♪♪ >> buckeye broadband supports c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> we take you live to capitol hill where the senate is about to gavel in. later today, members are expected to debate and vote on a bill to fund the government until december 20th. lawmakers are also considering more of president biden's judicial nominees. you're watching live coverage c-span2. ... the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain will lead the

senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal, lord god, who rules the raging of the sea, in a world facing hurt and pain, help us also to see the beauty of your creative power. enable the members of this body to sense the transcendence in the beauty of the earth and the glory of the skies. lord, help our senators to hear your music in the symphony of the seasons, in the whispering of the wind, and in the

constellations of the night. may the sounds of nature's music lead our lawmakers to place greater trust in the movement of your prevailing providence. lord, give them spiritual power so that they will do your will on earth, even as it is done in heaven. we pray in your powerful name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the 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 25, 2024. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable peter welch, a senator from the state of vermont, 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. byron b. conway of wisconsin to be united states district judge for the eastern district of for the eastern district of

we do not divide the world. ask the same of you, do not divide the world. the united nations. thank you. [applause] >> on behalf of the assembly i wish to thank the president of ukraine.

>> the assembly was there an address by his excellency, president of the republic of ghana. request protocol to escort is actually invited to address the assembly. >> madam president, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, i cannot help but reflect on the significance of this moment. this will be my final opportunity to address the united nations general assembly as it enter the closing months of my presidency. over the past eight years, i i

have had the privilege of speaking on several variation of the essential themes to dominate the deliberations of this global assembly. the condition of humanity and the state of the planet. several people of ghana and by extension those of african the world has to been the greatest lesson of my life. indeed, being here this morning fills me with both pride and humility. pride in the limited progress we've made together, and humility in recognizing the challenges that still remain. my time as president has been deeply fulfilling and i'm profoundly grateful to the trust placed in me by my fellow guidance. it's been an honor to serve them and to contribute advance peace security and government on the global stage.

madam president, i'm here with the -- mindful of the great challenges that still confront us. as president of the republic of ghana and as a citizen of the world, i'm acutely aware of the shared responsibility. our work here is nothing less than shaping the future of humanity, the future that will affect generations long after we are gone. leaving no one behind, acting together for the investment of peace, sustainable development and human -- for present and future generations, reminds us of the decisions we take care will be -- to find when we rise to meet the hopes of billiards continue to let inequalities and injustice processed. for those who look to this part of the leadership to act and not just to talk, the world we live in today is a stark unfortunate

contrast of privilege and hardship. for too long the voices of those marginalized, those left behind had been drowned out. they constitute the bulk of humanity. these are the voices of the poor, the displaced, the vulnerable. we cannot in good conscious leave them behind. they should be at the center of our discussions and our decision. africa in particular knows the cost of being left out. yes, we are a constant rich in resilience in the face of verse it would also been disadvantaged by global system that has generally cheated us -- treated us as an afterthought. we reviewed mary as passive recipients of aid rather than as equal partners in global

progress. the world made promises of assistance have failed to materialize, to bring about the long-term change we so passionately need. such aid that is offered comes with strings attached, limiting our ability to shape our own future. africa is not a continent of despair. it is full of great possibilities. she is required, however, to chart a new course of development. virtually our young population is filled with energy, creativity and ambition. the people of africa are not asking for handouts. we are demanding opportunities for the new global architecture so they can access to education, health care and jobs, to be able to build better lives for themselves, their families, and their descendents. in ghana, we have taken bold and decisive steps to ensure no one

is left behind in our national development. and we have showed that it is possible. our senior ayes high schooy has benefited 5.7 million young people, many of whom would've been denied the opportunity to learn, to dream, and to succeed. this initiative has transformed the lives of millions, positioning the next generation to take their places leaders in the global economy. this is just the beginning. we need a global commitment to ensure that every child a matter where they are born have access to quality education. a world where children are left unprepared for the challenges ahead is not a just world. beyond education, we have also prioritize health care for our people. my government has embarked on the largest ever healthcare infrastructure project in our history. this initiative is constructed

111 hospitals across the country, , ensuring that even te most remote regions of access to modern healthcare facility. this is part of our broader goal of ensuring that no one in ghana is left without the basic right to health. we have also taken significant steps to boost food security and economic growth through the program for planting for food and jobs. this initiative has improved food production, created jobs and counseled many ghanans. it's a demonstration with the right policies and investments we can transform our agricultural sector and insure that no one goes hungry. in the same vein, are one district one factory policy is transforming the industrial landscape of the nation, generating the structural transformation of our economy which is our major strategic

objective. in addition, ghanans has embraced in full the teachers of the industrial revolution and is actively pursuing an agenda of the generalization. under my administration we will revolutionize public service delivery by integrating technology. with the introduction of the -- which a streamlined identification and access to services, to digitalization of the land registry, these are forms of enhanced transparency, efficiency and accountability. digitalization has improved the lives of ordinary ghanans and is also made the groundwork for sustainable economic growth in the digital age. and let us not forget the strides we've made. we enhance the law and governance, through reforms in the judicial system, a democrat

excesses and promoting transparency, ghana continue to be a a beacon of good governae in africa. we have active laws and government policies that uphold the principles of our accountability and ensure that every person regardless of their background is protected by the rule of law. madam president, it is impossible to address the challenges of today without speaking of the contradictions that exist within this global institution. we gather here to discuss peace, but wars continue to ravage nations. we speak of justice, justice and do it. take the russian invasion of ukraine, for instance. millions of lives have been uprooted, thousands have lost their lives, yet the security council has struggled to respond decisively just as it is struggling to make a decisive intervention in the tragic ongoing war in gaza and lebanon.

the structure of our council reflects a world that no longer exists, and it's going to act in times of crisis raises a difficult question. what is the purpose of the security council if they cannot intervene when the world needs it most? reforming the u.n. security council is a matter of fairness and necessity. the current structure created in 1945 no longer reflects the realities of today's geopolitical and economic landscape. africa, latin america and south asia remain underrepresented despite the significant influence on global affairs. this lack of representation and undermines the legitimacy of that decision and the use of peter power by a few nato members often paralyze its ability to act effectively during a crisis. reform is essential to ensure

the constant law is inclusive, democratic and responsive to the complex challenges we face today. the world has changed in the security council must change with it to maintain its relevance and promoting global peace and security. for years by checking the need to reform the security council. the common african position or yuan reform which calls for africa to have a permanent seat on the council. it is incomprehensible that the continent of 1.4 billion people has no permanent voice in shaping decisions that affect global peace and security. the time for half measures is over. we need a security council doesn't fit for purpose in today's world. it is heartening, however, that finally the demand for reform has found acceptance by leaders of the two of the five permanent members. president joe biden of the training of america and

president macron of france. hopefully, others will soon follow suit. we must also recognize the fight for peace goes been government action. it is a fight for humanity itself. and africa where often borne the brunt of conflicts, sending our troops to peacekeeping missions with limited support from the global community. what i am pleased to see the u.n. now taking steps to finance peacekeeping in africa, and outcome of our presidency of u.n. security council. we must go further. keeping it alone is not enough. we must address the potential causes of conflict, politics and inequality and lack of opportunity. through peace, investing in education, healthcare and economic development. however, peace cannot be imposed from the outside. it must build from within.

africa nation must take ownership of the security and the african union needs to strengthen itself to be able to respond swiftly to threat. madam president, as i speak today, ongoing develops in africa are deeply troubling. military coups and molly, guinea, and others threat the democratic process we've worked so hard to achieve within our community. these coups are stark reminder of democracy is indeed fragile and must be continually natured. in ghana, however, will remain resolute in our commitment to democracy. as my presidency draws to a close eye what to assure this assembly that the upcoming 2024 elections in ghana will be free, fair, and transparent. we have demonstrated time and again in the last three decades

there strong attachment to democracy as they will not permit it to be undermined. the commission supported by our security services is well-equipped to ensure that the will of the ghanan people are respected. god has long been a beacon of democracy in africa and we will help to keep it that way. the 224 elections will be proof of white and during adherence to the rule of law, transparency, and the principles of democratic accountability that have guided our nation in recent decades. try to we find yourselves at a pivotal moment in history. the decision we make today will shape the future of our world. we can choose to act with courage, compassion and commitment to leave no one behind or we can choose inaction and allow the suffering of

millions as at the degradatif the planet to continue. let me end by reminding us all that the future is not something that simply happens. it is something we create. we have the power in this room to change the course of history. let us not shy away from that responsibility. let us act now, and let us act together. i wish you god lessons in all your current and future deliberations, and i thank you for your attention. [applause] >> our behalf of the assembly i wish to thank the president of the republic of ghana. the assembly will was therd address by his excellency, president of the republic of bulgaria. i request protocol took scored his excellency and inviting to address the assembly.

>> excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, allow me at the outset to congratulate his excellency for his selections as president of the 79th u.n. general assembly session. i believe that under his leadership and to his vision, the international community will move forward on the agenda of strengthening the values of the u.n. charter and effort that the humanity now needs the most. our world faces a range of complex problems from the unprecedented challenges to the global peace and security to the escalating climate crisis and the persistent inequalities. we are confronted with the complex officials. that require our immediate attention and concerted effort.

we need to light -- that ignites change. with this in mind my country approaches the setting that session of the u.n. general assembly with the new determination to promote multilateral and affordable solutions, achieve from negotiations based on the u.n. charter. we must follow -- for the sake of the survival of humankind and the future generations. take into consideration future as move towards vital transformation. it becomes increasingly clear that our success hinges on the firm commitment to uphold -- and respect for international law. which are the cornerstones of our global order. this order that has been forged in u.n. by you and your

predecessors is now under severe threat. bulgari has always been committed to the values of multilateralism and will continue to be using the experience from the successful bulgarian presidency of the u.n. economic and social council, and our current mandate as a member of the human rights council. excellencies, in 2015 all u.n. member states adopted unanimity settlement calls for peace and prosperity of the whole planet. nowadays they remain full mobilization of international efforts. however, we must admit that this year deterioration of international peace and security environment in the last years is

-- of our sustainable development agenda, undermining the rules-based international order. restoring and preserving the peace must not this sin but as s ultimate goal of international community and is a basic practice for the fulfillment. it is been two and half years since the russian federation unleashed a full-scale invasion on ukraine. from the very beginning, bulgari strongly condemns this which led to hundreds of thousands of victims, enormous suffering and distraction. every single day of this war increases the risk of escalation in intensity and geographical scope, posing a substantial threat to the global peace and security. the side effects of the war are

already gravely affecting the economics and social systems of many countries worldwide. that is why the international community should see a place for de-escalation and dialogue. we should support every diplomatic effort that pursues comprehensive, just and lasting peace in ukraine in conformity with united nations chapter and the international law. since the last year a yel debate we've witnessed significant increase in instability across the middle east. the conflict between israel and hamas after thomas brutal attack on israel triggered maître d' duration of the security in the region with global projections. we must not forget the consequences which hold tens of thousands dead and tens of thousands injured. the total dissection vital

infrastructure and much displacement of people. we call for immediate ceasefire, free access to your manager in convoys and release of all hostages held by hamas. we are also deeply concerned about the recent development in lebanon, bringing -- new in the conflict and increasing the risk of its regional -- we call for refraining from use of force for de-escalation. the human suffering must come to an end. the only way to achieve sustainable and trusting peace in this region with its very fragile security landscape is the two-state solution. amid the ongoing destabilization of a different regions, the collective global goal for a world without nuclear threat

remains more critical than ever. the new agenda for peace, bulgari will maintain its commitment to uphold, protect and defend the multilateral framework for the settlement, nonproliferation and arms control. we remain dedicated to the universalization and full implementation of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, recognizing it as the cornerstone of the global nuclear nonproliferation regime. which serves as essential for pursuing nuclear disarmament and plays a a crucial roles in the development of nuclear energy of peaceful purposes. as we address these challenges, prioritizing regional stability becomes vital. my country actively engages in political dialogue southeast european countries. even by the conviction

get rid of the filibuster to pass a green new deal, i think we -- these are the words of the vice president of the united states and the democratic nominee for president. her willingness to shatter the institution of the senate is not unique. nearly every single one of our democratic colleagues was willing to do it two years ago and they would have succeeded had two members of their own caucus not stood in the breach. nor is this campaign to rip up precious safeguards for political minorities confined here to the senate. from a sitting president all the way down to grass roots activists, democrats have made smashing institutions a core pillar of their party's platform. the vice president's latest comments are not novel but they

are shocking, no less so than the votes our colleagues cast here on january 19 of 2022. there's nothing normal or rational about blowing up the dam holding back simple majority rule, and the fact that a major political party has welcomed this shortsighted radicalism into the mainstream will be to their eternal shame. to lean on today's fill-in-the-blank justification is to miss entirely what's at stake. the senate's protection against the vacillations of a simple majority rule are bigger than washington democrats' policy preferences, it's bigger than my own. a senate that can steam role a receiving minority to codify

roe v. wade or to have the green new deal is a -- the gamble, the guardrails that had make the senate what it is, to short circuit the process by which dissenting views are guaranteed a hearing, that ought to be disqualifying by itself. then again, it shows you the vice president's record on these issues. in november the democratic nominee will own the worst border crisis in american history and the broken policies that invited it. she will own the worst inflation in 40 years and reckless spending and tie-breaking votes that enabled it. the american people may well worry like i do about the future of an institution designed to be the world's greatest deliberative body but more than

that they worry about keeping their families safe, putting food on the table. and i expect they'll vote accordingly. on another matter, i've spoken frequently about the welcome signs that america's european allies are waking up to the strategic challenge posed by the prc and to the predatory chinese influence in their own back yards. like america, our allies are watching the flaws of chinese latest economic model laid bare. they're increasingly worried to hitch their wagons to a totalitarian system that will stifles innovation, discourages free thoughts and enterprise,

hesitant about a system where the rule of law is trampled by the whims of the state and assets are subject to expropriation by the regime, encouraging process like a german security strategy that explicitly recognizes the chinese they the and efforts across the e.u. to reduce reliance on chinese technologies presents opportunities for the west to work closer together. to secure supply chains and lower barriers to cooperation among allies. unfortunately this progress is not across the board. china may not be a safe business partner, but it's still an enticing one for far too many economies, including, mreef it or not -- believe it or not, within the nato alliance. i've spoken about hungary's

drift into the orbit of the west's most determined adversaries. it's an alarming trend and nobody, certainly not the american conservatives who increasingly form a cult of personality around prime minister viktor orban, can pretend not to see it. hungary's leaders are cozying up to moscow, beijing, and tehran in private. they're doing it publicly and vocally as well. the or ban government has welcomed china's view of a european bridge head in hung gathers -- hungary as an opening to the east and hasn't been shy about turning words into actions. when chinese state enterprise say jump, hungarian officials asked how high. as european allies begin to heed

warnings from the trump administration to reduce reliance on the chinese industry and technology, budapest repeatedly blocked e.u. progress and welcomed a geyser, a literal geyser of chinese belt and road investment, including in the torrent of prc influence was 5 4u7b hundred million euros to build a new facility on hungarian soil. and another 7 billion euro investment in a new e.v. battery plant. meanwhile the prime minister of a former vessel of russian communism has nothing but praise for the neoimperial soviets responsible for the first major land war in europe since 1945. viktor orban describes the regime that has sacrificed tens

if not hundreds of thousands of russian lives and more than $200 billion in military force for its up provoked and thus far unsuccessful aggression against ukraine, he calls it hy hyperrational. but this nato prime minister doesn't just admire putin. he helps him. his government runs interference for moscow, gumming up european and transatlantic efforts to combat russia's unlawful aggression at every turn. european allies are providing more assistance to ukraine than the u.s. is, but americans who complain e.u. isn't doing more to help ukraine should look no further than to budapest's efforts to block additional e.u. assistance for the answer. and then there's p budapest's relationship with the islamic

republic much iran. hungary's foreign minister bemoaned international sanctions make it challenging for cooperation with the world's most active state sponsor of terror. i have little sympathy for hungarian companies that struggle to profit from their ties to the genocidal regime in tehran. of course that hasn't stopped hungarian firms from committing tens of millions of dollars to financing joint nuclear projects with iran. it didn't stop a national hungarian university from inviting former iranian president to a conference on, quote, listen to this, common values in the global environment. common values with tehran? and here i thought it was american conservatives who

claimed shared values with hungary's ruling party. as the orban government forgotten its adooring fans on this side of the united? no. hungary's leaders made no secret of their conviction that the future is one of american decline. the future is one of american decline. that's hungarian view. they're not hiding the ways they're preparing for american weakness and betting on our failure. there's nothing tough about bowing to autocrats and there's nothing for america's leaders to gain by praising those who do. subservience is not an american value, but far more importantly it is not in america's interest.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. now i have good news this morning. before the day is done the senate will pass a temporary extension of government funding, avoiding a painful and unnecessary shutdown next week. the agreement we locked in last night allows for no poison pill amendments. americans can breathe easy that because both sides have chosen bipartisanship congress is getting the job done. we will keep the government open. we will prevent vital government services from needlessly coming

