can test our resolve, the love within these families should be an inspiration to all of us. it should strengthen our commitment to fight for their safety. in this darkness, we must never lose that strength. to quote from an inscription written in defiance of the holocaust, we must, quote, believe in the sun even when it is not shinning. we must believe in love even when feeling it not. mr. president, i would now like to speak about the vote that we're about to have on the floor. i would like to stand in support

of judge ramon reyes as a dedicate public servant whose breadth of experience on and off the bench will make him an outstanding addition to the eastern district of new york. he was voted out of committee by a vote of 11-10. all committee democrats voted aye. he was unanimously rated well qualified by the aba. this nominee was born in brooklyn, earned a b.s. from cornell, a j.d. from brooklyn law school and llm from new york university law school. in addition to an eastern district clerkship, he has represented corporate defendants in a large firm, helping draft legislation from the new york city council, handling civil and criminal matters as an assistant united states attorney in the

southern district of new york. reyes was appointed in 2006 to serve as the federal magistrate judge for the eastern district of new york. since taking the bench, judge reyes has presided over 13 jury trials and 18 bench trials. it covers a range of matters, including civil rights cases with his significant trying experience and depth of knowledge to the district to which he has been nominated, judge reyes will be a tremendous asset to the eastern district of new york and i urge my colleagues to support him. i yield the floor. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, in a few moments the senate will confirm julia kobick as a

district judge for the district of massachusetts. i have great news. the senate is about to confirm the 100th woman and the 150th judge over all to the federal bench since we took the majority. one judge at a time, this democratic majority is making the federal bench look more like america, and that's why the confirmation of the 100th woman to the court is so important. it's not only double the amount confirmed by president trump in all of his four years, it's also considerably more women than any full first-term of any president. in fact, two-thirds -- two-thirds of all the judges we've confirmed under president biden are women. and we've confirmed more women of color to the bench than any other president's entire time in office. these 100 women are historic, taken together, but they also include many who are historic in

their own right. they include, of course, the first black woman confirmed to the supreme court, brown jackson, they include the first muslim woman on the federal bench and the first navajo federal bench. this has been long overdue and happening in large steps under in the senate democratic majority. now i want to let the -- america know that we are proud to have reached this historic milestone, but we are not slowing down. confirming more women on the bench is long overdue, and the senate who has made more strides to make that reality will continue to keep working to confirm more judicial nominations in the weeks and months to come. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination.

is there a sufficient second? there appears to be so. 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.

vote: the clerk: 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. 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, booker, butler, coons, duckworth, durbin, fetterman, heinrich, hickenlooper, lujan, sanders, schumer, sinema, smith, tester, and welch. senators voting in the negative

-- barrasso, capito, cornyn, cotton, crapo, daines, grassley, kennedy, lankford, manchin, marshall, ricketts, and tillis. the clerk: mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye. mr. mullin, no.

the clerk: mr. wicker, no.

the clerk: mr. schatz, aye. mr. young, no. mr. warnock, aye. ms. collins, aye.

the clerk: mr. paul, no.

the clerk: mr. cramer, no.

mr. casey, aye. mr. wyden, aye. mr. scott of florida, no. mrs. blackburn, no. mr. schmitt, no.

the clerk: mr. markey, aye. the clerk: mr. graham, no.