week. >> watch the house and the senate and read about it on axios and one of the capitol hill reporters. >> thank you for having me. >> what is great internet in strong, fast, is it reliable? at spark light, we know connection goes way beyond technology. monday morning meeting and friday nights with friends and everything in between. the best stations are always there. right when you need them. how do you know it's really internet in because it is. we're smacker light and we're always the senate in prayer.

the chaplain: let us pray. eternal lord god, the center of our joy, thank you for a safe return to capitol hill and for

more opportunities to strengthen our nation and world. remind our lawmakers that you continue to stand in the shadows ensuring the success of your prevailing providence. lord, may these servants of freedom in the upper chamber of our legislative branch never forget that their times are in your hands for you are able to accomplish more than they can ask or imagine. permit these thoughts to provide them with peace that the world can neither give or take away.

we pray in your loving 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., september 9, 2024. 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, adam b.abelson to be united states district judge for the district of maryland.

mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i need to begin today by addressing the shooting that took place along i-75 in south eastern kentucky this past weekend. my office is in close contact with local law enforcement as the search for the perpetrator continues. elaine and i are grateful for the swift efforts to protect the

surrounding communities and holding those injured in this senseless violence in our prayers. now, on an entirely different matter. i'd like to welcome everyone back from the august state work period. hearing from the people we represent is what allows us to be effective here. so i know our colleagues will agree that the time we spent back home last month was particularly valuable. unsurprisingly, the issues i heard about across kentucky are familiar to millions of american families. in davis county i heard about how small family farms struggling to stay afloat amid rising costs. of course, historic inflation hasn't just hit our nation's

growers and producers, job creators and working families are bearing the brunt of the biden-harris administration reckless spending. i also heard from kentucky farmers who are waiting for congress to act on the farm bill, legislation for which the democratic majority has yet to secure a single minute of floor time. in my hometown of louisville, i spoke with legislators about the regulatory costs that are crippling state leaders and main street alike. navigating the maze of red tape from washington nearly requires politics. finally i heard from kentucky's brave servicemembers when we

celebrated the first renovated barracks facility in fort campbell. 1 -- 11 bar being as stood untouched. as i said time and time again, rebuilding american hard power starts here at home in projects like this, modernizing our capabilities, rebuilding the arsenal of democracy and equipping american servicemembers to keep us safe. now on a related matter, the challenges leading american led order and interests around the world are no less serious or connected than they were the last time the senate convened. last week, iran was expected to

transfer ballistic missiles to russia in support for putin's war in ukraine. the prc is ramping up its destabilizing provocations in the south china sea and they are looking for a nato ally hungry and it has been compounded by the west's own inaction, distraction and astonishing lapses in moral clarity. in recent days, the head of unwra insisted that deserved criticism of his organization's complicity in terrorism was itself tantamount to a weapon in the war. the foreign secretary of the

united kingdom's new government announced the suspension of 30 licenses of military aid to israel just as they buried hostages, including a young american citizen who were murdered in cold blood by hamas. this step calls for a similar restrictions on our own assistance, validate the terrorist strategy and broadcast the weakness of our resolve and in a bizarre public message, even by its own standards, the biden administration urologied the houthi terrorists to think about the consequences of their bl blockade with the environment. with august behind us, congress's unfinished business has become more gleerg.

the president's defense budget request was insufficient for top-line funding discussions. today's constraints to provide for the common defense are more dangerous and demands for parity with nondefense spending more reckless. meanwhile, passing the national defense authorization act puts to lie that the senate democratic majority is focused on urgent business. the authoritarians who are looking to -- our adversaries are resolved to exploit american weakness and hesitation and we've given them quite enough. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will -- hold.

mr. durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: welcome back. the presiding officer: same to you. mr. durbin: madam president, it was over 20 years ago when i was a member of the house of representatives that one of my colleagues mike sinerd asked me if i would like to join him on a trip and i said, where do you want to go, mike? you better pick a place that we can explain. he said i'm going to take you to a place that no one will ever complain about. i would like you to go with me to bangladesh. i said where is that and he said i'll show you. off we went to banking la desh half way around the world ---ing bangladesh. it's had more than its share of natural disasters. during the course of that trip i was introduced to an economics

professor at the university. he was an interesting character. he had come up with a theory that he thought would help the poorest people on earth known as microcredit and he created the people's bank and basically what he set out to do was to prove that you could loan a small amount of money to the poorest people on earth and dramatically change their lives. they would pay it back and start to be more constructive and more profitable in what they were doing. it was a theory at the time. but he's starting to prove it. we kept in touch after that visit and i watched over the years as he expanded the concept. pretty soon there were cell phones in tiny villages in bangladesh, they could sell a phone and call in to the nearest

city to see if they could bring in their produce. his name was hamas eunice. he caught the attention of this senator and the world. he received the nobel peace prize for his work in economics. i thought he was extraordinary and should be recognized here as well. so i led the effort with the late senator mike enzi and a congressman holt to recognize dr. eunice. he was sometimes known as banker to the poor. he helped the poorest people and recognized with a little money in hand, many could lift themselves out of poverty. the traditional banks wouldn't lend small sums to the poor, particularly the women who were

poor. banks saw such loans as too risky, unprofitable and unworthy, but dr. yunus never gave up, he saw things differently and with incredible results. through his bank he proved that mi microlending could be done collateral free and investing in poor women paid off. in fact, most of gre -- most of grameen bank's loans went to small business people. i've seen the results all over the world, including a visit to a ramshackled hut in uganda where i met three mothers working in the local market. i asked through an interpreter how micro credit changed their lives. one woman said my knees have gone soft. i didn't understand what she meant. i asked her to explain. she said before i got my micro credit loan, which gave me a chance to go to the market and

make a little money, i had to crawl on my knees to beg my husband for money to feed the children i. don't have to crawl anymore. my knees have gone soft. i'll never forget that exchange. in recent decades more than 140 million people on five decades received microloans where incredible repayment rates and success. quite simply, dr. muhammed yunus helped change the world and earned him the nobel peace p prize. tragically, he earned the wrath of the prime minister, sheikh h haseveryone -- sheikh hasima. imagine my surprise last month, during this week, hasina finally resigned as prime minister of bangladesh amid massive public protests, and the students leading the protests demanded that the leader of their country be no one other than d

dr. muhammad yunus, the same economics professor i met 20 years ago. they asked he create a caretaker government and hold new elections, which he's in the process of doing. i called him on the phone when i heard of his good fortune and that he's the leader of that nation. i asked what i could do to help. he says, we need so much help to stabilize the economy and move forward in this poor nation. i'll be coming to the united nations in the next few weeks, and i hope to get to see him. i hope he can make it to washington. he was upbeat and believes the people of that country are prepared now to rise to this historic opportunity. i'm going to offer my full support to him today. i believe in him, and i did 20 years ago, and i do today. i urge president biden to support him as well. i know dr. yunus has the best interest of the bangladeshi people at heart and will do his

utmost in this challenging time. madam president, on another topic, last weekend we learned of even more heartbreak in the middle east, specifically that six innocent israeli hostages had been executed by hamas, even as the talks were ongoing for their release. one was the young man in the prime of his life. you met his parents. he had ties to our state of illinois. hersh goldberg-polin. he is one of the young people at the music festival on october 7 in israel during the heinous hamas attack that sparked so much death and destruction. he lost part of his arm trying to protect the others who were taken hostage, from grenades, only to find himself a hostage. his parents, rachel and john, spent the next 329 days of his captivity crisscrossing the globe on a desperate effort to save their son and end this ghastly war.