to a halt. we'll give appropriators more time to fully fund the government before the end of the year. and i'm especially pleased we're getting the job done with some time to spare. none of this would have happened without bipartisan cooperation. for the information of my colleagues, later today the house is expected to take up the c.r. and pass it on suspension. once the senate receives the bill, the house -- once the senate receives the house bill, we will immediately move to its consid consideration. we hope to vote early this evening with final passage set at 60 votes. so if all goes well in the house, the senate should be sending president biden a bill before the end of today, and this is a good outcome for the country. there will be no shutdown because finally at the end of the day our republican colleagues in the house decided

to work with us. so thank you to my colleagues on both sides for their work. we aren't quite done, but we're now on a clear glide path to getting the c.r. across the finish line. i hope the house will have learned its lesson that once again listening to the hard right on these vital issues to funding the government, to avoiding default cannot lead to anything that is useful or constructive. in fact, i hope this positive outcome of bipartisanship can set the tone for more constructive bipartisan work when we return in the fall. now on the senate session. a little over a month from now the american people will exercise the most precious right that could ever exist in a free society. i will not get into the back and forth of campaigns here on the senate floor, but as we prepare to depart for october, let us take a moment to look back at the work of the senate these

last few months and these last few years. last two years. we had lots of obstacles getting things done this year. the republican house was replete with disarray throughout the last two years, almost paralyzed. and there was much republican intransigence in both houses on issue after issue that prevented many good proposals from moving forward, despite our offers for compromise. despite that, there is still a good amount we have gotten done. first, senate democrats continue to bring balance back to the federal bench by confirming over 210 jufrjs to lifetime apappointments. these judgments are the most diverse group of nominees the bench has ever seen, nearly two thirds are women, two-thirds people of color, and we've confirmed more hispanic, asian and native women and more lgbt judges to the federal befrmg than under any other president's full time in office.

these judges come with many backgrounds. not just partners in big law firms or prosecutors, as worthy as those professions may be. they come with civil rights backgrounds, public defender backgrounds, and more. we passed aplandmark, we also passed a landmark national security supplemental package to protect america's interests around the world, to stand up to putin in ukraine, to help israel defend itself, and to provide humanitarian assistance for innocent civilians around the world. the senate provided this historic funding to help ukraine defend their homeland with more ammo and javelin lynns and stinger missiles. and we made clear to the world in the fight between freedom and autocracy, america will never forget where she stands, on the side of freedom. despite again a lot of standing in the way because of extraneous amendments proposed by some of our republican colleagues, it took longer than it should have. but the most important fact is

that it got done, and i'm proud that the senate stepped up at this historic moment and thank leader m{l1}c{l0}connell for joining me in that regard. tomorrow leader mcconnell and i will welcome ukranian president zelenskyy to a meeting here at the u.s. capitol to reaffirm our support and hear from him what his country may need in the future. separately we also worked to keep our kids safe online by passing kosa and copa with overwhelming bipartisan support. i thank my republican colleagues for working with us on these landmark bills. they would be the fitter mate jor -- the first major updates to kid safety and i'm proud to have joined with parents to get it done. i urge speaker johnson in the house to get kosa and copa done as as soon as possible.

finally, despite the hard right's intransigence we prevented the government from defaulting last year. that would have been catastrophic. and then several times this year as well as last we prevented the government from shutting down. as i said, despite right-wing wishes that it happen. on the nop legislative front -- nonlegislating front we have continued elevating accomplishments to help lower costs. this isn't legislation but rather working with executive agencies to implement our policies, and that has continued to lower costs. democrats in the senate caucus spent a lot of time with cabinet secretaries and others making sure that the bills have been implemented and they're showing great results from one end of the country to the other. around the country senate democrats have been hard at work turning our bills into action. implementing our agenda through new bridges in states like

pennsylvania and ohio, high-speed rail in nevada and never-before-seen investments in chip manufacturing. these are creating jobs, these are lower costs. these are helping america get prosperous. now there are a lot of things we tried to get done this year but couldn't because of republican intransigence, such as protecting a woman's right to choose and reproductive freedoms, securing our southern border, expanding the child tax credit. so we will keep working when we return. it's been a difficult road in divided government, but progress is possible. we've made that clear again, again, and again throughout this 18th congress. now another thing -- buffalo night. tonight is one of my favorite nights on capitol hill, buffalo night, when western new york comes to share wings, sponge

candice and, of course, especially after monday night, nonstop talk about the buffalo bills. but tonight we will honor "buffalo news" own jerry walenski. jerry has been through it all with western new york. jerry's investigative journalism has touched the lives of tens of thousands of -- in western new york and millions across america. his work has shaped legislation, exposed wrongdoing, given a voice to the voiceless. it's no secret that i know a lot of reporters, so, trust me when he say that jerry zaremski has always been one of the best in the business. what a great guy, and he's such a decent, caring human being as well. western new york can be very proud to call jerry one of their own and i'll proud to have gotten to know him over the years. jerry's indelible legacy is sewn

into the fabric of new york and we are all eternally grateful for his work. i look forward to celebrating buffalo night with jerry and so many others from western new york this evening. finally, and most importantly, go bills! maybe we'll win the super bowl this year. 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.

mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, when the history of the biden-harris administration is written, i suspect it will be defined by the historic inflation crisis

that has characterized almost four years of this presidency. and it started almost right away. eager to begin implementing their big-spending visions, democrats seized on covid as an excuse for a massive, partisan $1.9 trillion spending spree, the so-called american rescue plan act a democrats were warned by democrat economists that their bill ran the risk of, and i quote, setting off inflationary pressures of a kind we've not seen in a generation, end of quote. but they proceeded anyway. vice president harris cast the deciding tie-breaking vote in the senate to ensure that this massive government boondoggle would become law and within weeks of its passage inflation began criming and kept -- climbing and kept climbing and climbed more and more. by 2022, inflation had reached

its highest level in 40 years -- 40 years -- and americans felt the consequences. as the price of everything from gas to groceries shot up, americans dipped into their savings to make ends meet or put essential items on their credit cards. they took on second jobs. they visited food banks. they put off home repairs or family vacations. they skipped necessary medical care. and even as the rate of inflation has finalally -- and i say finally -- slowed, americans continue to suffer as prices remain elevated. today americans are paying 21% more for groceries than they were when president biden and vice president harris took office. they're paying 37% more for energy, 45% more for gasoline, 22% more for shelter.

and the list goes on. today a typical family needs to spend an additional $13,202 per year to maintain the same standard of living it enjoyed when president biden and vice president harris took office. $13,202 per year. well, just think about that for a minute, mr. president. think about it for a minute. how many lower- and middle-income families do you know that can easily absorb an extra $13,00 a year. how many have had to lower their standard of living as a result of the biden-harris policies? how many missed vacations or missed braces or missed extracurricular activities or missed car repairs or home projects does that $13,000 represent? and, mr. president, in addition to the staggering price hikes of

the past few years, americans have had to contend with additional economic pain as a result of the rate hikes the federal reserve was forced to impose to deal with the biden-harris inflation crisis. those rate hikes drove up credit card interest rates. they drove up rates a for car loans. they drove up mortgage rates. and so americans who, for example, have had to charge things to their credit cards to deal with high food or energy prices are now facing increased challenges in paying off that debt. a september "wall street journal" article notes, and i quote, around 9.1% of credit card balances turned delinquent over the past year, the highest in over a decade, end quote. other americans are finding the american dream of owning their own home to be increasingly out of their reach as they face elevated mortgage rates on top of staggering housing prices.

mr. president, president biden has talked a lot about building an economy from the bottom up and the middle out, but it's lower- and middle-income americans who have suffered the most in the biden-harris economy. and if vice president harris becomes president and democrats take control of congress, the next few years aren't likely to look too good for lower- and middle-income americans either. it's already become clear that vice president harris intends to continue with the tax-and-spend agenda that she and president biden have worked to impose, and if she is elected, americans should brace for more economic pain. mr. president, the need is great. costs are still high. gas prices are high. owning a home is a struggle. every time i look at my bank account, it's always going down. that's what one american had to

say about the economic situation earlier this year. and it has been the story for too many americans in the biden-harris economy. we can only hope that they don't have to deal with another four years of it. mr. president, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

