acclamation. the senate continues legislation work today considering nominations in the current congress and in just a few minutes we were expecting a confirmation vote on the judge for central illinois. senators expected voter whether to begin work on the nominee to lead the government ethics office for a term of five years. live coverage of the u.s. senate here on c-span2.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: madam president, i rise in support of david huitema's nomination to be director of the office of government ethics. this office leads and oversees the executive branch ethics program on behalf of the american people and is at work in over 140 agencies. at the core of their mission they work to prevent financial conflicts of interest to help ensure government decisions are made independent of personal financial benefit. by interpreting ethics laws and regulations, supporting and training executive branch ethics officials, and monitoring financial disclosures, the office of government ethics ensures agencies and their employees comply with important and timely ethics requirements.

with his extensive experience in ethics and financial disclosure, mr. huitema is uniquely qualifieded to lead this critical office. his previous roles at the state department and in private practice have equipped him with the knowledge and skills needed to uphold the highest standards of public service. mr. huitema's legal background also includes advising an internet and international telly communications issues, permits for transboundary pipelines and foreign service personnel issues. he joined the office of the legal advisor in 2006 after several years in private practice and a clerkship on the u.s. court of appeals for the 11th circuit. mr. huitema holds an m.a. and a b.a. from the university of north carolina at chapel hill. throughout multiple congresses

and administrations of both parties, mr. huitema has demonstrated a strong commitment to serving the american people with nonpartisan integrity and the highest ethical standards. during the kochsing process, he demonstrated a deep understanding of the office of government ethics, critical -- he wantingics' critical role understand is a prepared to lead the agency forward. i urge my colleagues to jibe me in confirming him to this important role today. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the question is on the nomination. a senator: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there autograph second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey.

mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. 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 -- baldwin, bennet, blumenthal,

coons, cortez masto, duckworth, durbin, hassan, kelly, lujan, manchin, padilla, peters, rosen, shaheen, smith, tester, whitehouse, and wyden. senators voting in the negative -- cassidy, ernst, hagerty, hyde-smith, marshall, mcconnell, paul, risch, and scott of south carolina. mr. tillis, no.

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

the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye. mrs. capito, no. mr. heinrich, aye. mr. warner, aye. the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye. mr. carper, aye. mr. king, aye.

mr. warnock, aye. mr. wicker, no. mr. schatz, aye. mr. casey, aye. mr. lankford, no. vote: the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye. mr. markey, aye.

mrs. britt, no. the clerk: mr. daines, no.

the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye. the clerk: mr. cotton, no. ms. klobuchar, aye.

the clerk: ms. lummis, no. mr. ricketts, no. mr. helmy, aye.

the clerk: mr. welch, aye. ms. butler, aye. ms. warren, aye. mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. rounds, no. ms. collins, no. mr. hickenlooper, aye.

the clerk: mr. kaine, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. merkley, aye. mr. boozman, no. mr. schumer, aye. mrs. murray, aye.

the clerk: mr. reed, aye.

the clerk: mr. brown, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. crapo, no.

. vote:

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

ms. cantwell, aye.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: ms. hirono, aye.

the clerk: mr. barrasso, no.

the clerk: mr. moran, no.

the clerk: mrs. blackburn, no. the clerk: mr. scott of florida, no. mr. graham, no.

mr. tuberville, no. mr. johnson, no. mr. schmitt, no.

mr. romney, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. kennedy, no.

the clerk: mr. young, no.

the clerk: mr. booker, aye.

mr. mullin, no.

the clerk: mr. budd, no.

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

the clerk: mr. sanders, aye.

the clerk: mr. hawley, no.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 50, the nays are 46, the nomination is confirmed. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 620, david huitema, of maryland, to be director of the office of government ethics.