can there be a crueller fate for a parent than suffering the daily plea and waiting for a horribly injured child's release? hersh is no longer with us. the heroic lengths his mom and dad took touched so many of us deeply of. fate of these hostages and suffering remind us of something i said early in the conflict, israel would be wise to learn from the united states' mistakes after 9/11 in responding to the rage and pain. i believe this lesson is lost on the current israeli prime minister, who with each passing day steps deeper into the pernicious and ruthless trap set by hamas. he seems to have no long-term plan for stability. he failed to secure the release of the hostages. he created a terrible, terrible humanitarian crisis in gaza. and appears more concerned with his far-right coalition's survival than the viable path

forward. let me be clear -- there are those in the region who want to destroy israel, and that nation has a right to exist and the right to defend itself, but i worry the current prime minister is pursuing a highly counterproductive strategy. he is alienating allies in the region who want to help with the path forward. he's creating more suffering and animosity toward the pall people and -- the palestinian people. as tom friedman wrote,e netanyau has one interest, his own immediate political survival, even if it undermines israel's long-term survival. the former massad chief concluded that israel, over the decades, quote, achieved a long string of impressive, tactical successes, but disastrous strategic failure. it is long overdue both sides reach an agreement on the ceasefire to lead to the release of the remaining hostages,

greater humanitarian access, and long-term two-state division that allows for both israelis and palestinians to live safely and in dignity. madam president, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: ms. baldwin. quorum call:

the state work. represent and allows us so i know our colleagues agree was particularly in surprisingly they are familiar figure out how family farms are. it doesn't just hit nations growers. job creators and families for the biden terrorists administration reckless spending the back on the farm bill

station majority of get to secure single minute. in my hometown spoke about the regulatory costs. thank the red taste in washington in the classified self lends itself members celebrating the facility and i was proud to work with army leaders to modernize 11 barracks for nearly half a century. in just one year for

accomplished but would have taken close to a decade building and marvelously and equipment service members to keep us safe. on a related matter america around the world than the last time the senate convened. expansion for ukraine wrapping up on the south china use senior

officials from nato allies and adversaries advances have been comparable astonishing laughs and clarity. october 7 reserve in these organizations and the war. two and the jewish state including young american citizens who were murdered in cold blood by hamas.

similar restrictions and broadcast weakness and it is our public message the biden terrorists administration urge the policies in the red sea think about the consequences of their blockade. this to say, with august behind us our businesses have become even more glaring. today the ability to provide on

urgent business. and our adversaries are resolved without hesitation and they've given that. >> twenty years ago one of my colleagues and oklahoma joining in their back on and it is a

place we can explain. i said where is that? said i will show you. bangladesh around the world, a free trip. we thought that this would credit and created something people space.

and it was time to prove in you in touch and expand the concept in these villages and see if it's the right time for when it was all said and done, i thought he was extraordinary and should be recognized.

awarded the congressional gold medal economics professor doctor mohammed. he pioneered as a groundbreaking record in a little bit of money in hand and gives himself on the property. it is to receive and never gave up. there were incredible results. most agree rising from terrible

poverty, and seeing the results of this all over the world a shackled husband uganda. i asked how microcredit changed their lives. one woman said my knees have gone soft. i didn't understand before i got my microcredit loan give me a chance to go to the market with a little money and i used to activate my husband for many to be the children. i don't have to crawl anymore, my knees have gone soft. microloans with incredible rates and success. ideas changed the world.

this has turned the prime minister was government harassed for years questionable legal charges and threatened jail time so imagine my surprise last month, i've seen it resign with a massive public protest and tunes leaving the protest demanded the leader of the country, the same economics professor i met 20 years ago. i called him on the phone and asked him what i can do to help he says so much help to stabilize the economy and look

forward and i hope to give a chance to see. i'm going to offer my full support to him today. another topic, innocent israeli hostages by hamas and one was a young man, he met his parents. in one of the few people

successful in israel and lost part of his arm only to find himself taken a sausage. as parents, rachel john 329 days captivity crisscrossing on the desperate effort to save her son. he was deeply hurt including the. the ongoing suffering and violent and reminder system think conflict.

he seems to have no long-term plan for stability and failed to hear the release of hostages and created a terrible military and crisis in gaza and there's more concerned with the coalitions in a reliable path forward. and alienating allies in the region and help with the path forward. pursuing political arrival on many else the long-term

survival. the chief included israel will achieve tactical success in the disastrous failure. the laws for israelis and palestinians.

with an overview of who is investigating which aspects? >> the courts investigating the shooter and shooters motive and secret service investigating and what went wrong they call that mission assurance review. independent review being done by a group former dhs and national security officials and the secretary under obama but it's

got officials from both sides of the aisle congress doing his thing. >> which ones paid attention to? the independent review will be later this month. the recommendations in the experts. >> what's been uncovered so far?

>> some of the biggest findings so far include that they didn't have proper overwatch, somebody keeping an eye on the high of the campaign. it covered the big findings, pretty obvious failures in the security clearance. the law enforcement officials and communication channels that up and didn't have in our abilities. we will start to learn more as the investigation plays out the

lack of resources, anaerobic mobility and along any issue for law enforcement. to get everybody in the control room. it will continue to play out in congress as well. from what they've seen on social media accounts, ideologies that are clear. >> the timeframe will of how long the investigations will

take, for they tell you? >> independent review and the task force and the house and the deadlines, they've got to do that another month-long recess and the november elections but they've already done some work. >> on the hill in the house for this purpose in july and it's unanimous vote. and they will likely tumor hearings after the election.

>> resigns richard ronald and becomes the acting director, what else has changed? >> the deputy director so it's not like -- he is now. the secret service and they didn't participate so that from last month and we will see if that continues but also making changes having worked with security plans and they have to be approved with oversight.

>> 's talking about various investigations, the russians being asked, go ahead and start calling in. testifying before a joint hearing about how the exchange here. >> that person who decided to make the decision to send donald trump on the stage going to secure situation. not to hold when you knew they were working in a security situation. i refer you back to my original answer that we are investigating the key for.

some slow individual who ought to be held accountable, what you need to know? the job. >> you asking me to make a rush to judgment about somebody failing. i acknowledge this was a higher -- somebody has failed. former president was. this could happen are. i will tell you i will do so with integrity and not rush to judgment and put people -- >> unfairly persecute --

>> we have to be able to have a proper investigation into this. >> you said earlier you've got to make sure your protocols are followed and unless there is a protocol violation, people wouldn't be disciplined. i don't really care that much about your protocol. if your protocols to provide for fact one of former president is shot when an american is killed, when other rally colors in this shot at and wounded cool, you should revise the article. >> i think this is where you and i agree. this is a failure and we will get to the bottom of it. >> i was five weeks ago explain what happens there. >> explaining they haven't believed people of their death because of what happened for many companies but will not lie

doesn't mean the investigation has for the outcomes are. >> ronald rowe. >> i think people have no confidence in him as he has done this. that was a tense exchange. and members on both sides of the aisle and i.

and they will become more like the bow. >> you are of first, go ahead. there's never pressure to and we need to have two things. we need congress to the night when things don't go well and corporations and media to take a

much more scrutinizing look. a lot of failures as a branch and this assassination attempt and the biden step with their work for things known and a lot of corruption so -- go ahead. >> what agency did you work for? >> the department. >> why did you leave? >> i felt -- i wanted to serve the country and felt -- there's a lot of good people who work there but the higher up, the more politicized tickets and if you don't want something to work, just put five people to it or the money never appears in congress doesn't understand a little think they understand there five minutes on television and they might but they will never change.

they get a lot of good people and what is happening in congress, nobody else sees the people and they can be pushed around in any way they want. >> i would love to go back and hope workout in the leadership executive branch, the people working these are fairly important challenges and whether it's the rise, they are not being addressed and will. question about funding billing dollars the highest it's ever been in there are a ton of. another they would be considered one of them year over year.

how does that years? are you using it in a way that is effective? the campaign rally which would be helpful with activities beforehand and we will see that play out. she. >> you covered congress for a long time it agency and then they need more money.