>> thank you very much. dear leaders, your excellencies, today i want to tell you about a day that is already must and a day that must never. on the night of march 4, 2022, i received one of the most terrifying reports in the beginning of a full-scale russian invasion against ukraine. the report was about russian attempts firing directly at the

buildings of ing officer: withou objection. mrs. britt: thank you. mr. president, lulu griffin, a 15-year-old from mountainbrook, alabama, that's who i'm here to talk about today. she's had a high school student who loves basketball, volleyball and golf. she is one of four siblings. she's actually a twin. lulu loves to spend time at the lake with her brothers and sisters. her favorite color is purple. on june 7, her life changed forever. that was the day she was hadn't the beach enjoying the best of summer with her family and friends. she was looking for sand dollars in the ocean with a friend. and that's when a shark attacked. what happened next is nothing short of a miracle. it was a miracle because, on

that day, by the grace of god, there were doctors, nurses, emt's and other good samaritans that were there on that same beach who immediately jumped into action to help lulu. these incredible men and women undoubtedly saved her life. but lulu's resiliency and strength certainly was a dominating factor, not just in her survival but in her incredible recovery. though the shark took her left hand and her right leg, it did nothing but strengthen her spirit. when lulu woke up from surgery and got taken off the ventilator, do you know what her first words were? i made it. as a mom, i can't even begin to

imagine how powerful that moment was for her parents, how incredible it was to hear her say those words "i made it." the road home was not easy for lulu, with surgeries and rehabilitation, but three months after the shark attack, she is already back home. in fact, she is back in action. showing up other golfers on the driving range. lulu is an inspiration. she shows all of us that when you get knocked down you don't wait to get pulled back up. you fight and you fight with a resolve and a determination that will carry you through even the hardest of moments. her grace, her faith, her

strength, her perseverance all in the face of the unimaginable make her a hero to all of us. it's sometimes hard to remember that she is just 15 years old, and while her story is hard to tell, not just because i can't imagine having to see a child go through that but also to think that there is something that could have prevented her from having to go through this tremendous fight. 90 minutes before lulu was attacked and only a few miles away, another woman was attacked by a shark. elizabeth foley, a mother of three from virginia, tragically lost her left hand in a shark attack.

after i heard lulu's story and about the prior attack, i immediately thought -- what could have been done differently? it turns out lulu's parents were thinking the exact same thing. there has to be a better way to get information into the hands of beach goers, of parents, of families if a shark attack has happened in their vicinity, and that's why i've introduced lulu's law. this is a bipartisan bill which congressman gary palmer is leading in the house and i'm so proud that everyone in the alabama delegation has signed on. it would give local authorities the authority -- give local authorities the confidence that they're authorized to issue a wireless emergency alert

beachgoers of potential shark attacks. it empowers them to help beach goers stay safe through existing wireless emergency alert system. though is -- though this is a small change in statute, it would enable local leaders to put information into the hands of families faster, which, as we can see, would make a world of difference. this is the kind of commonsense work i came to do in the united states senate. my priority has always been fighting for children and families from the great state of alabama and across this nation and protecting children and are their families from harm. that's an important part of it. with lulu's law we can empower beach goers with information that will ultimately keep them safe. to lulu's parents, joe and ann

blair gribbin, the strength that you've shown and the way you have galvanized not just alabama but people across our entire country to rally behind your daughter is nothing short of amazing. and to lulu, i want to thank you for your bravery and determination. you are truly an inspiration, and i wish you could see this because we have senate pages down here shaking their head. we are so proud of you, and we look forward to turning this bill into law to protect kids and honor the extraordinary person that you are. so to my colleagues watchingfrom the cloak -- watching from the cloakroom or the chamber or back in your office, now is the time to act. let's get this done and let's deliver a win for the american people, for alabama and for

lulu. add your maim to the cosponsor -- name to the cosponsor list and help us get this done. this is clearly something that all of us can rally behind. let's do it for lulu, let's do it for her legacy, let's keep others safe, and let's inspire others with lulu's story. thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: mr. president, i applaud my fellow senator from alabama about this very important legislation that we need to -- not just for the state of alabama but for all over the country so thank you very much. mr. president, i rise today to talk about the unwinnable war in ukraine, which has already cost the american taxpayers billions of dollars. now, anyone who dares question the narrative on the war in

ukraine is obviously going to get criticized. that's okay. the media has been explicit in pushing this narrative. think about when was the last time you saw live footage on the ground in ukraine. it's rare because ukraine is losing and is losing badly. this comes after we just gave ukraine $60 billion more of taxpayer money earlier this year to prolong this war. i see president zelenskyy, uni party puppet is begging for more money on a campaign trail with kamala harris. it feels like he is here every other month demanding more taxpayer money. that's because he knows the money spigot will cut off if

kamala harris doesn't win in november. look, this subject is too important to go unaddressed. over the last several months, i've asked multiple high-ranking members of the biden-harris administration do ask what it will cost and how we plan to achieve these results. basically i'm asking what is our game plan. not one official in this administration has answered my questions clearly, not one. one of the most interesting responses i received was from secretary austin him, the secretary of defense. he says we want to see ukraine remain a sovereign, independent and democratic state that has the ability to defend itself and its territory and deter aggression. okay. secretary austin continues

stating that it is the administration's goal to bring ukraine into nato while simultaneously blaming russia for nato's past expansion. now, here's when the d.c. establishment really, really gets upset. i'm going to review a few undeniable facts about nato's history. predictably the uni party will accuse me of spewing russian propaganda, but these are the facts and that's what we have to go by and we can't shy away from them. nato was formed 75 years ago in 1949 as a defensive alliance to counter the communist soviet union. it was wildly successful in that it maintained peace through deterrence throughout the cold war. nato helped us win the cold war and dissolve communist soviet

union. when the cold war ended in 1991, ukraine instantly became the world's third largest nuclear power -- ukraine. following a series of negotiations, ukrainians agreed to give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from both russia and nato. territorial integrity and political independence. these efforts were successful because they included assurances by many, many heads of state, including our own, that would know eastward expansion of nato towards russia would ever happen. it was over. at that time there were 16 nato members. today, 33 years later, after this agreement, there are 32

nato members even though in 1991 we agreed to no more eastward expansion. we broke the agreement. we, nato, and the united states. nato has expanded eastward seven times since that agreement in 1991, the largest expansion in 2004 included two countries that share a border with russia, as stona -- estonia and lativa. six members are former warsaw pact members. the bulk of this expansion happened before russia annexed kroim and invaded part of ukraine in 2014. again, these are all the facts. all play a part in the nato

story and russia's response to it. here's another fact. nato's expansion was on nato's terms, separate and apart from any russian input or activity. let me read that again. nato's expansion was a nato on nato's terms separate and apart from any russian input or activity contrary to secretary austin's claims. ask yourself, how would the u.s. react if china or russia entered a mutual defense organizations with mexico or canada? how would we react? what if they started basing troops or participating in military exercises just miles from our homeland. having covered a brief history of nato, let's ask logical followup questions that we should always ask before

involving ourselves in any armed conflict. first, how far are we willing to take this proxy war with russia? how far are we? did we think about that before we got into this are we committed to winning as russia's president is, vladimir putin? are we committed to winning? what happens if the momentum turns? what happens if it turns against ukraine and russia starts making real gains as it appears is happening today? would the u.s. send more taxpayer money? more weapons? will nato send troops? will the united states send troops? what's the plan? war is a serious business. we should understand that by now. you don't half-ass your way into one and you certainly don't half-ass your way out of one. that doesn't seem to resonate around here. since the russian offensive

began, we have sent more than 147 billion taxpayer dollars to ukraine, one of the most corrupt countries in the world. recently the biden-harris administration announced their intent to send an additional 700 million taxpayer dollars to ukraine in cash. are you kidding me? why on earth would we give cash to the most corrupt country on the face of the planet? so after all that, after the last two and a half years of funding billions of taxpayer dollars, getting hundreds of thousands of people killed, what do we have to show for it? the war has only gotten worse, hundreds of thousands are dead, ukraine is becoming more desperate as its forces are engineering widespread

insubordination and even mass desertion. we don't hear that on tv or the propaganda media. over six million ukrainians have run and left their country. ukraine is playing with fire now seeking to conduct offensive operations deep inside russia. why? you can't win. most recently ukraine launched a drone attack that struck in moscow. what are we trying to do, start world war iii? most recently ukraine launched a drone attack that struck several other office buildings in moscow, adding to the uncertainty that this administration's policy toward ukraine has all the hallmarks of all the biden-harris administration has preceded it, weak planning, disastrous