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 david huitema, of maryland, to be director of the office of government ethics for a term of five years 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. barasso.

mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman.

the clerk: 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 -- baldwin, cortez masto, durbin, kaine, rosen, stabenow, tester, warren, whitehouse.

senators voting in the negative -- blackburn, cassidy, crapo, hawley, kennedy, lee, marshall, mullin, paul, romney, schmitt, scott of florida, sullivan, tuberville. mr. hagerty, no. ms. hassan, aye.

mr. peters, aye. mr. helmy, aye. the clerk: mr. padilla, aye.

the clerk: mr. brown, aye.

the clerk: mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. cramer, no.

mrs. gillibrand, aye. vote:

the clerk: mr. wyden, aye. mr. barrasso, no.

the clerk: ms. hirono, aye.

the clerk: mr. sanders, aye. ms. cantwell, aye. ms. klobuchar, aye. mr. cornyn, no.

the clerk: mr. grassley, no.

the clerk: ms. duckworth, aye. mr. welch, aye.

the clerk: mr. wicker, no.

the clerk: mr. coons, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. tillis, no. the clerk: mrs. capito, no. mrs. fischer, no. the clerk: mr. cotton, no. mr. markey, aye.

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

vote:

the clerk: mr. carper, aye.

the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, no.

mr. merkley, aye. the clerk: mr. manchin, aye. mr. heinrich, aye.

the clerk: mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. lankford, no.

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

mr. rounds, no.

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

vote: the clerk: mr. braun, no.

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

mr. boozman, no. ms. butler, aye. mrs. hyde-smith, no.

ms. ernst, no.

the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. lujan, aye. mr. ossoff, aye. mr. fetterman, aye. mr. risch, no. mr. casey, aye.

mr. rubio, no.

mr. reed, aye.

ms. collins, no.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. king, aye.

mr. daines, no.

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

the clerk: mr. schatz, aye. mr. cardin, aye. mr. hickenlooper, aye.

the clerk: ms. lummis, no.

the clerk: ms. lummis, no.

d.c. with commercial republican leaders as well as biden at the white house for the first time ninety ohio. client for democrats.

>> either. i'm glad you mentioned trump making a visit to the white house today. it's been on my mind a lot specifically in that realm what the democrats can do considering the fact that religions are looking like they are going to watch the trifecta. democrats need to look back to obama here's what mitch mcconnell was able to do in terms of utilizing minority powder to make things more difficult for republicans to get things done. >> independent. >> the problem with the

palestinians or they ran to develop a nuclear warhead and technologies like jordan and egypt and surround egypt with the strike, maybe that would stop the killing and the killing on both sides. they both have this destruction and that same dynamic will come into play and a two state solution so they should surround israel and make israel more open negotiating.

>> and you are sure those weapons fall into the hands of users actually use it, not for deterrence? >> they have standing arms, security but i think now everybody should have the and the meaningful to negotiate. they are aware of this land destruction. >> maria, good morning. >> and you hear me? >> yes, go right ahead. >> oh, okay.

the seven years. the programming because you are not when it comes to your guests. we see too many caucasian people. i can count the number of african-american people and that is for any subject matter you talk about. it is day after day and i know it's true as i get about the morning. i've not been interested lately because you're not. i hate to leave you guys after 47 years but -- >> your opinion is racially

balanced, is that what you are saying? the sides caucasian. i'm not saying but maybe they have a new program director or something, i don't know. >> the white house press briefing was yesterday where fear was asked about age two ukraine. here she is. >> president biden with coverage in the incoming administration that the united states should not walk away from ukraine so for ukraine specifically. >> i'm not going to get into the details, it's not something i want to get into here but you

heard from the national security sullivan, that something we have shown almost three years russia's aggression into ukraine and you saw global leadership on this. you think about making nato stronger in the partners and alliances is able to bring together and continually, september 29 talking about eight four ukraine so they are able to beat back russian aggression. it's very, we've been very public about it. getting back and forth making sure we get a hostage deal and get hostages home who have been held by hamas and want to make

sure we get to a deal, those negotiations continue so our commitment has been very clear and global leadership has been very prominent on the global stage. >> thirteen minutes left an open forum for this program. >> good morning. i just wanted to ask you a question because i'm concerned about a lot of different things being a democrat and native california. i'll give you a little background. my family is both related to stephen hawkins from the mayflower. we benefit here for a while but we lived in the state that have