>> any worldly -- that has certainly been the case. in this case the questions as to exactly how. and they are funding. >> and the investigation efforts not politicized and observe these numbers. >> we mentioned earlier the bipartisan tasks force, that is a big deal. that doesn't happen very often. they forget about those mandates

in a nonpartisan way. they have foreign intelligence and people bringing a lot of experience. it's not going to be all about politics. we'll probably see members disagree and the question is anything investigations and these recommendations seen as trustworthy, reliable, something to work on or is it portrayed? >> some members outside of task force in their own investigations? >> when the task force was established, validate the investigations that have already started in the house but we are seeing members, eli crane, matt

gaetz, andy biggs and others to pursue their own plans of inquiry and whistleblower accounts. they are clearly doing their own investigation and the task force is designed to do their own work. they are trying not to be too adversarial. we have to send members of this investigation and they told me they view it as complementary, they are not criticizing the work but i would say about this time so let's see how it plays out. >> fundamentally different, lines of questioning or evidence, are they doing it because the task force isn't asking the right questions? >> it's more of a protection measure. alternative views and i talked to members how they are handling

all of this about what happened july 13 and they said our goal is to be open to alternative is without going down a rabbit hole and the question of interpretation. >> line for democrat. good morning. investigation into the assassination attempt is appropriate, the getting around to doing it?

here in southwest florida. he had a meeting i guess in august. i was going to go down and ask him this question i will ask you now. i did not make it down but may be you can investigate a little bit more. ds ei came to retrieve documents to being that the next president would not return. did not belong to him. 2024 the ex-president made the outrageous claim that they had come there to assassinate him. so my question is why don't they investigate that. here you have the ex-president saying that the di or other law enforcement came to his

residence in florida to assassinate him. why won't they investigate that. >> their investigations into the actions of the former president. investigating his rhetoric, that is not something that any federal agency will spend their time on. you could argue that maybe they should, but that has not been the case that they want to investigate any remark seen as inflammatory or misleading. >> donald trump sat down with the fbi about the assassination attempt. did that happen? >> i don't believe that that has happened. >> my question is, what is his relationship with the fbi and christopher wray right now. do they have much interaction at all? they have had a really

contentious relationship with congressional republicans recently, dealing the fbi as having been weapon. so, that could come to bear to some extent in these investigations. in the immediate days following the assassination attempt, we were not seeing anything like that from the trump campaign. they were ready to cooperate them figure out all the facts and keep everybody safe. >> this is jim in decatur illinois. independent. good morning. >> thank you. can you ask if the bullet has ever been recovered? >> you can ask a question, jim. she is right here. >> has a bullet ever been recovered? >> they have completely investigated the whole crime scene. the fbi has confirmed that the former president was hit by either the bullet itself or pieces of the bullet and they

did that through ballistics analysis and looking at the scene there. >> a question i was asking about was the victim interview. i knew there were reports that he would sit down for the interview i just did not know if or when that happened. >> in alabama, did i get that pronunciation right? >> hello. >> go ahead. >> yes, i wanted to ask a question from president trump appearing to have gotten shot. a black man carrying a white lady across the stage. the black man had blood all over his shirt. he passed her to a security guard. and then when they were helping trump off the stage, it was one of the secret service ladies, she pulled a gun, her pistol out

real quick and then put it back in. i wonder what that was all about the next thing got killed. because of the shooter and then another man. seeing what damage the bullet did. >> did they do autopsies is what you're asking? >> yes. >> i do not know about the particulars of the scene you are describing at the beginning of your question. as far as autopsies go, i would assume, i don't know the particulars of autopsy for the bystander, they did do an autopsy on the shooter's body. the coroner has already, had already released the body to the family and it is been cremated. an outcome that has raised some questions. some lawmakers are pretty frustrated that the body was released on the timeline that they viewed as far too quick for

situation where there are still so many questions about what happened. >> let me come back to the secret service. 2003 that the secret service moves over the department of homeland security from treasury. has there been any discussion about reorganizing the secret service and what its mission is and should be in the wake of what happened in july? >> yes. the department of homeland security was established in 2003 in the aftermath of 9/11. this massive reorganization of government . a lot of the agencies put into the department have been trying to leave ever since where they been wishing they could leave ever since. it is a new department. it has growing pains. it is still relatively new. it has growing pains. a lot of public scrutiny. a lot of work that is unpopular. you think about their missions. border security, tsa, counterterrorism. they are often getting a lot of public scrutiny.

the secret service and the treasury department as you said. it goes back to their legacy work. they still do that. they still do financial crime for the mission. in treasury they were kind of big shots. secret service within the department of treasury. quite cool. the department of homeland security one of many. one of many law enforcement units within the department. some former agents i've spoken to said this is the time that we move secret service either back to treasury or just out of dhs. put it somewhere else, put it somewhere else. they think that it is getting lost within the department. they are just too many competing missions and too many competing needs within the department that the secret service, according to some former agents don't get the priority that they think it needs. >> financial crime outside the

treasury department because it's the legacy of the mission? >> it is a legacy. they been doing it for over a century. they are good at it. some people also say this is where a lot of agents learn their investigative skills is doing financial crimes that help them investigate people for purposes of protecting presidents and other elected officials. >> less than 10 minutes in our program. bloomberg talking about the investigation into the assassination attempt on donald trump. just a reminder, we will be heading over to the center for global development. a discussion this morning on pandemic and climate preparedness with administration officials and other experts they are. we will be joining that discussion when we in this program if you stick around on c-span, that is where you will go. also a reminder that the houses in on noon eastern. 3:00 p.m. on c-span and c-span2. gavel to gavel. this is thomas in houston and independent.

good morning. >> good morning. how are you doing. >> doing well, thomas. >> as far as the secret service, it goes back decades. even under the bush administration we are having. sex parties and cocaine parties and all of that. i want to see the after incident report on trump's shooting. did he go to the hospital? what was the outcome? i've shot those type of weapons and they do a hell of a lot more damage than taking any or all. to leave me. the guy that was shot in his family, how are they doing? where did the kid get the weapon have you interviewed his parents and people that knew him? it is kind of hard to stop anyone when you have all of these people out there that are trump supporters. i mean, thousands of them. open carry states. who do you stop?

>> a lot of questions there. >> pretty much every question you just raised is something they are looking at in the investigations. i will say as far as the injury by the former president, the fbi has confirmed over and over that he was hit by a bullet. so, you know, clearly, it was not a super direct hit. he turned his head. that was very lucky. but he was hit by a bullet according to the fbi. as far as the other questions, you know, they are looking into a lot of those in the investigations. the open carry question that you raise, that is something democrats have been raising. just access to guns in america and the proliferation of guns in america. they have really tried to press secret service and other law enforcement officials to say, you know, in a public forum, is this making it harder for you to do your jobs. we have seen law enforcement

officials, local law enforcement officials kind of script the question and say they don't want to get into those kind of political debates. their job is to just deal with the threat environment as it exists. >> the caller alluded to past scandals in the secret service. did you ever read the book the rise and fall of the secret service? >> absolutely. a must read for anyone that cares about the secret service. it really details a lot of their controversies and scandals and failures in the past. they have had a lot. even in the past few years a big situation just a few years ago where a lot of text messages related to january 6 and how they were protecting people that day, a lot of the text messages from that they were deleted and never recovered. there was a big deal a couple of years ago. we are talking about all of these investigations that are happening. you know, after some fence jumpers the obama administration , there are scandals in columbia during the

vance trip, all kinds of big issues that put the agency in the public eye and not in a good way. there have been these big reviews done. a blue ribbon report done after a few of those scandals during the obama years and a lot of the recommendations of this panel, a panel of experts, of former officials and others with expertise in this area, a lot of the recommendations were never carried out whether it was due to resources or the agency did not think they were practical. so, that is the question that we face now with the investigations happening now. how much of this will result in actual change. >> it came out in 2021. washington post reporter. we covered it talking tucson festival of books in 2022, in march of 2022. if you want to watch it, you can watch it online. there it is for viewers to see. c-span.org on our video archive. what we've been talking about w this morning.