results, zero leadership. this administration never considered the consequences of ukraine losing. how can that ever happen? this is really sad. it's sad for the united states of america. it's sad for the taxpayers, it's sad for our military, it's sad for our krooils and it's -- allies and it's sad for nato. some of our democratic colleagues said that he hasn't made a direct decision on foreign policy in 40 years. he hasn't broken that. remove the terrorist designation from the houthis who we're fighting against right now but they're not terrorists. alienated one of our most important friends, saudi arabia, and executed the disastrous afghanistan withdrawal that unnecessarily cost the lives of americans. all this weakness was a direct signal to our adversaries. now is the time to make your

move. and that's exactly what our adversaries china, iran, russia, and north korea are doing. china today is testing another ballistic missile into the pacific ocean. they're preparing. russia now has pounced on ukraine. whatever you hear in the media is not true. it is a slaughter. iran has released its proxies and terrorized the middle east. our ally israel is fighting for its life against hamas, following the gruesome october 7 attack almost a year ago. the houthis, the houthis are a bufrm of people that -- bunch of people that live in the mountains, have been emboldened to attack ships which has negatively impacted global trade. we can't even beat the houthis, and we're trying to create more

wars. china stepped up its aggression in the china sea. we're losing influence across the globe, especially in south america and be africa, where the chinese and russians are taking over. we're leaving leaps and bounds. so let's be very clear. despite the administration's incompetence, i still believe putin was wrong to invade ukraine. i think we all do. he should have withdrawn his forces immediately after it started. putin is responsible for his actions, and he has made no secret of the fact that he sees ukraine as historically a part of russia. at the same time i do not think that ukraine's border is more important than ours. not even close, which we have been completely neglected and neglecting the last three and a half years.

we have been overrun. southern border, northern border and from airplanes all over the world flying into our cities. it's an embarrassment. we do not need the administration to enable ukraine to use offensive weapons and strike deep into russia. that cannot happen. we are on the cusp of a nuclear war. nobody seems concerned. it won't happen. yes, it will happen. putin has told us it will happen if you continue this. this would only escalate this conflict to an entirely, entirely new level that none of us can ever imagine. do you think this offensive would convince putin to come to the table and negotiate a peace agreement? i would hope we would go, but we do not seem to want to make a peace agreement. we had better and we better do it in the very near future. this would provoke him to even more deadly weapons if we continue to attack within their borders, costing more and more

lives. nato and the u.s. would be forced to respond as a result. we're trying to create a war. we must consider these questions thoroughly before we involve ourselves in another one of these crazy conflicts that should never happen. improvising won't cut it. now is the time for the u.s. to lead and negotiate a peace to the end of this bloody war. i keep hearing people say, well, we're building equipment for our military. yeah, right. our men and women are not losing their lives. we're getting close to it. we're getting very close. now look, i come from a military state in the state of alabama. we build everything. we have thousands of troops. i want it to be well funded and well equipped if we ever have to

fight a war. we need a lethal killing machine to deter other aggression. that's what a military is about. this is not about defunding our military. i want our military laser focused on protecting americans and not woke dei initiatives. it's not about abandoning our allies either. we need to support our allies. it's about this administration's funding a proxy war with no plan, zero, no plan on how to stop it or how to win it. the biden-harris administration needs to negotiate a peace agreement now, immediately, or there will be huge disastrous consequences coming in the very near future. mr. president, i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: thank you, mr. president. it is good that the senate and the house are working on a bipartisan basis to pass a short-term bill to keep the government open. but make no mistake, our work is not over because once again we are leaving town for a long period of time not having passed disaster aid to help survivors on maui and elsewhere. over the past 13 months since tragic fires tore down the town of lahaina and claimed 102 lives, i've been here on the floor repeatedly pressing for urgent disaster relief. and in that time more disasters have devastated communities all over the country. so many people on maui, in texas

and vermont, new mexico, california, iowa and florida and 20 states total, and unfortunately rising, they're waiting for help, and the federal government has not come to their aid yet. they've lost loved ones. they've lost homes. they've lost businesses. they've lost livelihoods. and all they want is help and a little bit of hope to get their lives back to something close to normal. what are we doing as a congress if we can't even deliver help to our fellow americans when disaster strikes? when we return in november, passing disaster aid has to be the top priority of the united states congress. there is no excuse not to do this. what's being asked of us is what

congress always does. we simply need to do the thing that we've always done, which is to show up for disaster survivors and get them the help that they need. and if you are a member who represents any of the 20-odd states that need this help, we need your help. and if you are a member from one of the other 30 states, there but for the grace of god go i. it will always come around. everyone needs disaster help. so consider it your priority, even if your state, thank god, hasn't been hit this year or last. even if you don't have 20 or 30,000 victims waiting for help. this is an american priority, and we cannot close up shop for this congress leaving all these americans behind.

mr. president, i ask consent that the following remarks appear in a separate part of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: mr. president, this week caps a remarkable 28-year run in the united states senate for dabney, hague, democratic clerk and staff director for the appropriations committee on transportation, housing, and urban development, which i chair. a career in public service spanning nearly three decades is extraordinary by any measure, but it's all the more impressive considering its trajectory which began when dabney was an intern in the office of her home state senator, the late senator fritz hollings of south carolina. she worked her way up in his office to become a legislative assistant and went on to serve him and my great and heroic predecessor senator daniel k. inouye on the commerce committee. she ultimately joined the

appropriations committee in 2010 and has been the democratic clerk of the t-hud subcommittee for nearly a decade, beginning under the leadership of senator jack reed. dabney is everything you want in a public servant. smart, relentless, passionate, and loyal. and she's an appropriator's appropriator. what does that mean? she always gets to yes and she always gets etch else to yes -- gets everyone else to yet. the reason for that is evident from the first interaction with her. she's clear about what's important and she's not afraid to fight for it. as appropriators, we are the ones that are supposed to cut deals and shake hands. but on some level that's the easy part. then it's on the clerks like dabney to scrap it out down to the last dime and get the bill written and over the finish line. and they do it away from the spotlight and without much

fanfare, burying themselves in spread sheets and statutes, toiling over every last digit and decimal and rising above partisan bickering to deliver more homes and better roads and safer transportation. dabney has had a hand in just about every major funding accomplishment in recent memory. through appropriations she's helped deliver record funding for native housing and tribal transportation as well as our first of its kind yes, in my backyard grant program to get more homes built across the country. beyond that she's been a key partner in advancing priorities through major bills like the iija, the american rescue plan, and even the faa reauthorization. for hawaii, dabney has always been a friend and an advocate, helping to secure fund for the

hart rail system and a highway realignment, among many other projects. and this past year after the devastating fires on maui, she made it her mission to get survivors relief, much as she's done for so many communities struck by disaster. but that's just who she is. she understands that behind the numbers and the estimates and the stipulations that we deal with every day, there are real people and real communities whose lives stand to be materially improved by the work that we do. and that's a valuable reminder for all of us whether you've worked here for 30 years or 3 months. and so i want to sincerely thank dabney for her years of partnership and her decades of service to the senate, to the country, and the state of hawaii. we all wish her and her family nothing but the best in the future. i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: -- ms. rosen: thank you. this year will mark 7 years since my community was forever p changed on october 1, 2017. on that night, we experienced a tragedy on a scale far worse than anyone could have ever imagined. ten minutes, ten minutes is all it took for a gunman to open fire on an unsuspecting crowd at a music festival, killing 58 innocent lives, injuring thousands, and leaving a permanent scar on our state.