spent people living here before we got here so i feel like i'm the newcomer to be honest. the thing that can certainly saying it is something i've ever seen, i understand we will allow the currency into our economy now and elon musk and his own company called doge going and he spent appointed, along with vivek ramaswamy who ran for president, to two head this commission to take it out of government and the acronym's department of -- thank you which spells -- i will say if you

think that seems normal? i'm 67 and i don't. >> that was intentional about jennifer. >> yeah, does that seemed like a banana public might do that? advertise your company working for government? >> gary, newport -- >> a little difference there. [laughter] >> sorry, they difference there. >> i originally wanted to talk about ukraine and what's wrong with diplomacy with russia and china. he's a collar before who said democrats should figure out a

way to resist everything. some of the stuff might be with what they want to do, to and it might work -- and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. the clerk will report the pending nomination. the clerk: office of government ethics, david huitema of maryland to be director vermont madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: thank you, madam president. every month in states all across the country, more and more communities are confronting the awful burden of recovering from a disaster. the process is long. it is expensive. it is confusing, and it is

painful. some communities are at the very beginning of their recovery and others likes lahaina on now way are more than a year into the process but still nowhere near back to normal and they need our help. it has now been more than 15 months since the ferocious fires levelled lahaina in august of last year destroying 2200 structure, most of them homes, and displacing more than 12,000 people. for more than a year, survivors and their families have shifted from one temporary housing unit to the next struggling to find any semblance of stability. finding a new job when tourism is still lagging is hard. rebuilding small businesses without access to capital and a robust workforce is hard. catching up children on lost time and school is hard. helping loved ones cope with

their grief and trauma is hard. and even after enduring months of uncertainty and pefr cyst tent -- persistent hardship, survivors have little assurance that the road ahead will be any easier. they are doing all that they can to get back on their feet for themselves and their families, for their communities. but the simple fact is they cannot do it alone. they need the federal government's help. thousands of homes need to be rebuilt. yet only a small fraction have begun the process. small businesses need help rebounding. critical infrastructure, including water and wastewater facilities are not fully yet restored. a permanent site -- the third elementary school is still under deliberation. the needs are great and there are many and as resilient as the people of lahaina have been thus far, they cannot and should not

bear this burden alone. while a strong federal response to the fires has helped to complete the cleanup process ahead of schedule, much more help and a different kind of help will be needed in this next phase of recovery. as cleanup gives way to rebuilding, survivors will need significant financial assistance over a period of months and years. building a home, building a store, building a community takes time and it takes resources. these things don't magically appear overnight nor do they happen without enormous federal investments, which is why it is essential that congress as a part of any forthcoming disaster aid package includes nextible, long-term assistance in the form of community development block grant disaster recovery funding. short-term assistance to respond to the immediate aftermath of a

horrific disaster is vital. but that isn't enough. it's not enough to clean up the wreckage and say the rest is on y you. the rest is on you. the federal government's responsibility to help survivors does not end when the streets are clear. walking away halfway through the mo says leaving exhausted survivors high and dry with no one to turn to is not an acceptable or successful outcome. survivors in lahaina and in more than 20 other states are not asking for a miracle. they are not asking for a handout. all they want to do is return to life as they knew it. to go to work, to drop off their kids at school, to come back to a home of their own. a life of stability, a life of safety, a life of security. and to do that they need our help. they need congress to do the

thing that they've always done, which is to show up for survivors and stick up for them for as long as they need help. its -- it's my understanding the administration will submit to congress an updated request of disaster needs in the coming days. and i want to be very, very clear. we cannot, we must not leave town for the holidays next month without passing the long-term relief that survivors across the country need and deserve. this is not optional. we have to get this done. madam president, i ask unanimous consent that what follows appear in a different part of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that all postcloture time on the huitema nomination be considered expired and that the senate vote on confirmation of the huitema nomination at a

time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the republican leader, and that the senate resume consideration of the fung nomination. finally, that the cloture motion on the fung nomination ripen at 5:15 today. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, united states tax court, cathy fung of california to be a judge.