this is peter in milwaukee wisconsin, independent. good morning. >> good morning. i will be honest with you guys, completely. we took ife a costs, implementing infrastructure law, and all the ways democrats are delivering for the american people. now that we're back, our first order of business will be to swear in the newest member of this body, george helmy, selected to represent the people of new jersey until they choose a new senator this november. new jersey couldn't have a better caretaker for the next few months. senator-designate helmy's career was a longtime senate staffer for both the late senator frank lautenberg and senator cory booker and served as chief of staff to the governer of new jersey. he knows new jersey like the back much his hand. when he's sworn in later today

he'll be escorted by senator cory booker. it's a proud moment for them as well as for all of george's family. finally, senator designate's brief tenure will be historic. he will be the first ever member of the coptic orthodox church to serve in the senate. it is one of the oldest institutions in all of christianity dating back to the first century when the apostle mark evangelized in egypt. today there are tlooft half a million coptic americans living in the u.s. with large communities in new jersey and in my home state of new york. today one of them will join this great body. i thank george for answering the call of service. we wish him nothing but success and are ready to assist him however necessary in the weeks and months to come. now on the c.r., the senate is back in session for what will be three very busy, fast-paced, and

consequential few weeks. this afternoon we'll hold our first vote on cloture on the nomination of adam b. abelson to be district judge for the district of maryland. for the information of senators i've also filed cloture on the nomination of jeannette a. vargas to be a district judge for the southern district of new york. for the rest of the week and for the rest of the work peede we'll be -- period -- judicial nominees. one of the most important things we must do this work period is avoid a government shutdown. today is september 9, funding for the federal government will expire in 21 days unless republicans work with democrats. as done time and time again, keeping the government open will require bipartisanship. it will mean no poison pills or

reckless partisan posturing and leaving out the bullying tactics of the hard right. sadly, our republican counterparts are not off to a good start. republicans released without consulting the president, a six-month c.r. that is unserious and seemingly designed for scoring political points instead of avoiding a shutdown. in fact, madam president, it is so unserious that the white house has already issued a veto threat. it's a shame that the house of representatives is once again wasting time catering to the hard-right instead of doing the hard work of responsible bipartisan governance. speaker johnson's resolution isn't a serious effort to fund our government. if house republicans were serious, they would craft a bill

in a bipartisan fashion, consulting with me, the house democratic leernd the white house -- leader and the white house, and it would achieve the common goal of funding the government. if house republicans were serious, they would not kick the can down the road for half a year, interrupting critical domestic vermont, if they were -- domestic investments and they would work with the senate to make sure we extend vital programs that protect our border and the economy like e-verify and h2 visas and if house republicans were serious, they would work with democrats to avoid the farm bill expiration in december and prevent the horrible dairy cliff that would

hurt our farmers. if the funding by the farm bill expires before we act, thousands of dairy farmers could be harmed and put in jeopardy and it would send costs straight up the roof for consumers on a lot of agricultural based goods. the republican c.r. is unserious. democrats will do everything we can to avoid a republican manufactured shutdown. we are ready to work on a bipartisan bill that will keep the government open and any extraneous provisions that hinder that goal should be set aside. despite all of this, speaker johnson knows he needs to work with democrats to get anything done because that's been true this entire time and it's a good sign, madam president that the johnson c.r. finally accepts the bipartisan top line spending agreement i reached with him months ago as part of the deal to prevent a default. it's clear any final agreement

will maintain that funding level. so let's stop wasting time and put together a bipartisan funding plan that fulfills our obligations to prevent a costly and unnecessary republican government shutdown. now on the work period. everyone knows that an election is just around the corner, but senators still have a responsibility to make progress where ever possible on bipartisan issues that will help the american people. there's much we can still accomplish if republicans give us their cooperation and keep alive the bipartisan momentum that we had in july when we passed kosa and coppa. there's more work to do on the ndaa, on rail safety, and lowering the cost of insulin prescription drugs and keeping health care costs low. we may not be able to get all these things done before the election, but i urge my colleagues to make the most of this work period so we can set ourselves up for success for the rest of the year.

bipartisan compromise is hard, harder than it's been in the past, but we've seen time and again in the last two years it can be done. bipartisanship has prevented pointless and painful government shutdowns and bipartisanship saved the credit of the united states and bipartisanship led to the monumental passage of the kids online safety legislation, and i strongly urge the house to take up kosa and coppa as soon as possible. bipartisanship has kept our airports running safely and delivered disaster relief and humanitarian aid for innocent civilians in gaza and around the world and more. i know that senators on both sides want -- still want bipartisanship to continue as much as possible for as long as possible. we'll have our fierce disagreements in the weeks to come, but that doesn't change or diminish the responsibility we all have to ensure that the

american people can taken care of. so let's continue. now on high-speed rail. finally, madam president, i just came down from a great event in horsehead's new york on the new york-pennsylvania border where very soon the next chapter of american high-speed rail is going to be written. it's a historic day for upstate new york, for the southern tier and for the entire country. high-speed rail jobs are coming to horse heads where we will build a first of its kind manufacturing facility. this will create up to 300 new good-paying jobs and more specifically union jobs. not long ago high-speed rail seemed like a dream in this country, but because of the infrastructure law i led in the senator it's becoming a reality. on the west coast, high-speed

will serve commuters between las vegas and southern california thanks to the incredible work of my friend jacky rosen many we need a new fleet of state of the art passenger trains that can travel up to 220 miles per hour. there are a number of options to manufacture these trains but i urged them to use upstate new york to take advantage of our workers and facilities and strong supply chains. after a lot of pressure, they heeded my call. good-paying rail jobs are on the way. i thank president biden for not only helping us pass the infrastructure bill but for overseeing his cabinet, including the great work of the transportation department and secretary buttigieg to make sure that all of our great plans

passed in that legislation are being implemented. tonight's announcement is the democratic agenda in action. this project will receive billions from the bipartisan infrastructure law in the senate. it's going to take a million cars off the road in the long run and it's going to promote good-paying union jobs. the bottom line is this, it is my dream to make new york's southern tier the number one transit ecosystem in america. today's announcement helps make that dream come true. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i ask that the calling of the quorum be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: as iowans have come to expect of this are senator, in august i finished my

annual 99 county meetings, holding at least one q and a meeting in every county across my home state. i've kept up this tradition for 44 years in a row. the hallmark of my meetings is hour-long question and answer sessions. no question is off-limits. this year, a third of my meetings were open-town meetings and the rest were hosted by high schools, small businesses, service clubs, farmers, and hospitals throughout the state. ever since i started my meetings in 1981, the variety of meetings has been the same. i want to hear from a cross section of the population and the best way to do that is to go

to them where they work, study, and raise their families. no matter the setting, the for matt is the -- format is the same. iowans set the agenda of during the course of my travels, i've learned about businesses that i never knew existed. i've come to the conclusion that that is the case because iowans don't brag enough about what goes on in our state, particularly in some of the businesses that i've learned about. i've observed the hard work and ingenuity of iowa workers on the factory floors where they put together, for instance, trader bags, i learned about infant formulas being made in the town of ellerton, population of 430. the heart and might of rural

america is inspiring though it doesn't come without hardships, especially as iowans face low-commodity prices and the absence of a new five-year farm bill. one purpose of my meetings is to keep my finger on the pulse of iowans and the issues that impact them the most. this year i was struck by the number of people who told me about the high cost of living, how it's making it hard to put food on the stable and how it makes it hard to pay their utility bills. iowans are hurting from the high cost of food at the grocery store, up 21% since president biden and vice president harris took office. iowans ask about illegal immigrants flooding across our

border. for the last three and a half years, they see migrants crossing the rio grande, they see it on television almost every night, and that has added up to the tune of about 10 million people on the biden-harris watch. long before i came to congress, a law was passed to make it -- to make entering our country without our country's permission illegal. iowans can't make sense of an open-border policies of the biden-harris administration. they implore me to secure our border and to protect american citizens. protecting the american people is the number one responsibility of the federal government. unfortunately, we have a president who is not upholding

his oath to faithfully execute the laws. at a town meeting, someone from the back of the room will often shout, how come you guys in washington, d.c. can't do something about the problem at the border? my answer there is too much parti partisanship, but republicans and democrats work together a lot more than you would think. i'm fighting for the family farmer and the 57,000 jobs in the biofuel industry in my state by pushing to make e-15 permit year-round, alongside colleagues across the aisle from illinois and minnesota. or take my work with senator cantwell to rein in pharmacy

benefit managers, pbm's we call them in this town. my attendee at the oceola town meeting told me their medicine went up from $300 to $1,000. when you tack this on top of the inflation of the last three years, you can understand the pain in their eyes when they plead with me to lower the cost of prescription drugs. it's one of my top priorities, and i'm not going to give up until the job is done. too often americans feel congress doesn't understand the challenges facing their fa families. the best way to reduce this cynicism is to look your constituents in the eye and listen to them. for more than four decades, that's what i've done. once i've hit all 99 counties, you may think that's the end of my touring the state and

listening to iowans. but i look forward to many more q&a's between now and the end of this year. representative government is a two-way street. those of us elected are one half of that process. our constituents are the other one after of that process. -- are the other one-half of that process. dialogue is the essence of representative government. i believe my 44-year track record to show my commitment to holding up my end of the ba bargain. and i want to thank every iowan who comes to my county meetings. for those who can't get to the meetings, i remind iowans my door is always open. that most often happens by people sending me e-mails, calling my office, or writing a letter. i want to tell them, as i do at every meeting, you'll get a response, and if you don't get a response let me know, because you're entitled to an answer.