s sadly in the year since, two more victims of that night's attack died because of injuries they received during the shooting, bringing the death toll to 60. it remains the deadliest mass shooting in american history. the families of the victims of that tragedy had their world shattered that day, their lives forever changed. families who didn't get to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and the families who never got to say goodbye to their loved ones. that night also changed the lives in our city. people were attending or working at the route 91 harvest be be festival. the first responders who ran towards danger to save lives. and in the following days we saw lines of people, lines of people

around entire blocks willing to donate blood, willing to help in any way they could. this kind of selflessness embodies the incredible spirit of our community. it showed the country why we're vegas strong. and as we remember and as we reflect on this tragedy, we must also commit ourselves to action so that no community has to experience the pain and suffering like we did. suffering. the one of shooter was able to inflict carnage by using bump stocks. this allowed his weapon to fire more bullets faster and as a way to inflict the most amount of pain on our city. over 1,000 bullets -- 1,000 bullets in just a matter of

minutes. and it was in response to this carnage that then-president donald trump issued a federal rule banning bump stocks. it helped save lives from these deadly modifications, but unfortunately the supreme court overturned this commonsense federal ban allowing bump stocks to flow into our streets once again. this shameful decision -- shameful decision by the supreme court will put more lives at risk, which is why i joined bipartisan legislation to restore this commonsense federal ban on bump stocks. and when members of this chamber tried to pass this bipartisan legislation, extremists in this body, what did they do? they blocked us. and some even had the audacity to say this legislation was trying to solve a fake problem. a fake problem. mr. president, should we tell

the families who lost a loved one that the hands of a firearm of a bump stock in october, a fake problem, a fake. their grief is real, their loss is real, their loss is forever. this is not a fake problem. it's a very real problem and there are real solutions, but once again congress has failed year after year to act. las vegas knows how the real threat -- what the real threat of bump stocks are and why we must act. and as we approach the seventh interfere of this un -- anniversary of this unthinkable tragedy, i ask all of my colleagues to remember and honor the memories of the victims, to honor their families, to honor everyone whose lives are forever

changed from the night and the shooting on october 1, 2017. i also ask that we come together, republicans and democrats, in a bipartisan way to save lives by just passing commonsense legislation to ban bump stocks. thank you, and i yield the floor. ms. cortez masto: mr. president,

i rise today along with my colleague from nevada, senator jackie rosen, to commemorate the seven years since the deadliest mass shooting in america's history. and as you can see, she is always, always fighting for nevadans, looking to protect our families in nevada, and i am just so proud to be able to work alongside her representing the great state of nevada. as you've heard, seven years ago people from across the country gathered in las vegas for the route 91 harvest music festival. these were three days of live performances and dancing and fun. my if these was there -- my niece was there. on october 1, what was supposed to be a joyous conclusion to the festival turned into a complete nightmare. in just ten minutes from the window of a nearby hotel, a gunman fired more than 1,000

shots into the festival crowd. 58 people were killed and two more died later from their injuries. more than 800 were wounded and thousands of families were forever changed. now, i remember sitting with some of them at the reunitedy indication center -- reunification center hoping and operating that are their loved ones would return to them. i'll tell you what, some prayers were never answered and that was heartbreaking. but as the city of las vegas mourned, we also came together. neighbors reached out to one another and represented each other heal. programs were created to help our city cope and move forward. we were resilient because we are vegas strong. out of tragedy and suffering, there was hope. let me tell you about something

that gives me hope. three weeks after the events of october 1, the legal aid center of southern nevada and clark county set up the vegas strong resiliency center as resources for the survivors of the route 9 # harvest festival and their families of after a tragedy of a mass shooting, the families and victims alike have to adjust to a new normal. imagine living through the horrors of that october night and learning to heal from those injuries or grieving the loss of a loved one whose life was taken so senselessly by the violence of someone. imagine after all of that trauma, you are now faced with the complexities of paying for medical bills or dealing with insurance companies. it is overwhelming. and where do you even begin? how are you going to navigate it all through your own emotional

stress? the vegas strong resiliency center was designed to ensure that families didn't have to go through that process alone. the center brought community partners with different resources to the table to deliver anything that the survivors might need from support groups to mental health services to financial advice. and i've seen some of their great work myself. they're incredible executive director shared the story of a survivor of october 1, who after recovering from being shot that night, could no longer make her way up her stairs to reach her apartment. in response to that her landlord threatened to evict her so she got in strong with the resilience center, they got the landlord to back down and then help her to move to another

apartment that was accessible to her. this is what happens when a community comes together to help each other. the resiliency center connected survivors with the resources they need right when they need them, and it gave survivors hope and helped to find light in the darkness, they not only helped the survivors, but it also improved services for victims of violent crime throughout southern nevada, and that includes human trafficking survivors, domestic abuse survivors an even first responders who have post-traumatic stress. when las vegas was struck by another tragedy last year after a gunman killed three people at university of nevada las vegas, the staff at the resiliency center were able to immediately respond providing resources and

services for students, faculty and staff. it has been renamed the resiliency and justice center and its mission expanded to help all survivors of violent crime in southern nevada. they are continuing to grow their staff and resources and to expand their offices. i am so proud to support the work of the resiliency and justice center. at a time when our city was truly shaken to its core, they were there to help us get back on our feet, to help us remember that life goes on after loss, to help us find the strength to rebuild as a community. and now as we mark seven years since that terrible evening at the route 91 harvest festival, we also mark seven years of hope and resilience in the city of las vegas. we hold the victims and their

families in our hearts forever and we remain vegas strong. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: i ask unanimous consent to modify the order of september 24 so that following my allotted time, senator whitehouse be permitted to speak for up to five minutes followed by myself for an additional five minutes prior to being recognized to make the motion to proceed to senate resolution 41. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. paul: mr. president, this year the united states will spend over $6 trillion while only bringing in $4 trillion in revenue. that's a profound gap.

$2 trillion will be borrowed this year. to add insult to injury, congress spends like drunken sailors without even bothering to pass a budget. there is no budget. the democrats have passed no budget in the senate and the republicans have passed no budget in the house. we're going to spend $6 trillion without anybody even thinking about where the money comes dpr, how -- comes from, how to budget to afford a $6 trillion government. in fact, over the past 20 years, congress has passed a budget lass than half of the time. so today i will attempt to do what both parties have failed to do and that is pass a budget. they didn't ask me to do this. in fact, they would probably prefer i not introduce a budget because it embarrasses the status quo of both parties. i'm only allowed to introduce in budget because they didn't do

their job and once upon a time someone wrote privileged rules into the senate that says if the parties fail to produce a budget, anyone can. so i leapt at the chance because i think the american people would like to see us do something responsible like balancing our budget. the penny plan that i offer today will balance the budget in five years. the federal government passed a landmark this year. our national debt now stands at $35 trillion and grows with each passing second. to put that in perspective, each taxpayer's share of the debt is about $270,000. the government now spends more on interest to service our federal debt than it spends on our national defense. what we spend about $850 billion on the military, we'll spend $890 billion on interest.

we should heed this fact as a warning. as historian neil ferguson points out, any great power that spends more on debt service than on defense will not stay great for long. we must act now if america is to once again be a rising nation. but we're currently on a path toward decline. right now we spend nearly $2 trillion more per year than we bring in in revenue. this level spending imposes a tax on every american. this tax is called inflation. when we borrow $2 trillion, somebody's got to buy it. someone buys the debt. when the federal reserve buys the debt, they create new currency, create money out of thin air which when it goes out to circulate causes your prices to rise. americans have felt the pain of inflation tax significantly over the past four years, every day

for the last four years the american people's purchasing power decreased for even the most basic items. since this administration took office, prices have risen nearly 22% and feeding and providing for a family has become more expensive. for example, the price of bacon andation increased -- and aigs have -- eggs have increased, bread will cost you 11% more since the biden-harris administration took office, the price of butter is up 30%, when the biden-harris administration took over milk has risen by 25% and costs just under $4, gas prices have risen 22%. what kind of answer do you get from the administration? what type of answer do you get from the other side of the aisle? they say that greed is causing

prices to rise, that the grocery stores are greedy and raising the prices and we must have government come in and fix the prices. even on cnn, the mouthpiece for the democratic party, economists appeared to say, my goodness have they not heard of venezuela, what they did to the soviet union and what they did to communist china, and yet that's what they're proposing here because they misinterpret why the prices are going up. it isn't that things are more precious, it's that your dollar is losing its value. your dollar loses a value through inflation, it's a ponzi scheme and bait and switch. the politicians say, here, we'll give you this for free, it's free. it won't cost you anything. we'll give you $25,000 for a house.