mrs. blackburn: madam president, are we in pa quorum? the presiding officer: we are not. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam president. with last week's election results, the american people have given republicans an incredible mandate -- secure the

border, strengthen the economy, restore law and order, and do so much more that is going to put this country back on the right track. it's pretty amazing. 70% of the american people feel like this country is on the wrong track. and we're going to need to wait until the new year to start fully enacting the strong conservative agenda, and we're still going to have a lot to do here in this congress before we're sworn in. now, i've got something to put at the top of that to-do list, and that is ensuring that our hurricane survivors in tennessee and across the southeast receive the disaster assistance that they desperately need. no one ever thought that such a storm would end up in the mountains of north carolina and tennessee, but it did.

and the damage assessments show what tennessee is facing in our affected counties to restore our communities so that people are able to live, to work, to rear their families, so that kids are able to go to school, and we know that it's going to have quite a cost to it, madam president. the estimate for repairing roads, bridges, and infrastructure from hurricane helene tops $510 million. think about that. you've got an area in upper east tennessee -- seven counties -- and you're looking at over a half billion dollars to repair the infrastructure. now, on top of this, we've got more than 1,500 homes that are

not livable. 503 of those homes were completely destroyed, and being on the ground in tennessee, you've heard stories of how people saw their homes just being washed away. and we know that this is going to take a while. our tennessee emergency management agency has been on the ground from day one, and they are working with these homes, with these communities, and with the 209 businesses that have been impacted, and 36 of those companies were completely destroyed. the total economic losses to tennessee's agriculture and forest industries, meanwhile, have been estimated at $1.3

billion. and that is according to the u.t. institute of agriculture. so you can see devastating loss, devastating loss from one area of tennessee, in these counties that border north carolina and sit there along the nolachucky river, the dola risks and the devastation that has been -- the dola river, and the devastation that is has been predicted. i find if quite amazing that when you look at what happened in southwest virginia, north carolina, tennessee, georgia that the estimates are about $50 billion in damages. now, as i mentioned, being on the ground really tells a story that is much more pointed and explicit than what you see in pictures or in video.

and once you're on the ground, you can truly understand the devastation and the depths and breadth of this devastation. i've been in upper east tennessee and in every one of these affected counties five times, and i have visited communities that have been isolated because of road closures, because bridges have been completely washed out. i have talked with business owners that have lost it all, just have lost everything that they have worked for, and i've met with families whose entire homes have been washed away. one family that i was visiting with in johnson county, they were staying right there at the disaster relief agency because that is where they could find a place to lay their head, get a

hot meal. the devastation is just unprecedented. and in the middle of all of this, i have seen what makes tennessee so unique. we are known as the volunteer state. and indeed we do have that volunteer spirit. and seeing the way that neighbors have stood up and helped their neighbors and have come to their aid -- food, shelter, clothing, cleaning supplies -- indeed, if you were to go to the bristol motor speedway, somewhere that people go to watch the races, what you would see is an entire building that has been turned into a command center and also a disaster relief center, with pallets of water and food and cleaning supplies and linens and furniture and clothing,

everything that is needed to get people back on the right track. now you i will say this -- our governor, governor bill lee, our state emergency management agency, and our local mayors deserve a lot of credit. these local elected officials are the first ones on the ground, and they were on the ground immediately. all of our local law enforcement, our first responders, our county emergency management agencies, and they stepped up, they went into action, and they moved forward immediately to start to come around individuals who were losing it all, who were fighting to find people that they feared had lost their lives. but we know that federal support is going to prove vital to these communities being able to stand

up. they're not asking for handouts. they're asking for help and a hand up so that they can rebuild. and unfortunately, what we are seeing is tennesseans are struggling to get access to these federal programs. just two weeks after hurricane helene struck, we had the small business administration announce that it had run out of funds for its disaster loan program. now, madam president, the fiscal year started october 1. this storm happened on september 27. and you have the sba saying two weeks into the fiscal year they've used every penny in their disaster loan program, and we know this is an essential