if i promise you an answer, i want to make sure you get one. i look forward to starting my 45th year of holding my 99 county meetings when 2025 comes around. i yield the floor.

mr. cornyn: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. king: madam president, we are not in ha quorum call, are we? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. cornyn: thank you. madam president, this week the senate returns from the august state work period. that's what we call the period of time when we're not here in washington, d.c., but doing our job. but the truth is we really haven't been in session very

much here in d.c. for a long, long time, and september is no exception. and when we are in session here, typically, these days, it seems like we're in session for two and a half days, while the rest of america works at least 40 hours a week, and many of my constituents in texas work much longer hours than that. senator schumer, who sets the schedule here in the united states senate, has had us working, well, generously about halftime. i won't mince words. this democrat senate is on a collision course with itself, and the republicans have been ringing the alarm bell for months. after leader schumer's summer of show votes and months spent on president biden's controversial and often unqualified nominees, the senate will be in session just 11 more days, 11 more days

in september. and we face an impossible to-do list. but it's by design. it's no surprise to anyone. some of what's on this list is some of the most basic tasks of governing. that's what we're supposed to be doing here. but i'm not confident we'll be able to even get that done in a timely manner. the first on my list is the national defense authorization act, something we've done more than 60 years in a row. the senate armed services committee did its job, in a bipartisan fashion, and they completed their workweeks ago, before we adjourned. but what did leader schumer decide to do? he declined to bring the bill to the floor, opting instead to have our last vote of the work period to be an unserious effort

at sweeping tax legislation that was never even marked up in the senate finance committee. he knew it wouldn't pass, but that wasn't his purpose. it was just a show vote. in contrast, this defense authorization bill has gone through a bipartisan process that included hearings, mark-ups, and hundreds of amendments. chairman reed, a democrat, r ranking member wicker, a republican, and our colleagues on the senate armed services committee have done their job. they've put countless hours into this crucial legislation which will help modernize our nation's defense and support our volunteer servicemembers and their families. but the majority leader gave them the heisman, hampering our military's ability to plan ahead and address the myriad threats that we face from every corner of the globe. i join those in saying we have

never had a more dangerous time in this world we live since world war ii, and you would think the defense authorization bill, which was focused specifically on maintaining our military superiority and deterring aggression, you would think that would be top of the list of things to do, but not in this senate. the defense authorization bill deserves to be the number one priority in this chamber as it has been for more than six decades, continued needs to -- and it needs to come to the floor as soon as possible. anything less is an affront to the men and women who put their lives on the line for our safety, both here at home and abroad. unfortunately, that's not the only train headed down the tracks. we need to pass a government

funding bill before the end of the month. this is part of the predictable shutdown drama that seems to eat up so much time here in washington, d.c., unnecessarily i might add. there's no reason to do this, except the cause is putting everything off to the end, not in the interest of transparency or in the interest of regular process that our constituents can watch and comment on. this is trying to jam spending, about $1.5 trillion of spending, through without going through the normal appropriations process. despite the democratic leader's light summer schedule, the appropriations committee, again, has done its work, in a bipartisan fashion. good for them. as of today, they've passed all

but one of the annual funding bills. again, congratulations to the bipartisan partnership of chairman murray and vice chair collins, we have a great place to start voting on these bills. we had one starting back in july, if we had been given an opportunity. but the majority leader, as we you a know, is the only one who can schedule floor votes in the senate, and he showed zero interest in doing so then, and he doesn't seem to be particularly interested in taking up this bipartisan committee product anytime soon. so, we'll see more of what we saw earlier this year when the majority leader, the senator from new york, senator schumer, led the senate in a past fiscal year 2024 funding bill halfway through the fiscal year. this is no way to run a railroad or the nation's and world's

greatest deliberative body. i hope we can turn to passing these bipartisan appropriation bills as soon as possible. keeping the lights on, paying the bills is the most basic function of the government. but yes, there's even more on our to-do list. we have a looming deadline of september 30 to pass the farm bill. i was glad to have a chance to go to the rio grande valley, one of the most prolific parts of the state of texas when it comes to growing agriculture, agriculture then that's exported to the rest of the country and around the world. ranking member boozman joined me in the rio grande valley. of course, we know him as a fierce champion for american agriculture, and i was glad to travel with him to mcallen and

mission, texas. and we listened to farmers and ranchers about the importance of passing a timely and strong, farm bill. but the majority leader's schedule, or lack thereof, can't stand in the way of making progress on something like this. we depend on our agricultural industry to put food on the table and clothes on our back. they deserve some predictability, some certainty, not just another can kicked down the road. the democratic-led congress has been one of inaction. we've wasted enormous amount of time turning what should be a marathon into an unnecessary sprint. strengthening our national defense, ensuring the government pays the bills, supporting our agriculture sector, these are the a, b, c's of governing, and

we're not doing it. 11 more legislative days remain to get that work done. it's an impossible schedule, but it's completely by design and completely preventable. leaving this work until the end of the year and taking yet another break for the month of october so democrats can campaign is not a way to govern. the american people look to washington, and particularly the united states congress, and they see dysfunction. they know things aren't working the way they should, but that's because of a failure of leadership starting right here in the united states senate. and i hope as a result they will choose new management come november. madam president, this chamber isn't the only place that democrat dysfunction is on full display. i spoke a few months ago about the biden-harris

administration's department of education bungling the rollout of this year's free application for federal student aid, or fafsa. every young person who is going to college needs to fill out a free application for federal student aid or they may not be able to go to the school they want to go to. she may not be able to afford it. this document determines the financial aid students will receive through loans, grants, scholarships, and work study pro programs. it can determine not only the college that you choose or can afford but whether a college education itself is even financially feasible. this year that critical information was delayed unnece unnecessarily, putting young texans' dreams on hold. the biden-harris department of

education was nearly three months behind on releasing what they claim was their new and improved fafsa. but some students couldn't complete the fafsa at all due to technical glitches. again, more dysfunction, more bungling. the result? fafsa completion rates in texas were down by nearly 9%, or almost 30,000 students compared to last year. worse than during the pandemic. now, these aren't just numbers on a page. these are young texans who now find themselves unsure how or if they will be able to go to college or at least the one they want to go to. last month the "fairfax tribune" towed the story of a young sophomore who didn't find out about her financial aid package -- was actually cut by

$10,000 until july. after she'd already enrolled in classes and signed up for oncampus housing. now she said she will have to lift herself to -- limit herself to just eating one meal at a dining hall, allowing herself two on the days she gets particularly hungry. this is a real-life cost of the biden-harris administration's ineptitude, and it is a huge disservice to these young people who are just starting out on their college education and pursuing a career and their dreams. texas students and our workforce will feel the impact of this disastrous fafsa process and the downstream effects for years to come. now, the biden administration hopes that there's so much going on that nobody will notice, but i guarantee, these young people who are being denied their dreams and access to grants and the financial aid they need in

order to pick their college, they are noticing as well as their families. but the administration hopes that people won't hear or read complaints from students and their families. well, my hope is that these students and their families continue to tell their stories and that the media keeps covering them. this is a scandal. nothing more and nothing less. and parents of college-age students should think twice before giving this administration another chance to make a mess of their children's future yet again. madam president, i yield the floor, and i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

what took place, when it took place and the ramifications of what those decisions were.

over the course of the last three years, the families of the 13 fallen have been given several incomplete reports any resemblance of a thorough investigation were left out or buried. we were given another report concerning the events that led up. the promise of the absolute complete and accurate report. yet a week later cnn shared a video that we were told did not exist. repeatedly we were told that there was nothing else. no more information. no more videos. no more drone footage yet somehow after a report we see on cnn something that we were told absolutely did not exist. you can imagine how hurt and visit pointed my girls and i were that we were misled once again that riley's life, rightly service in riley's death following the facts and the evidence as they were laid out and as they were true to be.

this report provided confirmation of things that i knew, set the light on things i suspected in detail things i was not aware of in regards to the missteps, failed leadership in the decisions that ultimately led to the collapse of afghanistan. the taliban take over and the preventable murder of our 13 heroes. please do not forget our 45 wounded in the countless afghan a's that lost their lives in that blast. the truth no longer resides from washington, d.c. or politics. the media no longer seeks the truth without political motivation. character conviction are absent. step forward and provide the truth or consequences our military personnel elected and appointed officials committee protections, department protections and often downright refused to be interviewed. america deserves better and our 13 definitely deserve better.

april 14, 2021 was the date the biden harris administration put into motion a series of decisions and events that led to the death of my son and his 12 brothers and sisters. i urge every american to read this report. it should not be one-sided pit against the other with tales dug in deep unwilling to accept or acknowledge the finance. every american should one expect and demand the truth as to what happened in afghanistan. please ask yourself does the media and the current administration honest with you about the events leading up to 826-2021. again, thank you chairman mccall the house foreign affairs committee for the work that you have done and continue to do. i hope that you will continue to ask the hard questions and follow the facts wherever they lead. and, with that, i will move on kirsch next you will hear my new

found friend and my newfound heroes. honestly long before i ever met you from florida please welcome ryan. [applause] be met for all of you in the media, you don't have to look at any of this as the opinions of brian or chairman or darrell isa or any other member. this is not our opinions. every bit of this is founded within the transcribed interviews within the interviews of individuals and hearings. the first person perspective of those that were on the ground or in the pentagon or in foggy bottom or somewhere else in the middle east and the state department somewhere offering what they saw. what they witnessed. what they said and what was ignored. every single time i was part of a transcribed interview or part of a hearing somewhere, the same

two things constantly came to mind for me is this was going on the politics were paramount. september 11. the paramount over everything in the very beginning. that was politics but national security objectives. the politics were parallel. everything coming out of the white house every time to spend what was happening. the politics paramount not the reality on the ground. coming out of there never act reflecting the reality on the ground as you look at timeline after timeline. beyond the politics being paramount you can look at it and you can say everybody and everything else, contrary to the politics, were to be considered disposable. any nato ally having to say or partner had to say, that was disposable information. members of the state department that every effort was made to

withhold that from us. that was meant to be disposable information. light came through from anybody in the pentagon disposable information. analysis to use a different time , a different season when fighting was not so prevalent in afghanistan, disposable information. whether to use a different air base, a different location, a place more suited to the tactics of that kind of withdrawal, disposable information. making all of that disposable information made the lives of our service members disposable. that is how they were treated. it literally cost the lives of 13 americans, many more afghan a's, countless more that we do not know about because they were left behind. because of politics were

paramount in all of this. that is my opinion on what i came away with after sitting through those interviews. hearing the people speak. called by both republicans and democrats alike. that it was all about the politics. and everything else be damned. for all the mistakes that were made were the children of those that are with us today. those are the only ones that paid any kind of price. and there are only two people that can change that. that is joe biden and the person that he said was the last person in the room kamala harris. it is up to you to make sure that were held accountable. get the message out, read the

report. read the first person accounts. help get the truth out there. this is a report of the truth. bring up one of our fathers, a friend. herman lopez. father of hunter lopez. [applause] >> good afternoon. along with this report i realize this is just the beginning. the beginning of understanding the events that led to august 26, 2021 and what led to the death of our sons, our daughters, our families.

this report represents and should by no means be taken much less suspected of the afghanistan. it is only the beginning. i want to thank chairman mccall, think speaker johnson, congressman isa and getting us to this point. and being supportive in this investigation. as a father, i will do whatever needs to be done to get answers for my son. from my immediate family and all of my goldstar families. i extend an invitation and a challenge for those that have resisted cooperation in this review. my challenge to do it is right regardless of politics. to give goldstar families answers and more important for all of america. thank you.

[applause] up next will be cora doolittle. >> i'm sorry. >> i will go and then i will give it to her. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you to all the members and all the staff that participated in this. i just want to take a moment to not down some ridiculous. we saw biden secretary of transportation. saying that this was a completely politicized and kind of vacuous document. at the end of the interview he admits. we are hearing, unfortunately,

from the democrats including ranking member meeks of this committee that this is a political document. the timing is all political. the fact that the democrats were in charge all 2021 as this happened, all of 2022 ....

the president pro tempore: the senate will be in order.

mr. schumer: madam president. the president pro tempore: the majority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the president pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the the president pro tempore: the chair lays before the senate one certificate of appointment to fill an unexpired term. the certificate the chair is advised in the form suggested by the senate. hearing no objection, the reading of the certificate will be waived and it will be printed full in the record. if the senator designate will present himself at the desk the chair will administer the oath of office. the president pro tempore: will the senator please present himself.

please raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you god? mr. helmy: i do. the president pro tempore: congratulations. [applause] #

mr. schumer: madam president. the president pro tempore: the majority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the president pro tempore: the question is on the motion. mr. schumer: i just want to say a word of congratulations to our new senator. i spoke on the floor earlier. he's going to be a great addition and it's another ceiling being broken. he is the first member of the coptic church to become a member of the united states senate. it's one of the oldest christian denominations ever. so welcome. madam president, i move to proceed to legislative session. the president pro tempore: the question is on the amendment.

on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 780. the president pro tempore: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. marykay lanthier of vermont to be united states district judge for the district of vermont. mr. schumer: i send a motion at the desk. the president pro tempore: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: senators senators, in accordance with the provisions of do hereby move to bring to a

close the debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 780, mary kay lanth ier, signed by 17 senators as followed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the reading of the names be waived. the president pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the president pro tempore: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed nay, the ayes appear to have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider 781. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. those opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. laura margarete provinzino of minnesota to be united states district judge for the district of minnesota. mr. schumer: i send a cloture

motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate move to close the debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 781, laura margarete provinzino of minnesota to be united states district judge. signed by 17 senators as follows. the presiding officer: i ask unanimous consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask i ask unanimous consent that the quorum calls be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. moran: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call now be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. the senate will be in order. mr. moran: thank you, madam president. i, like many of my colleagues, spent a lot of time in our home states during the month of august and early september, and i'm ready to come back and go to work. and i'm pleased to report that i had a number of conversations about things that we are doing and not doing with the citizens of the state of kansas. i traveled from east to west and north to south, from elwood in the northeast corner to sedan in southeast kansas, to st. francis and sharon springs in the far western part of the state and southwest corner to liberal, kansas. i rise to speak on behalf of many kansans on a couple of

topics. many of my constituents are angry and afraid of potentially losing their homes, farms and businesses and their land as a result of the department of energy's proposed national interest electric transmission corridor. during august, the kansans from across the state, but particularly those who are in line for this corridor, raised their concerns with me about this proposal and that it would give way to a large-scale federal government intervention in rural america, in rural kansas. one woman in downs kansas shared how her home sits within the proposed corridor and is fearful of how the proposed line would impact her family. by designating this corridor, the department of energy opens up the door for potential officials from the federal energy regulatory commission to steamroll state regulators by overriding their decisions on whether or not to site electric

transmission lines. the federal government should not be in the business of land for emnannette domain especially for a transmission project that was rejected by a state regulator. kansans know these decisions should not be made by folks in washington, d.c. who live hundreds and hundreds of miles away. it's why i'm introducing legislation with xhan tracy -- with congressman traciman to prevent the federal government from possessing landowners' property without their consent for these transmission projects. in addition to this legislation, i've also been engaged with the department of energy who have assured me they will continue to accept comments and take them into consideration through the next phase of this proposal. after an unacceptably short comment period,s it is critical the department of energy fully understand the objections my constituents have with this proposal. protecting the kansas way of life involves standing up for our smallest towns and family

farms, many of which have been passed down generation to generation. as these proposals move forward, i'll continue to work to defend kansas agriculture, small businesses and the rights of property owners across our state from federal overreach. we must, we must make certain that the federal taxpayer dollars are not used for eminent domain and the decisions about electric transmission siting be left in kansas, not in washington, d.c. madam president, i also had the opportunity to see developments in our state regarding sustainable aviation fuel. saf, it has a three-fold benefit, has a cleaner energy supply, bolsters our american energy industry and provides farmers with new markets to sell their crops or byproducts of their crops. this is a biofuel made from corn

and soybeans that has fewer greenhouse gas emissions. it is a green component of decarbonizing aviation. most airplanes flown by airlines are able to sues saf -- able to use saf. southwest airlines is making the investments by building a plant in kansas, by taking the stocks, leaves and cobs left after -- leftover and use it. it will add a new energy source for our nation's representor -- representor. we need to invest in all energy production, including wind, solar, fossil fuels and now saf.

to spur investment in saf, i introduced an act tociy sis thi. generating this new fuel source would not be possible without our producers, agriculture is a critical industry but also a challenging industry. we need to make certain we are providing our farmers with every opportunity to sell their crops in a variety of markets. to help spur on the development of saf and other forms of sustainable aviation energies, i'm launching the aviation caucus with senator boozman and senator duckworth as cochairs. this is simple, it is to advance our nation's biofuel in aviation industries to promote national security and bolster passenger safety. this caucus with will work together to find ways to maximize the aviation industry's financial sustainability and

increase its resiliency. i come from a state known for aviation and agriculture and i love to see the two come together in this circumstance. i encourage my colleagues to join the effort to create a sustainable aviation industry and increase our competitive in sustain able aviation fuel. madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: i rise in strong support of the nomination of u.s. magistrate judge adam abelson to be elevated to become a united states district judge for the district of maryland. i join with senator van hollen to recommend this nominee to president biden. judge abelson who lives in baltimore and serves as a u.s. magistrate judge in our baltimore courthouse has been nominated to fill the current

vacancy that occurs to former chief judge james banard taking senior status. senator van hollen and i worked to establish a judicial committee in maryland, including an open-application process. we sought out highly qualified and diverse applicant pool. our committee looked at numerous applicants and we interviewed several finalists before recommending names to the white house. this was an extremely competitive process. we had very, very large number of well-qualified people who sought to serve as journal in our district court, judge abelson rose to the top and we are proud to make that recommendation. judge abelson has been a united states magistrate judge for the district of maryland since september 2023. prior to that, he worked in private practice from 2012 to

2023, rising from associate to partner. he served as a law clerk for both judge andres davis on the fourth circuit court of appeals as well as judge katherine blake on the u.s. district court for the district of maryland. judge abelson received his j.d. magnum cum laude and b.a. from princeton university. before law school, judge abelson served in chile as a research fellow for the human rights watch. in private practice, he's represented clients in civil litigation and white collar sifl defense, he was deeply involved in the community and legal prof profession. he served as chair of the american bar association on building working trust in the

justice system where he worked on the court fines and fees. he developed the enforcement body am ra worn policies. he served as the vice chair and a board member and officer of the maryland chapter of the federal bar association. i think you can see, madam president, that judge abelson has been deeply involved in the legal community and our community in order to be able to properly serve as a magistrate judge. in september of 2023, he was appointed by the bench to serve as a united states magistrate judge for the district of maryland where he now sits in baltimore. as a sitting federal magistrate judge, judge abelson presides over criminal proceedings including initial hearings and handles federal misdemeanor offenses and serves in the red

tape and trace devices. he presides overle civil proceedings and conducts sett settlements. if confirmed as a drudge, he would continue to serve in the same court where he now sits as a magistrate judge and where he has practiced for many years as a private law firm attorney. think you can see he is well qualified for this position. he has the experience, he has the background to serve as the united states district judge for maryland. i was delighted to recommend the nomination to judge abelson to president biden, along with senator van hollen. judicial nominees must meet the highest standards of integrity, competence and temperament. i am confident he will safeguard the rights of all marylanders and faithfully follow the judicial oath to the poor and

rich. he will serve the people of maryland well if confirmed for this lifetime appointment. he has a strong legal and judicial qualifications. let me just say the american bar association standing committee gave judge abelson's rating unanimously well qualified, which is the highest possible rating and the judiciary committee favorfully reported him with a bipartisan vote in july of this year. i know that public service is a family affair and sacrifice so i wanted to thank his family for agreeing to share him with the people of maryland in the interest of public service. i urge my colleagues in the senate to confirm his nomination so he can continue to serve the public as a district judge. i see my colleague are senator van hollen is be on the floor. let me comment it's been a pleasure for me to work with senator van hollen as we have gone through the process of

filling our judicial nominations in maryland and he's been extremely -- an extremely valuable member in recruiting and recommending only the best to the senate for confirmation. i yield the floor. mr. van hollen: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. van hollen: let me start by thanking my friend and senior senator from the great state of maryland for putting together a process that does ensure that we recommend the very best to our colleagues. and i join him in expressing my strong support for the confirmation of adam abelson, of maryland, to serve as the u.s. district court judge for the district of maryland. i was honored to recommend his confirmation to the senate judiciary committee, along with senator cardin, and very pleased to see the senate judiciary committee support that

nomination. judge abelson's nomination was put forward by president biden after chief judge james brudar announced his decision to take senior status in may. he served on the district court with distinction for years and i want to thank him for his public service. judge brenard left the maryland district court in the capable hands of judge russell and we wish him the best as he continues his leadership. for judge abelson, this moment, madam president, is the next step in a remarkable career shaped by dedication to his community, upholding equal justice under the law and making a positive impact on the world. his experience is both wide and deep. while in law school, he traveled

abroad to promote human rights as a research fellow for human rights watch where he advocated for victims of the regime in chile. as a fellow at the department of justice, he helped to prosecute the perpetrators of genocide in bosnia and rwanda. he clerked for andrii davis on the fourth circuit court of appeals and katherine blake on the district court for the district court of maryland. both known for their distinguished service. following his clerkships, he was in private practice at zuckerman, spader and became what some called a legal omnivore, working with

plaintiffs and defendants in white collar criminal cases, he covered a range of topics, including antitrust, legal ethics, family law and even one memorable case regarding horseshoe crabs. his diversity of experience is a testament to judge abelson's work etsdz etsdz -- ethic. his colleagues say he was gifted with, quote, a special ability to explain complex legal matters in a way that is readily accessible to everyone. and he fought to ensure that, quote, neither judges nor lawyers lose the sight of the humanity of every individual without regard to their resources. in addition to fighting for human rights abroad, adam has devoted himself to the same principles at home through pro bono work. again his colleagues say, quote,

he regularly leapt at the chance to take on matters and furtherance of the public good. i want to mention one important case, his work in wittv. united behavioral health, where he took on a health insurance company on behalf of patients with mental health and substance abuse disorders. they were forced to pay for huge costs. and former congressman patrick kennedy called it the board -- it is no surprise that as senator cardin said, the american bar association ruled that judge abelson is well qualified. he is a devoted and outstanding member of the legal community,

taking on responsibilities with the maryland chapter of the federal bar association and also having shared the american bar association's working group on building public trust in the american justice system. he's also been an indispensable citizen in the great city of baltimore. he served on the board of the jobs opportunity task force which works to eliminate occasional and -- educational and employment. he's an active member of his sin gaug. -- synagogue. i want to mention some of his family members to whom he would readily say he owes his good fortune in being nominated for this position. his grandmother lois was a public school guidance counselor who counciled at-risk youth and other community and civic

activities all into her 90's. in her application, he remembers that his grandmother helped to put him on the path to public service. when he delivered meals to senior citizens, he took adam and other grand xhirn alone. -- along. like senator cartin, i also want to acknowledge his immediate -- senator cardin i also want to acknowledge his wife laura ginsberg abelson, a former federal public defender anded a junto professor at the university of maryland law school and at the university of pennsylvania carey law school. laura grew up in baltimore, and we heard her -- we have her to thank for poaching adam from ohio. they raised their family in baltimore city, their sons both

currently attend baltimore city public schools and both mom and dad are very active in their children's education. madam president, we know in our democracy -- our democracy depends on a strong, independent judiciary and our judiciary depends on people like judge abelson, leaders with nimble minds and deep-rooted convictions. he has served with distinction as a magistrate judge, and he will make maryland and america proud as a district judge. i strongly urge my colleagues to vote to confirm him, and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 705, adam b. abelson, 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 the nomination of adam b. abelson, of maryland, to be the 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. 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. 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. helmy. 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. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

senators voting in the affirmative -- bennet, blumenthal, brown, butler, cantwell, carper, casey, coons, duckworth, fetterman, hassan, heinrich, hirono, king, lujan, peters, manchin, rosen, shaheen, smith, tester, van hollen, wyden. senators voting in the negative -- blackburn, cotton, hyde-smith, johnson, kennedy, marshall, moran, ricketts,

tuberville. the clerk: mr. mullin, no. mr. welch, aye. mr. smith, no. mr. barasso, no. mr. daines, no. mr. hickenlooper, aye. mr. scott of florida, no.

the clerk: mr. paul, no. the clerk: mr. kaine, aye. mr. thune, no.

mr. cornyn, no. mr. wicker, no. mr. grassley, no. the clerk: mr. warnock, aye.

the clerk: mrs. capito, no. ms. ernst, no. mr. crapo, no. mr. warner, aye. ms. cortez masto, aye.

the clerk: ms. baldwin, aye. mrs. murray, aye. mr. sanders, aye.

the clerk: mr. lee, no. mr. tillis, no.

the clerk: ms. lummis, no. the clerk: mr. murphy, aye. vote:

the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

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

the clerk: ms. warren, aye. the clerk: mr. cruz, no. ms. klobuchar, aye. ms. collins, aye. ms. stabenow, aye.

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

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

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

the clerk: mr. schatz, aye.

the clerk: mr. graham, aye. mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mr. cassidy, no.

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

the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. boozman, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no.

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

the clerk: mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. cramer, no.

the presiding officer: onnen this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 40. the motion is agreed to..

mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate ploed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of h. con. res. 126 which was received from the house and is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h. con. res. 126, authorizing the use of the rotunda of the capitol to be a ceremony to apardon posthumously a congressional gold med pall and so forth. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i understand there is a bill at the desk that's due for a second

reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 49s 73, a argues reacertificate the constitutional authority of congress to determine the general applicability of the criminal laws of the united states and for other purposes. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order to place -- mr. schumer: in order to place the bill on the calendar, i would object to further proceeding. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business tays it stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on use this day, september 10. following the prayer and pledge, the journal be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the abelson nomination postcloture. further, that all time be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. and that following the cloture vote on the vargas nomination,

the senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the caucus meetings. if cloture has been invoked on the vargas nomination, all time be expired at 2:15 p.m. final lay, if any nominations are confirmed during tuesday's serbsing the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: if there is to further business to come before the senate, a i ask that is it stand under the previous order, following the remarks of senator warnock. officer without objection. mr. schumer: i yield the in regard.

mr. warnock: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. warnock: mr. president, i rise today carrying the grief of all georgians after a school shooting in the small town of winder, georgia, claimed the lives of two children and two educators just five days ago. i've been in the united states senate a little over three years and i've stood here three times to lament yet another tragic mass shooting in my state alone that has taken innocent lives. and that is as unsurprising as it is tragic since we endure in this country about two mass shootings a day. so here we are again. i stand here not just as a senator, but as a father of two

young children. i can tell you that as a dad, that time in the morning when you get your kids ready for school and you put them in the car and you drive them to school, that's precious time. and all of us parents when we drop our kids off, we drive them to school or walk them to school or walk them to the school bus, we want to know that we're going to pick them up just a few hours later. and it is a ritual played out in small towns and big cities all across america, and it's something that we take for granted, but increasingly in the united states of america, we cannot take for granted that when we drop our kids off in the morning that we will pick them up at 3:00. and that is every parents'

nightmare, regardless of your politics. and only weeks into the new school year this nightmare again became a reality in georgia, with four dead, others injured, an entire community traumatized, apalachee high school joins a grim and growing procession of schools where our children are dying from gun violence. we cannot easily pass this over. we must never forget their names. two dedicated educators, christina irimie and richard, or coach ricky, aspinwall. and then two young students, mason schermerhorn and christian

angulo. and so on friday night, this past friday night i went to winder to join apalachee students, families and community members as they came to mourn the presh precious souls. a friday night in small town georgia. we should have been there for a football game. but instead of cheering on their classmates, they were mourning their classmates. one student came up to me with pain in her eyes, and she said, i don't want to go back to school. and then there were these girls, these 15-year-old girls who surrounded me because i spent some time there, and they began to talk to me. one of them talked about hearing

the noise of someone banging on the door, of huddling and wondering what would come next. coach ricky, who was beloved, was also a math teacher, and one of the girls said this was my math teacher. imagine that, you go to school one day and the biggest thing you're concerned about is understanding the math problem, and you come to school the next day, the next week, and your math teacher is dead. another victim of a mass shooting. in your school. i remember talking also to the family of christian, and the father shared with me that they had moved from california to a

small town in georgia, looking for a quiet and peaceful life. sad irony. tragic irony. and one of my colleagues suggested over the weekend, one of my senate colleagues, that this kind of violence is a fact of life. that's what he said. he said it's a fact of life. no, this is a fact of life in america. in no other country that is not at war is this kind of random violence routine. this is a tragic form of american exceptionalism. and as we wrestle with this trauma, i think that we all are called as a country to ask ourselves what trauma do we visit upon our children if we say that the only thing we can do for you in the midst of all of this is to teach you how to hide. that same colleague, by the way, suggested that what we ought to

do is harden the schools, because these are soft targets. well, apply that logic. so we're going to harden every school in america, harden every dproesry store in america -- grocery store in america? what the the shopping malls, the spas, the medical clinics, what about the houses of worship? is that an answer? are we going to turn the whole country into a fort just so 14-year olds can have ar-15's? so i know that we may not all agree on what to do, but surely we can do better than that. we don't have to live this way. we don't have to accept this as a fact of life.

and so in the midst of all of this, we hear often the words we're sending our thoughts and prayers. let me say as a man of faith that to say that you are praying while refusing to act is to make a mockery of faith. we must pray with our lips and we must pray by taking action. i do not believe that mat shoot -- mass shootings is the cost of freedom. i believe it is the cost of blind object city nance. it is the cost of greed. so we must start and see through a serious bipartisan conversation right here in washington and in state capitals all over this country about how to better protect our children, and communities across the country from the scourge of gun violence. just a couple of years ago we

did make progress right here in this chamber and we passed commonsense gun safety reforms in the wake of yet another tragic school shooting. and while that bill was modest, it was meaningful. we made progress. and right now that law is saving lives. but as we were reminded just a few days ago, not enough. and so there's still work for us to do. for me, this is not a political issue. it is a moral issue. and the glimmer of hope is that most american families feel the same way. according to a fox news poll, about 87% of americans believe that congress ought to pass universal background checks. that's democrats and republicans. 87% agreement. and still we can't have a

serious conversation about that here in this chamber. why? because politicians have put their own political ambitions, their own fears, in some cases ahead of people that we were sent here to represent. and it's just another sign of the growing chasm between what the people want and what they can get out of their government, and in that sense it's a democracy problem. and so we have to save the american people from this carnage and we have to redeem the democracy. we must do more, and i believe in our ability to do more because i believe in the american people. the american people are calling for change. democrats and republicans. folks in rural spaces and in urban spaces. it's the gun lobby that wants to

turn this into a culture war because they know that that's in their best interest. this is a public safety issue. and the american people are calling out for action. they are calling for sanity. and i believe it's high time that we do that work. as i close, i just want to thank our law enforcement officers. i want to thank our first responders and our health care workers. and may we thank our educators, our teachers, our coaches. and may we remember the people of winder and apalachee high school and small towns all across our country. they all stood up the other day, shining bright in a dark moment. i pray for the day when i'll be able to say the same thing about the united states congress. it is past time.

and as dark as this moment is, may we be encouraged by the words of scripture. the light shines in the darkness and the darkness overcometh it not. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until and it wrapping up the senate session for this monday, senate lawmakers limit debate on the district judicial nominee. also george was sworn in as a senator for new jersey. former democratic senator bob menendez. you can watch live coverage of the senate when members return n

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