it's free, there's no cost, but it's a lie. the lie, the trick, the reuss. it's a lie because it's paid for through borrowing. you're going to pay through it -- pay for it through inflation. there's no free lunch. you can't get anything for free. something for nothing is a charade played on the american people by politicians who just want to gain power over your lives. americans will pay dearly for congress' insatiable appetite for more and more spending. the high level of spending that is currently crushing the american family is just the beginning. if we continue down this unsustainable path, american families will be forced to deal with even higher inflation. confiscatory tax rates, rising interest rates, and a weak economy. it will be harder to find a job and.for a family because -- and provide for a family because the deals made in the hauls of

congress -- halls of congress will always stick the taxpayer with the bill. right now the average american family, their paycheck buys $1,000 less of stuff. you've lost $1,000. if you make the same income you made four years ago, you're a thousand dollars poorer because of inflation. inflation came from these politicians offering you something for nothing. we've got to wake up. as spending under the biden administration weakened, every america's family's purchasing power is also less. the debt is nearly -- that's larger than the entire $25 trillion economy of america. the next five largest economies combined. you take america's gdp and add the five next countries, it still doesn't equal our debt. our debt is bigger than our economy plus five more

countries. whose fault is it? well, really, frankly both parties. during the previous administration, during the trump administration, $8 trillion in debt was added. during the biden administration, biden-harris administration, about $8 trillion is going to be added. it's going to be almost exactly the same. when you compare four years of a republican administration to four years of a democratic administration. so really there's blame that goes around. but there are alternatives. i'm offering an end to the inflation, an end to the debt. and a gradual balance of the budget over five years. how much is $35 trillion? how do you even get your mind around it? well, to put it in more tangible terms, $35 trillion is enough to fill 34 nfl stadiums with hundred-dollar bills. so you take hundred dollar bills and keep piling them into an nfl stadium until you reach the brim and then you do 34 of those nfl

stadiums, that would be 35 trillion. government spending is so out of control that even if president biden emptied the bank account of every individual in the united states, it would only cover half of the debt. think about that. $35 trillion debt and then all the savings of all-america. if you took all of their savings which i'm not proposing but if you took it all, you would only pay for half of the debt. this is as unsustainable course and many smart people have been saying this. we're headed for a calamity if we don't do something and yet both parties just keep plowing on. they call what we're going forward with a continuing reso resolution. i'll have none of it. it's continuing the status quo. it's continuing to borrow $2 trillion a year. we've had a couple of periods in the last year where we borrowed a trillion dollars in a three montana period. this is -- three-month period.

this is alarming and it's out of control. america is in a historic state of financial disarray. right after the end of world war ii, the world's most expensive war, our cumulative federal debt was 18% larger than the gdp, the entire economy. now in a period of relative peace, the debt is 22% larger. there are no excuses for this. our debt now is worse than it has been at any time as a percentage of gdp. are we certain that if a crisis erupts, if there were a war that we were participating in, another pandemic god forbid or some other catastrophe that we'll be able to borrow enough to meet the challenge? without a drastic change of course, fiscal ruin is only a matter of time. america's leading financial minds have already sounded the alarm. the chairman of the federal reserve said that the federal spending, that federal spending

is on an unsustainable path and it's past time for congress to correct it. the ceo of j.p. morgan chase, america's largest bank, warned that the federal reserve must reduce its deficits before lenders finally say enough is enough and stop loaning the government money. now, you ask how will this occur? will it occur suddenly or gradually? there we gradually lose our dominance? will we gradually no longer be the reserve currency of the world? or will we show up on a friday to sell the debt and no one buys it? the term reserve will -- the federal reserve will buy it. if the federal reserve buys all the debt, interest rates will go through the roof and so will inflation. even the head of the nonpartisan congressional budget office cautioned that our financial situation is unprecedented and suggested the u.s. is now on an

alarmingly weak fiscal footing. as interest payments on the national debt crowd out the rest of government's budget, tax increases inflation and eventual default on the debt are what lie ahead for the american economy. unfortunately a debt crisis will not just stop with our economy. a threat to our financial security is also a threat to our national security. we must remember that the surest path to peace is leaving no doubt in your adversaries' mind about your ability to respond to aggression. with increasingly dubious financial health and a large share of resources doted to interest payment -- devoted to interest payments, the u.s. is sending the opposite message, a message of weakness. yet congress has repeatedly chosen to ignore the deficit, raise the debt ceiling, fund foreign wars we can't afford. just put it on our tack.

-- on our tab. that's what will happen today. i want my budget to balance in five years but there will be no votes. they'll go merry along with no budget and merrily along at a spending clip that will borrow $2 trillion and it will be all of the democrats and about half of the republicans will go along with continuing to spend at this clip. since entering the senate, i have introduced several proposals to balance the budget. in 2017 i introduced a budget that would have simply frozen spending for five years and it balanced because as the economy grew and revenue grew, you didn't even have to cut spending. all you had to do is agree not to spend more than you spent last year. most american people would tolerate take. but not in washington. no. republicans and democrats said no way will we ever freeze spending. what's a business do when they're short of money?

they freeze spending, downside, do whatever it takes to stay afloat so they can make their payments. but not in washington. so they didn't pass any budget in 2017 to free spending. they kept doing the same. borrow and spend. borrow and spend. in 2018 i offered another plan to balance the budget, but by this time a spending freeze for longer balanced in five years because the spending had continued to increase. so i offered a one-penny plan. cut 1% across the board. you could probably just cut waste and malfeasance and cut 1%. cut 1% across the board and it would still balance. that was the penny plan in 2018. but as things have gotten worse, as we got to the craziness of the covid hysteria where once again republicans and democrats shut the economy down and then said hey, you don't have to suffer. you don't have to work. we'll just send you a check. this was one of the worst

decisions that have been made in recent history. no work, free checks. but it was all borrowed. so the spending grew at an alarming rate through the covid years, through the trump administration, and then we got to -- we finally got beyond the urgency of it. people were fwho longer die -- were no longer dying in significant numbers and the biden administration said we're going to pave every road of the land and borrow more money. so we borrowed $8 trillion under trump and another $8 trillion under biden and now you can't balance the budget with freezing spending over five years. you can't balance the budget with cutting one penny. you actually have to cut six pennies. you have to do a 6% cut over five years to balance the budget. even the biden-harris administration's own treasury has admitted that the current path is unsustainable. the math is clear. and i urge any colleagues do not get in an argument with math.

you will lose. it is plainly wrong to stick our children and our grandchildren with a bill for our reckless spending. thankfully, america is still home to the world's most dynamic economy and resilient individuals. with revenues still expected to rise in the next ten years, we are not beyond hope. the six-penny plan that i am producing and introducing today will create conditions for growth and avert economic ruin. right now our interest payments eat away at our funds that are available for defense spending and the budget leaves no room for emergencies. our current trajectory weakens our national security and drains productivity from the economy. history will remember those who had the courage to make the hard choices notice and who -- now and who chose to leave their children with less of the burden. for just six pennies on the dollar, we can reverse this dismal trajectory.

in just five years we can restore trust in the u.s. dollar, the u.s. economy, and walk the u.s. government off the fiscal cliff. vote yes on this plan. vote yes on restore fiscal sanity. vote yes on securing a future for our country.

.

quip mr. president. mr. whitehouse: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: mr. president, i speak in opposition today to the budget resolution put forward by my colleague from kentucky. last year president biden and then-speaker mccarthy came to an agreement on top-line appropriations levels for the current fiscal year, as well as the fiscal year beginning on october 1. this bipartisan agreement, which included a two-year budget deal, was passed by bipartisan votes in both houses and was signed into law by the president. so, as of june 3, 2023, we have

a bipartisan budget deal that is good for two years, until september 30, 2025. just days before a government shutdown, house republicans spent most of this month trying to figure out how much of the deal they could renege on to get votes from their fractured caucus. here in the senate, this proposal also breaks the agre agreement, proposing $20 trillion in federal spending cuts over ten years, but not a single detail about where it would cut. republicans are not happy to disclose where cuts would be because the american people would not be happy about the likely results. cuts, for instance, to medicare or veterans' programs, to border security, national parks, law enforcement, transportation safety, affordable housing,

education, and medicaid. and, of course, the drill, baby, drill, climate deniers would cut climate and clean air and water programs. if adopted, in its final year, this budget would cut all those programs by 35%. while this budget attacks basic federal programs in the name of fiscal responsibility, republicans simultaneously plan to blow up the deficit by cutting taxes for their billionaire megadonors and big corpo corporations. under one hat, republicans act fiscally conservative and seek to cut programs to reduce the national debt. under their other hat, they pursue more trump tax cuts for the wealthy, increasing the debt by $4.6 trillion. last year, i asked cbo if it

were mathematically possible to balance the budget within ten years, extend the trump tax cuts, and fully fund social security, medicare, defense, and veterans programs. the answer from c bfrjt o? no, the -- the answer from cbo? no, the math simply doesn't add up. that budget exists in fiscal fantasy land. my republican colleagues don't want to hear it, but more than a third of our national debt stems not from deficits, but from economic shocks. the 2008 financial crisis and covid. as weaved heard over and over again, in the budget committee, the economic shocks from climate change will likely dwarf those we experienced during the financial crisis. for instance, one caused by a climate-driven insurance crisis that crashes mortgage markets and property values nationwide. we have heard those warnings from everywhere from the chief economist of freddie mac to the

front page of "the economist" magazine. what we should do, in bipartisan fashion, is decorrupt the tax code so that big corporations and billionaires are no longer a favored free-riding elite, the bush and trump tax cuts skewed to the wealthy and big corporations are another third, $10 trillion of the national debt. without those tax cuts, the debt-to-gdp ratio, our best fiscal safety metric, would be declining in perpetuity. helping the wealthy avoid taxes is arch an infatuation that house republicans brought the united states to the brink of default trying to prevent the irs from cracking down on wealthy tax creheats. if we want to prevent the national debt, preventing massive shocks, and getting serious about health care reform are the ways to go about it. this, mr. president, isn't. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: it has been proposed that there's no place to cut, that all of this spending is being used in such a noble fashion. i would propose that there are a couple of areas we might all agree on. we spent about a million dollars stu studying japanese quail to see if they're more sexually promiscuous on cocaine. seems like we could have polled the audience on that one. it seems clear. which can't even cut that. a million dollars studying japanese quail on cocaine to see if they're more sexually promiscuous. we spent $2 million studies whether when you go to movies, you go to the cafeteria, someone sneezes on the food, are you more or less to take that food? could we not cut that? we spent about three quarters of a million studying selfies.