lifeline for businesses to help them to stay in operation and to keep employees on the payroll. and after spending almost half of its disaster budget in the first week of october, fema also warned that it may have to restrict funding for rebuilding efforts. that includes repairs for the -- for infrastructure and water treatment facilities. this shortfall is absolutely inexcusable. the mismanagement is inexcusable. just days after hurricane helene struck tennessee, i joined my senate colleagues who represent the states impacted by the storm in calling for a federal disaster relief package to aid rescue, recovery, and rebuilding

efforts. we need to address these needs of our farmers, whose crop fields face devastating flooding. i've joined the entire tennessee delegation in urging house and senate leadership to pass agricultural disaster assistance. so with congress back in session, we should waste no time. and before we get to next year's agenda, we should put at the top of the to-do list addressing the needs of those who have been so devastated, their lives, their businesses, their homes, everything devastated by these floods. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. daines: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. daines: madam president, i

rise today to talk about the need to right a wrong. the national football league and the washington commanders must do more to honor the commanders' native american heritage, as powerfully symbolized by the team's former iconic logo. and they must commit to never, ever again censor it or degrade it. here's the story -- this is a photograph from the 1960's of blackie wetzel and senator robert f. kennedy. blackie wetzel was a member of the blackfeet nation in montana and served his people and the country in many roles throughout his life, including chairman of the blackfeet tribe and president of the national

congress of american indians. in 1971, blackie met with george herbert allen, who was then the head coach and the general manager of washington's premier professional sports franchise, the washington redskins. knowing that coach allen admired and supported native americans, blackie wetzel encouraged him to replace the team's "r" logo with something that represented indian country. blackie brought coach allen pictures of prominent native american figures, including blackfeet chief two guns white calf, who is pictured here on this poster board beside me. on behalf of the team, coach

allen adopted the now-legendary logo that became the symbol of this storied franchise and among one of the most popular in league history. make no mistake, this logo was inspired, it was envisioned by blackie wetzel as a tribute to native americans. by the way, it's not a caricature. it is a depiction of pride and of strength. a depiction of courage, of honor. in fact, as blackie wetzel said in 2002, it made us all so proud to have an indian on a big-time team. and i will tell you support from the wetzel family, the whitecap family and the black feet nation remains as strong as ever today.

in fact, the black feet nation recently expressed their, and i quote, wholehearted support for the logo and urged the nfl and the marndz to re -- and the commanders to restore it to a place of prominence and honor. in fact, i'll never l forget don witness zell when he came to -- wetzel when he came to me three years ago this very week to share his father's remarkable legacy and to tell me directly the logo still mattered to him, to his family, even after the team stopped using it. for context, the contributions of our nation's native american tribes to our country's culture and heritage is beyond dispute. and this includes their service in the armed forces.

do you realize that native americans serve our country in uniform at the highest percentage of any ethnic dprup. they are warriors for our country. # and we honor them and we honor all veterans this week. madam president, any franchise should be proud to be associated with native american heritage, but unfortunately in february of this year the nfl deliberate ly censored the logo on its official x account, as you can see here. they did this when honoring previous super bowl winners, and the commanders are selling a shirt even today that does the same. you might ask what i mean by

censoring a logo. well, in the case of the nfl, they photo shopped graphics to cover up the logo on the team's helmet, as you can see here. this is john riggins, a picture of one of the great legends of washington, d.c. and in the case of a shirt that was honoring darrell green, the logo is completely removed from the helmet as if it were some sort of obscene image. this blatant censorship is outrageous, it's offensive, not to mention hypocritical. players wore the very same shirt in pregame warmups with one major difference. you'll see here that the logo is proudly displayed, as it should be -- you can see the logo -- so why couldn't fans share the same

enthusiasm by purchasing a shirt with a legendary player and legendary logo? i've got to tell you the censorship of honorable native imagery certainly does not promote diversity, equity, or incl inclusion. let me be clear, for anyone who has been following this issue for the past few months knows this, i am not calling for the return of the former team name. let me say that again because there's folks who twist this. i am not calling for the return of the former team name which had become increasingly controversial, especially in indian country. but unlike the former name, the logo was rarely a subject of controversy. and in fact it was never alleged to be disparaging during the

trademark disputes against the team that spanned many years. and while some individuals might object to teams featuring any tribal imagery, however honorable and realistic, there is no doubt in my mind that the overwhelming majority of fans in indian country and beyond believe that washington's former logo is honorable and it's a point of pride. look no further than the black feet nation's chairman of the tribal council writing this letter supporting the logo. it was dated september 23, 2024. it was, therefore, wrong and simply unnecessary for the nfl and the team's former ownership to discard the logo and abandon its nearly 90-year connection to indian country. now the good news is that the new commanders owners have taken some positive steps since the may committee hearing on legislation related to rfk

stadium here in washington. i applaud them for honoring blackie wetzel with a permanent memorial at northwest stadium and i'm told that censoring the logo on the darrell green shirt was an oversight and it won't happen again when other washington legends are featured on shirts in the future. it's also my understanding the commanders are continuing to have good faith conversations with the wetzel family potentially allowing a new foundation to be created to use the iconic logo to draw attention to critical issues facing indian country. i sincerely hope these conversations result in the team taking additional action to honor the black feet nation's contributions to the team's history, and, frankly the rich native american heritage surrounding our nation's capital.

i also strongly encourage the nfl to allow sales of vintage merchandise featuring the native american logo where market demand exists. and if the commanders want to occasionally wear the throwback uniform with the classic helmet, the nfl should fully support it. can you imagine the cowboys' star once again lined up helmet to helmet with the black feet chief? i know enough about marketing and public relations to realize the nfl needs assistance and assurances that its corporate sponsors and media partners won't protest and create a stir were such sales to resume. so i'd like to publicly call the nfl sponsors to hear the support of the black feet nation, to hear the support of the wetzel family, to hear the thunderous support of fans across the country for honoring the logo

for allowing nfl-sanctioned merchandise sales featuring it, and for supporting indian country along the way. corporate sponsors, i urge you to let the nfl know you recognize the native american logo was never the problem and you believe it should be celebrated, not censored moving forward. madam president, i'm not the first senator to come to this floor to draw attention to washington's football franchise or make demands in the context of extending the lease for rfk stadium. senators harry reid, senator ben nighthorse campbell, among others used this platform to demand that the team change its name. well, today on behalf of the black feet nation of montana and

the support of millions of football fans across the country, i come to the senate floor to say our culture overcorrected in 2020. the nfl overcorrected. the team's previous ownership overcorrected. sponsors overcorrected. and we are still seeing shocking displays of censorship of an honorable logo as a result. but now can be the day of righting that wrong as we celebrate native american heritage month this november, what better time to do it than now? what better time to restore one of the nfl's greatest logos ever to the quote, as the blackfeet tribe wrote in their letter, a place of honor as hoped for and

called for by the blackfeet nation of montana. madam president, i yield back my time. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. welch: i ask unanimous consent that i be permitted to complete my remarks prior to the scheduled vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. welch: madam president, the united states must continue to support the people of ukraine as they continue to defend their country from russia's invasion.

the support provided by the united states has been indispensable in thwarting russia's advances but ukraine needs continued assurances today and tomorrow that the support will continue. there will be policy shifts in the next congress and with the next administration, but we can't abandon our fundamental support for ukraine. doing so would be existential for the ukranian people, dangerous for europe, and dangerous for the united states. allowing a large country to invade its smaller neighboring country with impunty clears the path for authoritarian leaders with similar aspirations and it sends the message that these actions are acceptable. left unchecked, these violent actions threaten america's partners and allies. madam president, we are at an inflection point. the president-elect has praised

vladimir putin, the man waging an unjust war against ukraine, for being a strong leader. he called him a genius and savvy and said i get along with him great. he liked me. i liked him. madam president, i struggle to find common ground or agreement with someone who gets along with one of america's most ruthless adver adversaries. but i hope we can all agree that america's security is inseparable from the security of europe. republicans and democrats alike have always recognized that, and i want to pay tribute to many of my republican colleagues for their stalwart continuation of support for ukraine to defend itself. we must all p stand up against the brutal authoritarian who sparked a war that killed and wounded one million people and displaced millions more, killed dissidents, stolen children and

imprisoned journalists, civil rights advocates and political opponents. if the u.s. were to withdraw our support from ukraine, the consequences would be severe and exactly what russia wants. madam president, the ukranian people are doing their part. they are fighting to defend their territory and ukraine's sovereignty with every ounce of strength in every part of ukraine. and they fought back against russian aggression since 2014 since russia invaded in the next crimea. the ukraine people have been steadfast and resilient in protecting their land, their culture and their heritage. but ukraine isn't only fighting. they are also reforming and strengthening their country. since 2014, ukraine adopted anticorruption reforms and continues toed a vans its

efforts including judicial reforms and cracking do you think on unauthorized trade. to date this is really dpood news. there have been no credible allegations of corruption associated with international donor support. and in the midst of this brutal war, ukraine's economy is tenaciously strong. despite the war ukraine's gdp growth is up 5% since last year. since september 60 million tons of steel have been sent through the global market through the black sea. the world market is developing investment plans to rebuild energy, manufacturing and agricultural infrastructure, a reconstruction for ukraine that will cost nearly $500 billion. we must be firm in our military, economic, and humanitarian assistance for ukraine, and

equally unequivocal in imposing consequences for russia's aggression. the united states, european and global support for ukraine must continue. aspen ni pritzker, representative for ukraine's economic recovery at the department of state and former secretary of commerce under president obama, has said, military assistance alone is not enough. we must match a hardened security umbrella with be comprehensive economic framework. i could not agree more. putin has brought back memories of world war ii. if the u.s. had not stayed the course to defend europe against the nazis, our world would look very much different today. the world needs a multilateral court to prosecute the crime of aggression. sanctions must continue in the international community -- and

the international community must seek reparation and compensation for the victims of putin's violence, the return of ukrainian children to their homes, and families, and proper registration of damage that has been caused by russia's aggression against ukraine. we should also give ukraine the flexibility it needs to use u.s.-provided weapons effectively against russian military targets. many european countries have done so. it would empower ukraine to blunt the russian attack and put russian forces on the defensive. is madam president, putin's plan to isolate and erase ukraine has backfired. there are more joint security commitments between european union and ukraine than ever before. finland and sweden have joined nato, strengthening our defense alliance. the european union and member states have increased their

support for ukraine in military equipment, economic, humanitarian support, refugee assistance and so many other aspects of resilience and defense. the whole world is watching the ukrainians fight to defend our common values, our fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. the world is also watching us. we are leaders, and we must remain leaders. we are not naive to the challenges ahead for ukraine, but if we walk away now we may seal ukraine's fate. madam president, i yield back. the presiding officer: 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 714, cathy fung, of california, to be a judge of the united states tax court, 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 cathy fung, of california, to be a judge of the united states tax court for a term of 15 years shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto.

mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich.

mr. helmy. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall.

mr. mcconnell. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse.

mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

the presiding officer: senators vote the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative, brown, butler, cortez masto, crapo, it gillibrand, hassan, heinrich, helmy, king, lujan, reed,

romney, smith, warnock, welch. senators voting in the negative, barrasso, budd, cotton, daines, paul, rubio, thune, tuberville, wicker. mr. rounds, no. vote:

the clerk: mrs. hyde-smith, no. mr. braun, no. the clerk: ms. ernst, no. mr. hawley, no.

the clerk: mrs. fischer, no.

the clerk: mr. tester, aye.

ms. duckworth, aye. ms. hirono, aye.

the clerk: mr. lankford, no. the clerk: ms. rosen, aye.

the clerk: mr. cornyn, aye. mr. boozman, no. mr. merkley, aye. mr. carper, aye.

mr. coons, aye. mr. kennedy, no. mr. ricketts, no. mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: mr. grassley, no. mr. moran, no. mrs. capito, no. mr. young, no. mrs. britt, no. mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: ms. warren, aye. mr. schumer, aye. the clerk: mr. schmitt, no. vot:

. vote:

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. marshall, no. mr. cardin, aye.

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

ms. collins, aye. the clerk: mrs. blackburn, no.

the clerk: mr. lee, no. mr. murphy, aye. the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: mr. hagerty, no. mr. scott of florida, no. the clerk: mr. padilla, aye.

the clerk: mr. cassidy, aye.

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

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

mr. blumenthal, aye. ms. baldwin, aye. mr. manchin, aye. the clerk: mr. schatz, aye. ms. cantwell, aye. mr. warner, aye.

vote: the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye.

the clerk: mr. bennet, aye. mr. hickenlooper, aye. the clerk: mr. tillis, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no. mr. scott of south carolina, no.

the clerk: mrs. murray, aye.

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

the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye.

the clerk: mr. cramer, aye.

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

vote:

the clerk: mr. graham, no.

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 58. the nays are 37. and the motion is agreed to.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session to be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 5464, which was received from the house and is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 5464, to name the department of veterans affairs community-based outpatient clinic in guntersville, alabama, as the colonel ola lee mize department of veterans affairs clinic. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schumer: i further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on veterans affairs be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 7333 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 7333, to name the department of veterans affairs medical center in west palm beach, florida, as the thomas h. corey v.a. medical center.

the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 5314, which is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 5314, to designate the medical center of the department of veterans affairs in tulsa, oklahoma, as the james mountain inhofe v.a. medical center. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on finance be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 5861 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 5861 an act to extend reemployment

services and eligibility assessments to all claimants for unemployment benefits and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schumer: i further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs be discharged from further consideration of s. 1316 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 1316, a bill to amend the fair credit reporting act and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the klobuchar substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to, the bill as amended be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. schumer: mr. president, i have two requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: finally, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on thursday, november 14. that following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. following the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the fung nomination. that postcloture time on the fung nomination be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. that following disposition of the fung nomination, the

senate immediately vote on confirmation of the huitema nomination. that immediately following the confirmation vote, the senate resume consideration of the kidd nomination and the cloture motion on the kidd nomination ripen at 1:45 p.m. finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during thursday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. so ordered. mr. schumer: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until historic day for the u.s. senate republicans have elected senator john thune as majority leader in the new congress beginning in january. senator john barrasso has been elected gop whip by acclamation brent senator tom cotton was elected a senate gop conference chair senator tim scott officially the chair of the national republican senatorial committee. senator thune sent out this

message on x quote i'm extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the 119 congress and become part of the work done to secure a majority in the white house as republican team is united behind president trump's agenda and our work starts today. in the meantime the senate continues work on president biden's nomination the current so-called lame duck congress. off the port lawmakers organ how to handle current government spending, federal funding et cetera expire on december 20. as always live coverage of the senate here on cspan2. ♪ c-span as your unfiltered view of government. funded by these television companies and more including media calm. usually 30 assailant media, was founded bringing cutting-edge broadband to underserved communities. from coast-to-coast we connected enter 50000. our team broke speed and biggest delivered one kid to speed to

every customer and lead the way in developing a 10g platform. now with media, mobile it's offering the fastest most reliable network on the go. media calm, jackets and dedication. dedicates of deliverance, decades ahead at >> media calm supports he spent as a public service on these other television providers. giving you a front row seat to democracy. book tv this weekend for the texas book festival live from austin. our coverage begins saturday at 11:00 a.m. eastern sunday at noon. highlights include pbs walrus with his book we are home on immigration and the process of becoming an american. the "washington post" her book the history sisterhood on women in the ci am. inspector general has built watchdog on the role of an inspector general and elizabeth diaz in her book the fall o