if you take a selfie of yourself smiling and look at it later in the day, does it make you happy? one of my favorites, from 40, 50 years ago, the organization still exists and keeps getting more money, this is from a conservative democrat, a long time ago when they existed, william approproxmire did the g fleece award. they wanted to determine which made you feel better, tequila or begin. they got two groups of fish, fed one tequila and one gin -- i scratched my head, right, got to be tequila. is there anything to cut? sure. identifies been harping on the national science foundation for years. you know what they did last year? every democrat, half i -- half of my republicans doubled the money to the national science foundation. they say that ludicrous thing,

i'd cut that. but not if you give them twice as much money. there's lots of ways, lots of fat, there's improper payments by the tune of billions and billions of dollars. they write a check to the wrong person, they write a check to dead people. i came to the floor to try to get unanimous consent to quit sending checks to dead people. when we had the pandemic, they sent all the free checks, a lot of them went to dead people, for goodness sakes. do we ever cut any of the spending? is there any remote slowdown on the spending? every year it goes up, because they care about people and want to give you free stuff. but it's not free. there's going to be a $2 trillion deficit and you're going to pay for it through inflation. there is no mystery to inflation. the federal reserve buys our debt. they do, the new money enters the circumstcirculation, it dil value of the currency. what do you hear from the other side? the grocery store owners are

greedy, we must put price controls on. they should remember the story from the soviet bloc country, man goes into the store, he says are you the store that doesn't have any butter? the guy behind the counter says no, we're the store that doesn't have any toilet paper. that was an old joke of the soviet bloc countries. that's what you get with price controls. that's what you get when you misunderstand what causes inflation. that's what you get when you want to pattern yourself after the phenomenon of disaster which is venezuela. what i'm asking is we should spend what comes in. it's what every american family does. it's what most states do. it's what most cities do, and what most counties do. spend what comes in. even over half of the european union, we think of them as socialist countries, and some border on it, guess what -- they spend what comes in. half of the european union balances their annual budget. they're destroying this country

by giving you free stuff. the stuff they're giving you is not free. there is no free lunch. you can't have free college. somebody's got to pay for it. there is no money up here. they're not giving you somebody else's money. they're not even taxing the rich, they're just borrowing it. it's all borrowed. they borrowed to send to ukraine, to give you free school, they'll give you free cars and free houses. none of it is free. it's what causes inflation. when you go to the grocery store, think of these people masquerading as santa claus. they are the ones that caused the price of your steak to double, the prices of milk to go up, the prices of gas go up. it's not the greedy grocery store owner. it's the shrinking dollar and the politicians masquerading as santa claus that are causing this economic havoc and ruin. i recommend a yes vote on the only budget that will be presented this year, because both parties have abdicated

their role. my budget balances in five years. it's what we should do for the strength of america. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will resume legislative session. mr. paul: mr. president. mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: i move to proceed to calendar 502, s. con. res. 41. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 502, s. con. res. 41, setting forth the congressional budget for the united states government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034. the presiding officer: the yeas and nays were requested. is there a sufficient second?

there appears to be. 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. the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- braun, cornyn, fisher, grassley, lummis, marshall, paul, and tillis. senators voting in the negative -- bennet, booker, butler, capito, durbin, heinrich, hickenlooper, kaine, king, murphy, murray, shaheen, warner, warren, welch, whitehouse, and wicker.

mr. fetterman, no. the clerk: mr. blumenthal, no. mr. tester, no.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, no. the clerk: mr. moran, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. kelly, no.

the clerk: mr. markey, no. mr. ossoff, no. ms. baldwin, no.

the clerk: ms. smith, no.

the clerk: mr. peters, no.

the clerk: ms. duckworth, no.

the clerk: mr. hagerty, aye.

the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, no.

mr. cramer, aye. mr. reed, no. the clerk: mr. van hollen, no. ms. hassan, no.

the clerk: mrs. hyde-smith, aye. ms. ernst, aye.

mr. tuberville, aye. mr. risch, aye.

the clerk: mr. wyden, no.

the clerk: mr. mullin, aye. the clerk: ms. collins, no. mr. hawley, no.

the clerk: mr. ricketts, aye.

the clerk: mr. carper, no. the clerk: ms. hirono, no.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, aye.

the clerk: ms. sinema, no.

vote: the clerk: ms. murkowski, no.

mr. barrasso, aye. mr. sanders, no.

ms. stabenow, no. mr. heinrich, no. mr. romney, aye.

ms. klobuchar, no. mrs. britt, aye. mr. padilla, no.

mr. thune, aye. mr. crapo, aye. mr. helmy, no. ms. cortez masto, no.

mr. sullivan, aye. mr. boozman, aye.

ms. rosen, no.

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

mrs. blackburn, aye. mr. warnock, no. mr. graham, no. mr. cardin, no.

mr. scott of south carolina, aye. mr. merkley, no. mr. kennedy, aye.

the clerk: mr. rubio, aye.

mr. johnson, aye.

the clerk: mr. schmitt, aye.

the clerk: mr. schatz, no.

mr. cassidy, aye. mr. daines, aye. vote:

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, aye.

the clerk: mr. graham, aye.

the clerk: mr. budd, aye.

the clerk: mr. lujan, no. the clerk: mr. lankford, aye.

the clerk: mr. rounds, aye.

the clerk: mr. rounds, no. the clerk: mr. cruz, aye. mr. schumer, no.

the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 39, nays are 56. the motion is not agreed to. under the previous order, the senate will resume executive session. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in

accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 787, byron b. conway of wisconsin to be united states district judge for the eastern district of wisconsin, 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 byron b. conway of wisconsin to be united states district judge for the eastern district of wisconsin 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.

the clerk: mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz.

mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mr. fetterman.

the clerk: mrs. fischer mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. the clerk: 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. vote: the clerk: 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.

the clerk: mr. daines, no. mr. welch, aye.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: mr. peters, aye. the clerk: mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: mr. hawley, no.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- cortez masto, durbin, graham, hirono, kelly, peters, reed, rosen, sinema, warner, welch. senators voting in the negative -- blackburn, crapo, cruz, daines, fischer, hawley, hoeven, lankford, rounds, rubio, sullivan.

mr. padilla, aye.

the clerk: mr. cornyn, no. the clerk: mr. cassidy, no. mr. blumenthal, aye.

vote:

the clerk: mr. kaine, aye.

the clerk: ms. hassan, aye. ms. baldwin, aye. mr. king, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. sanders, aye. mr. markey, aye. mrs. hyde-smith, no. mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. mullin, no. mr. murphy, aye. mr. johnson, aye.

the clerk: mrs. capito, no. the clerk: mrs. duckworth, aye. mr. boozman, no. ms. collins, aye.

the clerk: mr. barrasso, no.

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

the clerk: mr. kennedy, no. ms. smith, aye.

the clerk: ms. ernst, no.

vote:

the clerk: mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye.

the clerk: mr. backer, aye. mr. ossoff, aye. mr. booker, aye. mr. braun, aye. mr. hagerty, no. mr. tuberville, no. mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. ricketts, no. mr. hickenlooper, aye. mr. young, no.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye.

the clerk: mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye. mr. cramer, aye.

mr. schumer, aye. the clerk: mr. tillis, aye. mrs. capito, aye. mr. wicker, no.

mr. brown, aye. mr. paul, no. mr. casey, aye. the clerk: ms. warren, aye. mr. helmy, aye.

mr. heinrich, aye. mr. marshall, no. mrs. murray, aye. mr. cardin, aye.

vote: