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new tech for boys and girls clubs and support whenever and wherever it matters most, we'll be there. >>ox supports c-span as a public svice along with these her television providers, giving you the front row seat to democracy. >> give now to the u.s. senate where today lawmakers return to session to consider a pair of u.s. district court nominations. now, this comes after a late session until nearly midnight last night as republicans force procedural votes on several of president biden's judicial court nominees. live senate coverage right here on c-span2. ...

the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the guest chaplain, his grace bishop david, from chestnut ridge, new york. his grace bishop david: i humbly offer the following prayer on your behalf. please bow your heads for the presence of god in our midst. let us pray. almighty god, we thank you for this precious gift you have given to each of us:

the opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters and our about bae loved country. -- beloved country. we ask, lord, that you grant us the wisdom, courage, and compassion to serve honorably, to lift up our neighbors, and to be an instrument of peace in all that we do. grant us, lord, the humility to listen deeply and the strength to act boldly. may our decisions be rooted in justice, and our words be filled with kindness, lifting up those who are weary and giving hope to those in despair. as we serve, help us to see beyond ourselves, to seek what is good for all, and to stand steadfast in your truth and integrity, trusting in your light to guide our path. awaken in each of us, lord, a heart after your own, so that

our actions may reflect your love and mercy, and inspire a spirit of unity and sacrifice in every leader, every branch of government, and across our country. accept our prayers on behalf of ourselves but also on behalf of all of your people, lord, who are in need of your presence in their lives. as we too are in need of your presence in this service, so that we may be an example of collaboration and source of comfort to those who entrusted us with this sacred responsibility, and so that each of us may play a part in securing peace and prosperity for our country. with our humble prayers for your

with our humble prayers for your guidance. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c. november 19,2024 to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing

rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable george s. helmy a senator from the state of new jersey to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, which the clerk will report. nostalgias, the judiciary -- nomination, the judiciary, mustafa taher kasubhai, of oregon, to be united states district judge for the district of oregon.

>> we are joined by "washington times" jeff murdock. brings up to speed on what happened over the weekend, what's left as are waiting for today. >> what happened over the weekend is president-elect trump focus on to making things, and his communications team. for energy policy the most important. is doug burgum to be as department of interior. sector of the department of entry. it's an interesting pick because doug burgum has been very critical of the biden administration policy of capping come join within the u.s. he has talked about how opening land up in north dakota has

really back the north dakota economy. he's going to come in to implement president trump his drill, baby, drill. he's on board with that. he will be championing that policy. the president-elect has greater national energy council which is new which is going to focus on trying to generate new energy, increased drilling, transportation, everything that impacts how the u.s. drills, transport, sells energy overseas. this counts will overlook as secretary of interior if confirmed he will be leading that. the other focus he did president-elect is his communications team. he appointed stephen johnson was in a spokesperson on all three of his presidential campaigns to be his communications director and caroline as his press secretary making of the youngest press secretary pick she's been the press secretary for the 2024

campaign. then what we know about, will learn more about her in the white house brady briefing room try to belvedere responsibility to be the public face of administration and also be conducting the daily briefings. it will be interesting to see how many native white house briefings this administration has been under the first trump administration the were not a lot of daily white house briefings. abide ministrations brought that back. they have them every day the president is in town. the president is in south america today. there isn't one. for the most part they have them on a daily basis. interesting to see what happens when the second trump administration comes in. >> host: 27 years old come to expect donald trump to make appearances in the white house briefing with as much as he did in the first administration? >> guest: and will be interesting to see. i don't know because he goes when he takes trips are winning

leaves the white house to go to marine want to take it to joint base andrew's here stops in talks to the press. so that doesn't need to be in the briefing room because he's not shy about standing there taking questions. in the first of administration he was often very late for things because he stood there and took all of our questions. if he feels like it seems like toward the end of the first administration they felt having trump come out and answer questions on his way to marine one or when he's boarding air force one after stop in entering questions was a sufficient substitute for having it in the briefing room. be interesting to see that shifted at the end of the first trump administration, if they continue that the second. >> host: coming back to cabinet picks were about halfway through what we're expecting from the president. we're less than two weeks away from election day. are these coming and usually fast? >> guest: they are. i think the president-elect

learned a lot from his first time where it took him a long time to put nominees up. and in the senate also the were a lot of delays. some of these positions almost a year to fill. he learned a lesson from that last time as he's trying to move at a fast pace. it looks like from what is been talk about he's had for years to think about who he wants it returns to the white house. he's put a lot of thought into this and you can see how quickly his pics of god. >> host: who's got the easiest path and the toughest path? >> guest: the toughest is matt gaetz. when the m-1 to point out before we get into the individuals is there's three threads that run through all of these candidates that he is nominated. one is loyalty to the president-elect. everyone of them them has expressed their loyalty. two is a lack of management experience. kristi noem is a good example to assist south dakota government employees 12,000 people. she's ugly being charged in charge of department of 260,000,

homeland security. the 12,000 is the most -- the third is they have senate moves on confirming more of president biden's judicial nominees. yesterday the senate confirmed judge embry kidd to serve a lifetime appointment to serve as a circuit judge to the is 1th circuit -- 11th circuit. he has extensive experience as a judge and prosecutor and attorney in private practice. i thank my colleagues for are supporting his nomination and moving him through the chamber. last night i also filed cloture on nine other nominees to serve in districts across the country, including california, massachusetts, pennsylvania, and the district of columbia. if you clued those -- include those nominations, there are 12

district judges. we will work to confirm these nominationingas quickly as we can startingwith the cloture vote on mustafa taher kasubhai to be district judge. we expect to vote on as many as three judges today. members should be prepared for another late night on wednesday, to vote on the nominations i filed last night. voting on the president's judicial nominees is cfunction f the senate. it's one of our basic responsibilities, and we're going to carry out that responsibility as long as this majority continues. i'm very proud of the judges we've confirmed over the past four years under this administration. they have all been highly qualified individuals, and together they represent a wide range of experiences and areas of expertise. for a long time, this chamber primarily focused on confirming

nominees with backgrounds as prosecutors from big law fi firms -- prosecutors, or from big law firms. of course, many of these individuals have gone on to serve as excellent judges. but this majority and this administration have cast a wider net. for four years, we've expanded the sort of backgrounds and resumes that make for a qualified nominee to the federal bench. we have more judges from backgrounds in consumer protection and civil rights and voting rights. we've confirmed more women and people of color, too. all of these individuals are highly qualified by their own merits, but their broad range of backgrounds and experiences is an additional asset to the bench. but we're not done. there are more judges to consider and confirm. we're going to spend the rest of the week and the rest of this year focused on confirming them. i thank all of my colleagues for their continued good work, and let us continue. now, on disaster aid, yesterday

president biden sent congress his request for a disaster aid package to replenish a number of vital programs that help americans recover from natural disasters. the house and senate should respond by working together to bass a strong disaster package as soon as possible. it's a priority for me, just as it is a priority for so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. the speaker said last month that house republicans will focus on disaster aid when they return this month to congress, and yesterday he said the house is taking a look at the president's request. that's good. i urge house republicans to work quickly to review this request so we can begin formulating a package that delivers this critically needed assistance. to put it mildly, the federal disaster aid is currently running on fumes. it's a problem happening across the board -- fema, sba, department of agriculture, department of transportation, and so many other agencies are running low on resources, specifically aimed

at helping battered communities rebuild. one of the worst cases right now is the small business administration 's disaster loan program. this program's a lifeline for homeowners and small businesses who need help picking up the pieces after a disaster strikes. the sba disaster loan program helps main street businesses make repairs, cover operating expenses, mitigate against future damage. it's also a critical sorts of -- source of relief for homeowners or renters to repair or replace damaged real estate. this vital program has run out of money and is unable to provide assistance to over 100,000 people who have applied for help in the wake of hurricanes hell even and -- helene and milton. this is one of many programs that, if properly funded, will help rebuild our communities and infrastructure so people can get back to their daily lives. states cannot be left to fend for themselves. communities cannot be left in

the lurch. infrastructure cannot remain damaged. i hope that very soon we can come to a bipartisan solution to get a strong and comprehensive disaster package done. we have a great tradition in this chamber of coming together to help our neighbors when disaster strikes. it's a hallmark of america that we look after each other in times of need, no matter where we live. with so many communities impacted by recent disasters, and with federal resources running low, we are called to help our fellow americans once again. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: ms. baldwin. quorum call: to get our country back on track, , to focus on lowering ct

for families at the grocery store, at the gas pump, their energy bills, to secure america's border. so once again i assembled all the committee chose last week to go through what we will be doing in budget reconciliation starting in january. it will be busy process next year. we laid out an aggressive 100 and agenda addressing the things that would get our country moving again, that would focus on lowering costs and getting our economy moving, , making sue there is no tax hike next year. if congress takes no action, the tax cuts and jobs act under president trump many of those provisions from 2017 would expire leading to a large tax icon families. we're going to work to prevent that from happening. so ultimately if you look at what we're focused on right now is being ready day one starting in january when we get natalie that mandate but that opportunity to get this country back on track with unified

government in washington to start addressing the problems that were created by president biden and vice president harris. we are ready for that moment. we are already making plans working with president trump to get our country moving again quickly so that families can finally get relief, the relief that they not only deserved but the relief that they voted for just a few weeks ago. and so leading the charge while he's not hanging out with kid rock at uncf fights and jelly roll as her of the house mica johnson. >> thanks a lot. good morning to everybody. glad to see such a full crowd. every seat taken. it's almost like a usc fight. all seriousness, we had a great weekend at mar-a-lago with president elect trump talking about the legislative plan document the agenda going forward. lots of substantive discussions.

i met with president trump and president-elect trump and vice president-elect j. d. vance and their senior policy leaders. and there's no daylight between their ginned and what the vision and what we envision for the house. in order to accomplish all of that the the president needd aggressive cap it and just put forward some extra nominees. met with many of them individually since those announcements have been made and we're excited about the days ahead. house republicans are committed to work with president trump and his nominees and the administration as we prepared for what will be a breakneck 119th congress. the agenda will be fast pace, the 100 days will be very full as we have a lot to fix. as i said many times i believe president trump can be the most consequential president of the modern era because we have two fixed everything. by extension congress can be as well. the incumbent administration will be filled with great men and women and i trust we trust and hope that senate republicans

and the whole cent will perform the constitutional responsibility to advise and consent on president trump's nominees and to do that in a speedy expeditious manner. as i said we've been working with the senate as well on this big plan we have to hit the ground running in january. we laid out for the house republicans what leader scalise was referring to, and that is the overarching points, overarching pieces of the reconciliation package and quick summary. want to grow our economy and to beat inflation, restore the border, restore america's energy dominance, provide educational freedom and this panel that the state. lots of course details in each of those categories that were working all that out together in a bicameral fashion with senate republicans house republicans were together and coordinating with the new trump administration. in the meantime what i deserve to go through for the remainder of the ship as you all know. we have disaster relief package that's been presented at the

biden administration. their request. even before i want to point out even before hurricanes milton and helene hit, house republicans insured appropriate emergency funds would be provided to fema as he did in last funding package as you know and now we are back in session will continue to provide for the american people with the resources that are desperately needed. i saw firsthand i went to the site of the devastation i went to florida where howling made landfall, looked at the devastation although infant even to the agriculture areas and i spent a lot of time in west north carolina what looks like a bomb went off in most of those areas. these communities and the result responsively and conversational to play. we will really all that. on the four this week you are quick summary about some of these steps were taking towards beginning to restore america's energy dominance and tomorrow we will pass the clean act to increase our domestic power production and strengthen america's energy security. we are going to pursue and

all-of-the-above energy policy and geothermal is a big part of that. just beneath our feet and in the mountain west states this is a big thing. when i quit a waste of like the biden administration did. we're going to use all the precious resources we've been blessed as a nation to have. we will vote on the stop terror finance and tax penalties on american hostages. common sense prevents virus from charging late fees on americans were held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. this is an obvious thing that everybody should be in support of. we're going to make sure we follow commonsense legislation on these principles along the way and house republicans will fix at this week and many, many errors in weeks to come so we're excited. one quick note and that of the questions. we had a great gathering all house republicans as we do each week and we had many of our members elect new members who will be coming in, republican members and 119th congress,

and extranet group that event on the hill after last week or so having their orientation. i'm proud of this group. they have an extraordinary set of skills and expertise they bring to the table and life experiences. pound for pound one of the strongest classes maybe that's ever come in for our party and a real excited about what they will contribute. i told them and all members this morning as we approach thanksgiving it's an appropriate time for all of us all of us to be thankful not just the immediate blessing of her family and friends and things we enjoy but for this great country and the fact that i believe we've been given a great blessing of an opportunity to save america and that's what we intend to do and we have a very deliberate attempt to pursue to make sure that happens we look for to getting to work. yes, sir. [inaudible question] >> look, i'm not going to get into this. we welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people.

i believe it's a command we treat all persons with dignity and respect. we will not going to engage in silly debate about this. there's concern about uses of rest of the silt locker rooms. this is an issue congress have never had to address before. we will do that in deliberate fashion with the member consensus and we will accommodate the needs of every single person. that's all in going to see about that. yes, sir. [inaudible question] we're not going to address the plants in any of that. i just told you what i'm going to see both issue. i'm not going to engage in this. we don't look down upon anyone. that's a principle that i pursue a life and we take care of this issue first impression as we go any of the thing. we will provide appropriate accommodation for every member of congress. [inaudible question]

>> yacht, , look, we have to be aggressive on china. i will address specific measures but we had a select committee, have a select committee on the chinese communist party and destroy the earth at the arc of not just america but to freedom around the world. it's a very, very serious issue. next to the national debt it's our greatest threat to national security. we have to address it up properly. i expect president trump will be very aggressive on the matter. you've heard them talk about for quite some time and, in fact, he started talk about that in 2015 before anyone else ever really was paying attention to it and recognizing the menace that china has become. look, you're going to have a very aggressive approach to this in the new congress. republicans are very serious about this very sober minded. we have lots of legislation and measures we would like to pursue but i'm not going to get in

front of that and tell you what all that will be yet. just know that we will take this very seriously. period. [inaudible question] >> well look, that all remains to be seen. i genuinely believe the senate should do its job. it's an important principle for us to maintain an incoming president gets to select their own team. i think that's an important principle. the advice and consent responsibility is given to the senate in the constitution. they need to take that seriously and they will. they were properly vet nominees in the process will play out. but look, i will just say this about a number of the nominees have been appointed. i think president trump is looking for persons who will shake up the status quo and

griffin mandate in this election cycle to do that. the status quo is not working for the american people and so these are persons who will go in and bring we'll reform, significant reform to the agencies they lead. if you pull the american people they will agree that is an appropriate objective. i think the senate should do its job and sure, take a look do a deep dive that these persons but move them along for confirmation so the president has a team in place to do with the american people have elected him to do and we're going to support that effort so thank you. appreciate it. have a happy thanksgiving.

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: this week concluded the latest act in a familiar play on the world stage. it goes something like this. first russia commits acts of aggression and pounds ukrainian military and civilian targets with overwhelming force. then western observers urge their leaders to equip ukraine's defenders with decisive countermeasures. then setting aside the fact that russia's dem amongably yore likely to escalate in the face of weakness than in strength,

the biden administration refuses citing unsubstantiated fears of -- you guessed it -- escalation. next precocious, precious opportunities for ukraine to seize the advantage over russian invaders come and go. then after months of dithering, the biden administration provides belated assistance or permission to use more advanced or longer-range weapons on the battlefield. and finally, administration officials brag to the media about the decision and pretend that it's not months, months late. in earlier acts of this entire production, the administration dragged out the authorization of high bars, fighter jets and long-range artillery to name

just a few. hesitation, indecision, and cowardness as the hallmarks of this administration's ukraine policy from the beginning. this time if recent press reports are true, ukraine at long last has permission to use long-range american atacms, weapon systems against military targets in russia. some of our colleagues might be conflicted about this development. i would ask them would helping taiwan or the philippines defend themselves in the event of chinese aggression be provocative? was it escalatory to help equip the united kingdom to defend itself against nazi aggression

before america's entry into world war ii? needless to say, ranking member wicker and i have urged the administration to authorize atacm strikes against russia for months. months. starting a full six months ago. so has the speaker of the house. so has a chorus of policymakers on both sides of the aisle who understand that maximizing ukraine's leverage over-putin's forces -- over putin's forces will be critical to the resolution of the conflict. it's too early to tell just how much the biden administration's needless delays have allowed russia to move weapons they use to strike ukraine cities out of range of the atacms. or let russia's north korean

mercenaries take over. one thing is certain. in europe as in asia and the middle east, the next commander in chief will inherit a world of threats made worse by the biden administration's hesitation and half measures. next year it will fall to the republican government, the american people elected this month, to shore up america's position in the face of very real and directly linked threats to our interests. after four years of proposed net cuts to defense spending, it will fall on us to start investing seriously in the sort of hard power to contend with the coordinated efforts of russia, iran, north korea, and china. consider just the most recent

evidence of overlapping aims of the world's authoritarians. reports this week indicate that operations against iran-backed hezbollah and lebanon, they have uncovered caches of modern russian weapons. the same sort of caches of which another butcher relied further east in syria. russia and iran are strategic partners. russia is using iranian drones against ukraine. it is not a mystery how these weapons made their way into terrorist hands. so in the wake of an administration that's squandered leverage over the world's most active state sponsor of terror, tied the hands of a sovereign democracy in the face of neo soviet imperialism, browbeaten a close ally fighting to restore its security against savage

terrorists, and met the looming aggression of our greatest strategic adversaries with -- adversary with a toothless climate diplomacy, we have our work cut out for us. of course in an executive branch allergy to deterrence and the exercise of hard power is thought our only challenge. even after january 20, we still have to contend here in the senate with efforts to weaken america's commitments to our friends and constrain the authorities that keep our adversaries on their toes. this week we'll deal with exhibit a, resolutions from the senior senator from vermont to ban legal arms sales to israel. i would lay out yet again why israel deserves the time, the space, and support to restore its security.

and why the aftermath in the deadliest slaughter of jews since the holocaust requires moral clarity. but instead i'd mike to take the case senator sanders made in the pages of "the washington post" yesterday and respond to just a few of its most outrageous assertions. our colleague began by characterizing israel's response to the horrors of october 7 as, quote, all-out war against the palestinian people. there is indeed a side in this conflict waging tall-out war but it's not a sovereign democracy that issues evacuation warnings before striking targets. knowing the terrorist combatants will escape along with the civilians. no. the side waging all-out war is the one for whom civilian casualties are the end goal,

decide to butcher, rape, and kidnap israeli civilians and continues to use palestinian civilians as human shields. decide that pilfering humanitarian aid. recognizing this distinction isn't just important for discussion, it ought to be the price of admission. let's take another of our colleague's effort to blame israel's war on a, quote, extremist government. well, i suspect that would be news to the large shares of israeli citizens across the political spectrum who called for even more extensive separations against hamas and hezbollah. the opposition leader who criticized idf for retaliatory strikes against iran has not -- is not sufficiently aggressive or to diverse members who have

served in israeli's war cabinet and made decisions about the conduct of the war thrust upon them by genocidal terrorists. how about another of his claims that israel is, quote, becoming a pariah nation condemned by governments around the world, end quote. this one has a shred, a shred of truth to it. but the hounding condemnations of the jewish state are hardly news. since 2015 the united nations has adopted 156 resolutions condemning israel. by comparison, the iranian regime, the -- that chants for israel's extermination, has attracted similar condemnation eight times. 156 condemnations of israel, eight of iran. while the syrian regime

responsible for slaughtering its own citizens received 11 condemnations. some might suggest these figures say more about the u.n. than the skourn of -- and the scourge of anti-semitism worldwide than about israel. frankly, if israel is becoming a pariah nation specifically since october 7, it's because this attack on jews unleashed a new wave of emboldened anti-semitism all across the west. and i worry my colleague's misplaced criticism only provides cover of discussion of anti-semitism right here in our own country, most visibly on university campuses. our colleague for some reason seems to take the u.n. very seriously. he points out that, quote, u.n. bodies have called for an end to armed shipments fueling the

conflict. could be that the senior senator from vermont wants to us get serious about iran's pipeline of support to proxies, guess again. but as long as we're discussing international organizations, the best way for the u.n. to prevent fueling conflict is to stop putting genocidal terrorists on its payroll, on its payroll. and as long as i have anything to say about it, not a single taxpayer dollar will put -- our colleague's case is a maze of internal contradictions. reasonable people have no need to grapple with it point by point. those who mourn senseless human suffering should have no trouble assigning blame to the terrorists who exploit civilians, schools, hospitals, and mosques as cover. those who seek peace should know

better than to pretend we can achieve it with such savages' old power. well, this week obviously i hope the senate will reject the senator's resolutions outright. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

>> mr. president, today the senate was for unconfirmed more of president biden's judicial nominees. yesterday the senate confirmed judge kidd to serve a lifetime appointment as a circuit judge to the 11th circuit. judge kidd will be an excellent addition to the bench. he's qualified as extensive as a judge, prosecutor and an attorney in private practice. i think my colleagues to support his nomination and removing him through the chamber. last night i also filed cloture on another nine nominees to serve as district judges across the country. including arizona, california, massachusetts, pennsylvania, the

district of columbia. if you include these nominations with those i filed last week i will not have filed cloture on a total of 12 district court judges since the end of last week. we'll keep working to confirm these nominations as quickly as we can starting this morning with the cloture vote on the nomination of mustafa to be a a district judge for the district of oregon. for the information of senators we expect to vote on as many as three judges today. members should be prepared for another late night on wednesday to vote on the nominations i filed last night. voting of the president's judicial nominees is a core function of the senate. it's what ever basic responsibilities and we're going to carry out that responsibility as long as this majority continues. i am very proud of the judges reconfirmed over the past four years under this administration. they have all been highly qualified individuals and together they represent a wide range of experiences and areas

of expertise. for a long time this chamber primarily focused on confirming nominees with backgrounds as prosecutors from big law firms, from prosecutors or from big law firms. of course many of these individuals have gone on to serve as excellent judges but this majority in this administration have cast a wider net. we've expanded the sort of background and resumes that make for qualified nominee to the federal bench. with more judges from backgrounds in consumer protection and civil rights and voting rights. we have confirmed for women and people of color, too. all of these individuals are highly qualified by their own merits but the broad range of backgrounds and experiences is an additional asset to the bench. but we are not done. there are more judges to consider and confirm it we will spend the rest of the week and the rest of this year focused on

confirming, and i thank all of my colleagues for the continued good work and let us continue. now on disaster aid, yesterday president biden said caucuses request for disaster aid package to replenish a number of vital programs that help americans recover from natural disasters. the house and senate should respond by working together to pass a strong disaster package as soon as possible to its a priori -- primary for me just as it is a priority for so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. the speaker said last month house republicans will focus on disaster aid when they return this month to congress and yesterday he said the house is taking a look at the president's request. that's good. i urge house republicans to work quickly to review this request so we can begin formulating a a package that delivers this critically needed assistance. to put it mildly, the federal disaster aid is currently running on fumes. it's a problem happening across the board, fema, department of

agriculture and transportation and some other agencies are running low on resources specifically aimed at helping battered communities rebuild. what is the worst cases right now is the small business administration's disaster loan program pick this program is a lifeline for homeowners and small businesses who need help picking up the pieces after a disaster strikes. the sba disaster loan program helps main street businesses make repairs, cover operating expenses, mitigate against future damage. it's also a critical source of relief for homeowners and renters to repair or replace damaged real estate. this vital program has run out of money and is unable to provide assistance to over 100,000 people who apply for help in the wake of hurricanes milton and helene. this is one of many programs that if properly funded will rebuild our communities and infrastructure so people can get back to their daily lives.

states cannot be left to fend for themselves. communities cannot be left in the lurch. infrastructure cannot remain damaged. i hope that very soon we can come to a bipartisan solution to get a stork and comprehensive disaster package done. we have a great tradition in this chamber of come together to help our neighbors when disaster strikes. it's a hallmark of america that we look after each other in times of need. no matter where we live, with so many communities impacted by recent disasters and with federal resource running low we are called to help our fellow americans once again. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum.

this week include the latest act in a familiar place on the world stage. go something like this. first, russia commits acts of aggression and pounds ukrainian military and civilian targets with overwhelming force. then western observers urge their leaders to equip ukraine's defenders w countermeasures. then setting aside the fact that russia is to multiply more likely to escalate in the face of weakness than in strength, the biden administration refuses siding unsubstantiated fears of, you guessed it, escalation. next, precocious precious opportunities for ukraine to seize the advantage over russian invaders come and go.

then after months of dithering, the biden administration provides the latest assistance. or permission to use more advanced or longer-range weapons on the battlefield. and finally administration officials bragged to the media about the decision and pretend that it's not months, months late. in earlier acts of his tired production diminishing drag out the authorization of high bars, fighter jets and long-range artillery to name just a few -- himars. hesitation in decision, and cowardice is the hallmarks of this administration's ukraine policy from the beginning. this time, recent press reports

are true, ukraine at long last has permission to use long-range american atacms, weapon systems against military targets in russia. some of our colleagues might be conflicted about this development. i would ask them, when helping taiwan or the philippines defend themselves in the event of chinese aggression be provocative? was it escalatory to help equip the united kingdom to defend itself against nazi aggression before america's entry into world war ii? needless to say, ranking member wecker and i have urged the administration to authorize attacking strikes against russia for months. months. starting a full six months ago,

so has the speaker of the house. so has our course of policy making both sides of the aisle who understand it back to sizes ukraine's leverage over putin's forces will be critical to the resolution of the conflict. it's too early to tell just how much the biden administration needless delays have allowed russia to move weapons they used to strike ukraine cities out of range of the atacms. or north korean mercenaries take over. one thing that is certain, in europe, as in asia and the middle east, the next commander-in-chief will inherit a world of threats made worse by the biden administration's hesitation and half measures.

next year it will fall to the republican government, the american people elected this month, too short america's position in the face of very real and directly linked threats to our interests. after four years of proposed net cuts to defense spending, it will fall on us to start investing seriously in the sort of hard power to contend with the coordinated efforts of russia, iran, north korea and china. consider just the most recent evidence of a ballistic aims of the world authoritarians, reports this week indicate that an operation against iran backed hezbollah in lebanon is really forces had uncovered caches of modern russian weapons. the same sort of caches by which

another butcher relied further east in syria. russia and iran are strategic partners pick russia is using iranian drones against ukraine. it is not a mystery how these weapons made their way into terrorist hands. so in the wake of an administration that squatted leverage over the world's most active state sponsor of terror, tied the hands of a sovereign democracy in the face of neo-soviet imperialism, browbeaten a close ally fighting to restore his security against savage terrorists, and met the looming aggression of our great strategic adversary with a toothless climate diplomacy, we have our work cut out for us. ..

israel deserves space support and while the aftermath of the deadliest all costs requires moral purity. a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes, we are. mr. thune: i would ask unanimous

consent the quorum be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, i shouldn't need to tell anyone that the national defense authorization act somewhere one of the most important bills we consider each year. issues may wax and wane in importance in washington, but national security is and must be a perennial priority. there's never a time when we can afford to put our national defense on the back burner or underfund our nation's military. novelty, that point seems -- novelty, that point -- unfortunately, that is lost on the democrat leader. it's been five months since the senate armed services committee passed the 20 national defense authorization act -- 2025 national defense authorization act. five months, mr. president. almost two months into the new fiscal year, and yet once again this week the ndaa will not be on the floor here in the senate. mr. president, delays to the

national defense authorization act are always problematic. as i said, there is no time at which we can afford to put our national security on the back burner. but delays are especially problematic at a time when our military preparedness is lagging, and america's adversaries are flexing their muscle. july of this year, the bipartisan commission on the national defense authorization act -- national defense strategy published its final report. i want to read a couple of lines from that report. this is there the report summary, and i quote, the commission finds that the u.s. military lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat, end quote. let me repeat that, mr. president. think about that for a moment. the commission finds that the u.s. military lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat. that is a pretty damning

statement. elsewhere, the commission notes, and i quote again, the commission finds that in many ways china is outpacing the united states and has largely negated the u.s. military advantage in the western pacific through two decades of focused military investment. without significant change by the united states, the balance of power will continue to shift in china's favor, end quote. without significant change by the united states, the balance of power will continue to shift in china's favor. from the strategic posture commission report of 2023, and i quote again, today the united states is on the cusp of having not one, but two nuclear peer adver adversaries, each with ambitions to change the international status quo, by force if necessary, a situation which the united states did not anticipate, and for which it is not prepared.

end quote. a situation which the united states did not anticipate, and for which it is not prepared. in other words, mr. president, we have work to do, a lot of work to do, and that work is being inhibited by the democrat leader's decision not to prioritize the national defense authorization act and defense spending bills. needless to say, while the democrat leader delays, the world isn't getting any safer. china, which has grown increasingly aggressive in the pacific, is investing heft in -- heavily in its military, and is o outpacing our military in modern capabilities like hypersonic missiles. this past week, china unveiled a new stealth fighter jet along with other advanced technologies. russia continues its war of aggression in ukraine. most recently, with a massive missile attack this weekend on ukrainian infrastructure. meanwhile, the middle east, hamas continues to hold hostages

it seepsed in its a -- it seized in its attack tack october 7 of last year, including americans. an iran-backed proxy continues to menace israel and u.s. assets in the region. iran has spent decades, decades fomenting unrest in the middle east, and news it intends to increase its military budget by a staggering 200% next year suggests the country has no plans to abandon its destabilizing activities. mr. president, i could go on. each day's news is a reminder that we live in an increasingly dangerous world. while we never invite conflict, we have to be prepared for it. democratic leader may have chosen to spend his time this year on showboats and biden nominees, but next year control of the senate will be different. i will tell my colleagues right now, in the 119th congress neither the ndaa nor military preparedness will be put on the back burner.

under republican governance, providing for our nation's defense and supporting our men and women in uniform will not only continue to be one of congress' most important obligations, will be treated as such. mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. helmy: i ask unanimous consent to enter into a colloquy with my colleague, the senator from alabama. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. helmy: thank you, mr. president. our nation's youth are facing unprecedented mental health crisis and we need to take immediate action to address the root causes and ensure adequate access to care. i stand here today with my friend and colleague, senator katie britt, to implore continued action to solve this crisis. this issue is one that is personal for me, as it is for senator britt. we both have young children, and so we see what they and their peers experience firsthand. there is no issue more urgent, more critical to our nation's future than the health and safety of our next generation. the challenges are well-known, and frankly the data is shocking. over the past decade cases of

severe depression among young adults nearly doubled. in the 2010's, suicidal behaviors among high school student increased nearly 40%. since 2017, the number of youth hospitalized for anxiety increased by 350%, the dwaush by 50%, the proportion for se self-harm nearly doubled. youth and young adults age 10 to 24 account for 15% of all suicides. an increase of over 50% since 2000. it's the second leading cause of death among our young people. we can point to numerous stressors feeding this crisis. as i've discussed on this floor with great moner before, social media lands at the very top of the list. social media not only altered the way our young people interact, but the very way they see themselves and the way their brains develops. senator britt understands this and has been a lead aring voice on this -- leading voice on this. mrs. britt: mr. helmy, thank you

so much for your leadership on this from day one. mr. president, you yourself have led on this issue significantly. i think it's important for our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together and understand just how pressing america's mental health crisis really is. i was honored when senator helmy came to me right after being sworn in, and told me that he wanted to work together on mental health issues and social media, and that's what we're doing here today. all of the statistics that senator helmy mentioned are not only horrifying, but really challenging to even wrap our head around. the word crisis doesn't even begin to capture what we're up against. and while we should always be wary of pointing to just one culprit, there is one that stands out amongst the rest, and that is social media. as a mom of two teenagers, i see firsthand and i hear from other moms about the effects of social

media on our country's children. at the same time, those incredibly distressing trends that senator helmy detailed took place, social media usage became pervasive among america's kids. the numbers back it up. if you look, 54% of teenagers said it would be hard to give up social media. half of all teens say they're addicted to their phones. that was in a 2016 survey. can't imagine what it would say today. 35% say that they are almost constantly on youtube, tiktok, instagram, snapchat, or facebook, and for those who can't see, we're getting some shaking heads from our pages down front. almost all of america's teens have access to a smartphone. this near-constant use of social media platforms has consequences. u.s. surgeon general wrote this

summer that three hours of social media is two times the risk of anxiety and depression amongst our young people. the average american teenager spends nearly five hours a day on social media, and it's clearly having an impact. the department of health and human services study shows almost half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies. internal research on instagram conducted itself show that a third of teenage girls who use the app report that it, quote, made them feel worse, and they found themselves, quote, unable to stop. and results in studies like the cdc's youth risk behavior system show teens and tweens today get less sleep, less exercise, and less in-person time with their

peers than previous generations. it is long past time to do something about this crisis, and i'd like to hand it back to senator helmy to talk about how this body is getting to work. mr. helmy: thank you, my friend. the senate, as divided as it may seem, can and has acted decisively. we've all witnessed this with the kids online safety act, led by my friend and senators blumenthal, blackburn, markey and cassidy, which sailed through the senate unanimously. the bill protects both youth currently impacted by social media but also seeks to address the root causes of the danger, the addictive design of the algorithm. this decisive action shows me this body can and will do big things together to protect our young people. this is proof that there is that hope, and i now turn back to my colleague senator britt for her leadership on yet another bipartisan bill that i hope will also pass through this chamber. mrs. britt: listen, i'm so glad that you brought up, before we move to the next one, the kids online safety and privacy act, i

think, really recommends the best among us. it was a true bipartisan product. it showed progress on the issue. i am proud to have been a cosponsor and working alongside the senators that you mentioned, their leadership, blackburn, blumenthal, cassidy, markey, that were willing to step up and truly say, look, leer is a path forward and -- here is a path forward, let's build consensus and move it. so thank you for the effort, all of them that they put into this legislation. i wasn't surprised, like you, that it passed the senate in overwhelming fashion, because this is not a red or a blue issue. this is an american issue, and that's exactly how this must be tackled. it's clear that this body understands that, and i'm looking forward to continuing to build more moment up, taking more steps on a bipartisan basis to move that ball even further down the field. senator helmy, you are a parent,

just like i am. we are raising kids in this environment. we are seeing how social media affects them, and it's really a struggle that i think unifies us in an unprecedented way. i was proud to work along with senator brian schatz, ted cruz, and chris murphy as we also reflected on this problem as parents. that's why our bipartisan group introduced the kids off social media act. it would prevent kids under 13 from creating a social media account, something that social media companies say they do anyway. so that shouldn't be a problem. it would prevent the use of algorithms. it would prohibit the use on all social media users that are under the age of 17. and it would also require schools to block and filter social media on their wie faye -- wifi network. we introducedhe youth mental health research act with senator o'clock. it would create a youth mental

health research initiative to guide long-term mental health and target intervention for those at risk of developing mental health challenges. so these are many bipartisan pieces of legislation that are here right now. unfortunately, we are in a place in this world where the media believes so often that it is their job to sell the news instead of tell the news. so senator hill me, you put -- senator helmy, you putting this together today to tell us the work that is being done in this chamber in a bipartisan way to address the issue is so critically important and we must keep talking about t. i want to mention one other piece of legislation that you are cosponsor of and i'm so grateful. that is my work with senator john fetterman. following the surgeon general's calling for a warning label on social media, we put our heads together to create a bill that did that, and then a little bit more. our bill, the stop the scroll act, would require a warning label when people open up a social media platform almost

like a pop-up that would also include links to mental health resources. we want to ensure that resources are at the fingertips of those who need it most. quickly after being sworn in, senator helmy joined our effort and our call to fulfill the surgeon general's recommendation. i am thankful for senator helmy and joining senator fetterman's and my bill. his passion to help america's kids is truly inspiring. while he and i might not agree on every issue, at the end of the day, we both see the obvious. and that is that social media is harming our kids and america faces a mental health crisis. senator helmy, do you mind speaking about why you felt like it was so important to join senator fetterman and my effort with the stop the scroll piece of legislation. mr. helmy: i will, senator

britt. thank you. i just want to say i applaud your leadership and while i appreciate you mentioning that i wanted us to to coming, i would just say -- make a point that all of the bills you have mentioned have one thing in common, not only the general thee mattic but they're bipartisan. i think what it says and it's a tribute to your leadership and doggedness on this issue is that this chamber reflects and recognizes that there is a serious crisis and is willing to come to hold big tech accountable but also make them part of the solution and resolution. i applaud your leadership. why stop the scroll? i think this is a tribute of the success of this chamber on the kids online safety act is senators like snowstorm britt and others -- like senator britt and others were able to make the case and come up with real solutions to help americans understand the problem. looishg that bill, stop the scroll seeks in a bipartisan way to address issues we've heard from our great mental health and medical profession aols like the warning linking cigarettes to

cancer and mortality. the surgeon general issued an unprecedented warping last year confirming the serious risks to our youth. in an effort to learn more, i reached out and spoke to them last month and the data and science he explained are clear. there's an urgent need to act now and raise awareness of the issues on social media use just like we have warning labels on cigarettes, we must have them on social media and that's why i was so proud to join you and colleagues to stop the scroll. while i leave the senate in a few weeks at a time when bipartisan divisions may run high, when i go home i will tell many doubters despite the bipartisanship they see on the news, there is indeed reason to be incredibly hopeful for our next generation and generations to come. this piece of bipartisan legislation is proof of that hope. as are the many other pieces of legislation that my friend senator britt discussed. we must hold on to it and continue fighting for a better future for all of our children. senator britt, i thank you again for your leadership here. and thank you for reaching out to me across the aisle even before i was appointed on this

important issue. and i turn it back to you. mrs. britt: senator helmy, if i may say, i think stop the scroll is a great example of a small bill that could make a tremendous impact. and i am grateful for your support of it. but overall, i hope what america sees today is that we have faith that we can do the right thing by america's kids. here we are, two people quite far apart on several issues but are willing to come together to address this urgent problem. senator helmy, i'm grateful that you came to me as soon as you were important in to say hey, how can we work on this particular issue. you hit the ground running. i hope that the people of new jersey and america know that. this man got to work before day one. and when he gave his address to this chamber, his maiden speech, he said i will tackle this issue

and that's exactly what you did. as a brand new senator, you immediately sprang into action seek be out partners on both sides of the aisle to address something that you knew was critically important, willing to bring different opinions, different perspective to the table in order to achieve a result. senator helmy, i am proud to have worked with you on this critical topic and so many other things during your tenure here in the united states senate. it is truly an honor to have served with you and i hope the people, the great people of the state of new jersey and the people of this nation understand the leadership that you exhibited during your shorten your here and the -- short tenure here and the impact you made on colleagues like me who sit across the aisle who may have been given hope to come to the table and move things forward. it is an honor to serve with you and thank you for allowing me to be a part of this today and

helping me tackle such a critical issue. mr. helmy: thank you so much for the kind words, my friend. i'm honored to be by your side, two former staffers uniting on the floor of the united states senate. it's like the ageneralingers -- avengers uniting. it's been a highlight of my time and the hope being back in the institution. i would be remiss if i didn't note the presence of a great lead are of this institution, the storied senator from texas who is -- who is in the chamber. i vowed to spring forward -- progress toward youth mental health which is an issue i had seen firsthand with my own experience. in addition to speaking of the surgeon general, katie and i both spoke to key government leaders, nonprofit organizations and youth leaders who could tell us what they're experiencing as young people and experience of their friends which is vastly different of the experience i may have had as a child growing up. we worked across the aisle to cosponsor and lead legislation with not only senator britt and my mentor, senior senator and

friend cory booker and colleagues like senators casey, butler, klobuchar, durbin, wyden, and coons to name a few. i go back home and i'm working with these nonprofits, young advocates to better understand both on the front and the root cause the issues related to access to care when they do present with a problem. what i've seen is incredible. as a former staffer, i believe in in this skaugs -- in this institution and the united states senate and i have always believed in this country, especially now. obviously there is more work to do. as i stand on this floor asking for continued action, we need to pass the stop the scroll act and their counterparts in the house should pass the kids online safety act which passed unanimously through the storied chamber. but finally i note just yesterday i introduced a new piece of legislation, the youth revenue transparency act to old big tech accountable. we know the technology companies are finding profit in this

crisis. these companies can quantify how much their revenues is driven by minors and they can certainly quantify how much marketing they are putting into targeting minors and we know the transparency and big corporations is critical for efficient markets as it is critical for accountability. and i believe both investors and parents have the right to quantify this as well. they need to know how their investments and business decisions made by big tech are driving the youth mental health crisis. and that's why my bill, the youth revenue transparency act, i'm asking big tech to disclose data on the share of revenue driven by our kids and the amount they spend targeting our children with marketing. why you ask introduce legislation with just a few weeks left in this congress? because as a former staffer, i believe in the role of this institution. i believe in the role of a senator. maybe the role of all americans to raise our voices for what is right, that one day these small acts will, i hope, rise to a crescendo of action and create meaningful and lasting change for this generation and the generation of americans to come. we may start small but we can do

big things. we can hold these companies accountable for their actions and their harm for the next generational. we can and must. i look forward in the coming years, maybe not in this institution but alongside storied senators in this chamber and i will work on this vital issue regardless of our politics, cheering you on and supporting these efforts. as john f. kennedy powerfully said, children are the world's most valuable resource and it is our only and best hope for the future. mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. a senator: mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent to speak up to 15 minutes prior to the scheduled vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, it was two weeks ago -- i know it seems like a lifetime ago but two weeks ago that folks across this country went to the polls. some undoubtedly joining the political process for the first

time. to elect donald j. trump as the 47th president of the united states as well as deliver a clear victory for republicans in both chambers of congress. i'd like to extend my congratulations once again to president trump and our colleague vice president j.d. vance on their hard fought and well-earned victory. congratulations to to my friend and colleague john thune who will be the next leader of the senate republican conference, the next majority leader alongside with the entire leadership team for the 119th congress. we'll be seeing some new faces around here next year, and i'd like to extend a warm welcome to some of them, my incoming republican colleagues, senator m{l1}c{l0}cormack from pennsylvania, senator justice from west virginia, senator moreno from hog, senator bank,

of indiana and senator curtis of utah. i'd also like to congratulate my colleague from texas, senator cruz, on a well deserved victory in our home state of texas. in the other chamber, there's some new additions to the texas delegation. on the way. representatives elect craig goldman who served long time in the statehouse and brandon gill who was elected in this last election. i look forward to working with all of these colleagues as we deliver needed solutions to the american people. the american people said very clearly that they believe the nation was on the wrong track and it's our job to get the nation on the right track. and that's exactly what we intend to do. voters made their voices heard and the message was loud and clear. americans are ready to turn the page on the last four years of failed policies.

the american people elected a trifecta of republican leadership to address the major challenges that we're facing. as a nation, things like inflation, open borders, a $35 trillion national debt, and the perception of american weakness and lack of resolve abroad. families are ready for affordable groceries, gasoline, and homes once again under a trump administration. they're certainly ready for secure borders, particularly in my state. they're ready for an end to the deadly fentanyl and human trafficking pouring across our southern border. and they're ready to return to a world where our friends can trust us and our enemies fear us under president trump. the last four years under democratic leadership has been marked by reckless spending, failed border policies, and a weak and dangerous presence on

the world stage. texas have had to bear the brunt of the historic levels of inflation not seen in 40 years. since president biden took office, rents have risen by more than 15%. the cost of groceries are up nearly 20%. and electricity prices have increased nearly 25%. with higher interest rates necessitated by the federal reserve's attempts to control inflation, americans are also paying more each month on their mortgages and their car payments. but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the biden-harris administration's misguided policies. far-left policies and abysmal leadership. just look at the administration's energy policies which put the hysteria of climate activists ahead of texas who just want to be -- to be

able to afford the gas to drive to work or to school. or consider president biden's promise to undo the effective border policies of the trump administration. this is one promise he certainly delivered on much to our that grin. my state has had to deal with huge influxes of migrants for a long time. but this administration chose to roll out the welcome mat to people from all around the world as well as the people who took advantage of those open borders, including the drug runners and the human traffickers and people generally up to no good. and all because they failed to enforce the laws on the books. under the biden-harris administration, customs and border patrol has broken daily, monthly, and yearly records of encounters at the southern border. the history books will remember this presidency for the open border policies that have been

simply devastating to our country. mark my words, we will be paying the price for decades to come as a result of these disastrous policies. our country has been suffering from a deadly fentanyl epidemic. fentanyl poisoning is now the leading cause of death of young people between the age of 18 and 45. we know where it comes from. the precursors come from china. they go to mexico. they're combined to look like innocuous pharmaceuticals and sold to unwitting children and young people here in the united states. and the record-number of unacco unaccompanied minors who have entered the country at the southern border only to be lost by this administration -- 500,000 unaccompanied children placed with sponsors and largely the administration takes the position that they bear no responsibility for knowing where

they are, what's happening to them, whether they're being trafficked for sex, sold to involuntary servitude. they just don't know, and the truth is they do not care. this november the american people had a choice. they knew that the next president, the next congress would decide whether to continue down this path of economic hardship, open borders, and american weakness or turn a page. that was their choice. and the american people voted not only to turn the page but to write an entirely new chapter written by republicans in the majority. no doubt we have a lot of work to do, but we also have a mandate from the american people who are sick and tired of failed leadership and ready for change. i look forward to being part of that change, and i'm grateful to the texans who have continued to give me the opportunity to serve

them at this pivotal time as we work out to get our country back on track, as we all want it to be. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: 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 464, mustafa kasubhai of oregon to be united states district judge for the district of oregon, signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: pursuant to rule 22, the chair directs the dloeshg call the quorum to

ascertain the absence of a quorum. mr. murphy: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum with respect to the kasubhai nomination. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: mr. president, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. pursuant to rule 22, the chair directs the clerk to call the roll to ascertain the presence of a quorum. quorum call: 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. the clerk: 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.

the clerk: mr. young. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: a quorum is not present. mr. schumer: mr. president, i move that the -- the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i move that the sergeant at arms request the presence of absent senators and i ask for the yeas and nays.

the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons.

the clerk: mr. cornyn.

the clerk: ms. cortez masto.

mr. cotton.

the clerk: mr. crapo. 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. vote:# #

the clerk: mr. vans. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- cardin, cortez masto, duckworth, hassan, helmy, klobuchar, markey, merkley, murphy, padilla, peters, schatz. mr. coons, aye. senators voting in the negative -- collins, cornyn, hyde-smith, lankford, lee, romney, rounds.

the clerk: ms. ernst, no. mr. bennet, aye. the clerk: mr. manchin, aye.

the clerk: mrs. murray, aye. mr. johnson, no. ms. baldwin, aye.

mr. kaine, aye. the clerk: mr. reed, aye. the clerk: mr. king, aye.

mr. carper, aye. mr. heinrich, aye. the clerk: mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no. the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye. mr. blumenthal, aye. mr. wyden, aye.

mr. daines, no. mr. casey, aye. the clerk: mrs. shaheen, aye.

the clerk: mr. grassley, no.

the clerk: mr. risch, no. the clerk: mr. wicker, no.

ms. rosen, aye. ms. warren, aye. mr. marshall, aye. mr. young, no. ms. cantwell, aye. mr. marshall, no. mr. boozman, no.

the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye. mr. sanders, aye. mr. ossoff, aye. mr. welch, aye. mr. mcconnell, no. mr. tillis, no.

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

vote: the clerk: mr. durbin, aye. mr. brown, aye. the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

mr. thune, no. ms. sinema, aye. mr. kelly, aye.

mr. hickenlooper, aye. the clerk: mr. schmitt, no. mr. hawley, no. the presiding officer: on this vote, the ayes are 41, the nays are 26. the motion is agreed to. a quorum is present.

a quorum is present. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of mustafa taher kasubhai of oregon to be the united states district judge for the district of oregon 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.

the clerk: 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, booker, brown, butler, cantwell, carper, casey, hassan, helmy, hickenlooper, hirono, kelly, king, manchin, ossoff, padilla, peters, reed, schatz, schumer, sinema, tester, warner, warren, whitehouse, and wyden. mr. moran. senators voting in the negative -- barra 0 so, back burn, crapo,

graham, hawley, kennedy, marshall, moran, paul, schmitt, thune, tuberville, wicker and young.

the clerk: ms. smith, aye.

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

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

animus. vote:

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye. the clerk: mr. cassidy, no.

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

the clerk: mrs. hyde-smith, no.

the clerk: ms. collins, no.

the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye. the clerk: ms. murkowski, no.

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

mr. tillis, no.

the clerk: mr. mullin, no.

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

the clerk: mrs. fischer, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. risch, no. the clerk: ms. lummis, no.

the clerk: ms. cortez masto, no.

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

decisively that far too many americans are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to get by and struggling to get ahead. and we're hopeful that the incoming administration is prepared to join us in that effort to truly make the american dream available and accessible to everyone. now, my honor to yield to my good friend, my classmate, my colleague an amazing leader in house democratic caucus democratic whip katherine clark. >> thank thank you so much,. leader. i am profoundly grateful for the trust and confidence of my colleagues and especially grateful to get to work with this leadership team led by

hakeem jeffries who continue to pull our caucus together and to lead with the american people at the center of everything he does. we are so grateful for you, mr. leader, for all your partnership and the values and inspiration that you bring to our caucus. house democrats, we stand united in a single nation. building an america where every single person has a fair shot, no matter what district we represent, blue, purple, red, we see the cost of living is pushing the american dream out of reach for so many. families that occurred from traveling across the country talked about the high cost of rent. snuggling difficult to heat but puts homeownership out of reach. parent for going into debt

simply trying to pay for child care. seniors who are watching their hard-earned retirements slip out of their hands. it shouldn't be so darn hard to get by in our country. house democrats stand ready to enact solutions to meet these challenges. we will continue as the leader set forth to look for opportunities to work across the aisle. we will work with anyone of any party who is serious about creating an economy that works for working people. but if the idea is that they're going to cut medicare and social security, our education system and public schools, that they're going to take food programs away from hungry children in order to

give corporations and even bigger tax break, they are going to have a fight on their hands from house democrats. it's simple and it's true. we stand with working families. we believe in building an economy that brings everyone along, not in rigging it for a few, and certainly not by scapegoating a few. we stand for what barbara jordan called an america as good as its promise. that's a promise to the american people, and i'm so grateful to be ready to work and be led by our chairman of the democratic caucus, pete aguilar. >> i want to thank whip clark and leader jeffries, vice chair lieu, chair dingle, cochair

lumber trade in the glory trejo, michael frost the newest member and lauren underwood, and caucus leadership representative robert garcia as well. we are clear eyed about the challenges that lie ahead in the 118th congress but we are ready to fight for everyday americans. our focus remains tackling the affordability crisis in housing, child care, and the grocery store. our caucus has already led the people's house despite being in the minority. and we will do it again. we were able to govern so effectively because of our unity, and it will be that same unity that helps us prioritize the needs of working people in the face of republican overreach. we are going stand up to any effort that would cut social security, medicare, throw people off their health insurance.

and we will never stop fighting to restore women's reproductive freedom. reasonable republicans want to get things done and will have to tune out the extremists in their own coffers will need to work with us in order to make the house function. this is a rule we played before and it is a role that we are willing to work out. it is my pleasure to introduce the vice chair of the democratic caucus, ted lieu. >> hello. it is such an honor to work with our entire caucus in energy and enthusiasm experiences they bring really provide a lot of support for our entire leadership team. it's a privilege to be able to work with leader jeffries, whip clark, chair aguilar and our entire team. we are doing listening sessions and were going to listen to our caucus members. we are going to listen to our constituents. we're going to listen to the

american people and then we will chart a path forward. and while we're doing that i have two observations. the first is there are no permanent political victory. in a country of large and diverse as america, there is no party that is the new mandate for any extended period of time and to know that in 2004, george bush had a a trifecta. you may remember that back then republicans ran on an anti-gay marriage platform. two years later democrats flipped the house. four years later president obama had a trifecta. more recently, 2016, donald trump came in with a trifecta. two years later democrats flipped the house. four years later president biden had a trifecta. so we're going to certainly see what the american people are saying we're going to respond and chart a path forward to it we do know one thing the

american people are saying, is that inflation is top of mind for many americans. and we urge the incoming administration not do things to make inflation worse. terrorists are going to make inflation worse. people with that pay for terrorists are the american consumer. that is how it works. so if you increase tariffs on any product that product will go up in price. for now not over democrats listen to the american people, we urge our colleagues across the aisle to also listen to what the american people are saying. and that with my great honor to recognize and bring up assistant leader joe neguse. joe and i served on a dpcc under joe's leadership and of the members would help stem the red wave during midterms. joe has done an amazing job as leader doing a host of new programs for caucus pickiest crisscrossing across the country to help our members. it's now my honor to bring up

assistant leader joe neguse. >> good morning. thank you all for being here and thank you to our vice chair for that kind introduction. it's a privilege to be able to serve on this house democratic leadership team with such a talented and focused and determined group of leaders. of course our vice chair macular with clark and leader jeffries. focus as we always have been on addressing the parties of the american people, lowering costs, growing the middle class, building safer communities act undergirded our shared values and fighting for the priorities that matter to the people that we represent. those of you who followed 118th congress closely so that it was a particularly dysfunctional one and it passed his prolific american people can expect perhaps more of the same. but they can also count on house democrats to do what we have done over the course of this congress, led by our incredible democratic leader, leader jeffries.

to stand in the breach to deliver results for the american people. as he often systemic against extremism whenever possible, extend the hand of partnership wherever possible, defending a fundamental freedoms each and every day of the week. that is our charge. that is our cause and as chairman aguilar said we remain clear eyed about the work that is required of house democrats in the coming months and in the 118th congress. of course a big part and component of that work will be sharing and uplifting the stories of house democrats who each come from different walks of life, every corner of our country with the american people. and there is no one position to do that better than the chairwoman of the democratic policy communications committee, debbie dingell of course without of the three cochairs. so with that, introduce chairwoman debbie dingell. >> thank you, joe. i want to tell everyone how great it is to be here and how proud i am to serve with leader

hakeem jeffries, katherine clark, joe neguse and my cochairs, lauren underwood is the most seasoned of the cochairs. glory trejo and was elected earlier this year, and the latest, we can't wait, is maxwell was a first gen z. we have a dpcc team that is here ready to support this team the people that you see behind us. hacking is our leader with the support of all of us. we know we have a lot of work to do. the job of the dpcc is to ensure that house democrats are unified in their message and that it reaches every corner, every demographic, everyplace in this country. and we have to do a better job, you know. some of you heard me talk about this before. in the aftermath of this month

election we have got, this caucuses got -- leadership has begun a series of listening sessions with the members, dpcc will have that and it slides that is regular and we have to listen to our constituents. and we as a team are going to make sure members are going to meet their constituents where they are in those farmers markets, , union halls, veterans halls, schools. i could go on because saturday's r-14 eventually. we've got to ensure the american people know that house democrats are listening to them, that we understand their issues and that we are the ones that are fighting for them, delivering for them and are protecting them, that they getting the facts. we've got to help address the misinformation that is out there. and finally we got to make sure we are reaching people that come our places we haven't been. so we're going to be reaching out on those podcasts meeting with the influentials, lauren

has been trying hard to modernize all of us with the digital media. we are going to make sure every member has the tools from young this season. there are no old members in this caucus. it's really an honor. we've got a great team and you think i'm turning it back to our leader, hakeem jeffries. >> thank you so much, chair dingle and thank you to all of extraordinary members of the incoming house democratic leadership team. let me also acknowledge robert garcia who was just elected as caucus leadership, representative representing now in majority of the caucus who served or will serve in congress five terms and under comps i congratulate you, robert, and we look forward to working together and certainly to maxwell was a new us, youngest member of the

house democratic caucus leadership team. people might reasonably ask a question, does he read the constitution eight requirement? [laughing] yes, he does. barely. and we are so thankful for maxwell and his incredible leadership and the perspective that he will bring to the house democratic caucus, the congress and, of course, the country. questions? [inaudible question] >> i have not. >> neither you nor any of the numbers -- mentioned borders. you feel that is not a concern? number two,. [inaudible question]

>> well, we look forward to working together whenever and wherever possible on the critically important issue of border security. i will also yield to archer pete aguilar who may have some additional thoughts in this area -- to our chair -- with a broken criminal justice system, and broken immigration system, i should say as well, and obviously we need to secure our border. we need a safe, a strong, a secure border, a humane border. we should secure the border in a bipartisan way that meets the needs of the american people, that right sizes our immigration system, and that ensures we can enact the type of comp rates of

immigration reform that allows for legal pathways towards citizenship which the american people support, but at the same time addresses the challenges that we have clearly seen on the southern border. and we will lean in to the issue and i'm hopeful we can find a partisan common ground. pete aguilar. >> thank you, leader. democrats on this stage and democrats within our caucus ran, and many one, and issue of border security. tom swazi has talked about this issue at length. i think of members like vasquez who talk about this issue length, , who discussed this frm my members, members intestate had this conversation with the voters and overwhelmingly came back to congress and are hear, hear we are not shying away from any issue.

and as a leader said we will work with anyone anywhere to enact meaningful solutions that help people. now, i don't think that the american public signed up for having military dollars be spent on a private force to run around cities and to break up families or to pull people from their homes. i don't think that's what this election was about, but the incoming administration has some thoughts on that and we will respond when there is more information. but the american people have spoken and we carried that forward, that we want safe communities. we understand that and respect that. we want to fix our broken immigration system. we have supported policies and efforts to do just that. we've also supported bipartisan solutions that the president and house republicans have continually beaten back in order to score political points rather

than to solve the issue. so if there's common ground, we will seek to find it but we will also call attention and call out the extreme nature of some of the proposals that the incoming administration has also advocated. thank you, leader. [inaudible question] >> we are going to fully evaluate some of the congressional testimony that has been received, some of information that is forthcoming. we obviously need fema to be an

effective and efficient and an equitable organization to meet the needs of the american people, take me as we continue to suffer through extreme weather events of the natural disasters and catastrophes that have been experienced all across the country. we have a disastrous supplemental appropriations bill that also has been set up that we need to consider and take up so that we can first and foremost meet the needs of the american people who are dealing with the aftermath of these extreme weather events, have had their life turned upside down. we got to address that issue while ensuring of course as we move forward that we have the best most effective fema possible. [inaudible question] >> the safety of the fema workers of course has got to be paramount and it's the substantial consideration for us to make sure that that safety is protected moving forward. right there.

[inaudible question] [inaudible question] >> we certainly will continue to protect nutritional assistance for americans all across the country. that's in urban america, rural america, the heartland of america and small-town america. that will be a priority for us as has always been the case

moving forward. in terms of the so-called lame-duck session, there are three high-priority items that we hope we can get to over the next several weeks. first of course we need to make sure that we keep the government open, that we find the government in a manner that meets the needs of the american people in terms of their health, their safety and economic well-being. we should do so before december 20, in a manner consistent with the bipartisan fiscal responsibility act that democrats and republicans supported last year. second, we have to pass the national defense authorization act, and we should do so as has been the case for decades, in a bipartisan manner, free of extreme right-wing policy writers. third, it's our hope we can find the common ground necessary in order to reauthorize the farm

bill in a manner that meets the needs of everyday americans, of farmers, particularly family own farmers, and that meets the needs of the health and food safety of american people. yeah, sure. [inaudible question] >> well, let me yield to katherine clark on the issue, who is in an extraordinarily amazing job as our whip in this narrow congress and despite the claims of some of my republican colleagues who are spent a lot of time over the last two weeks talking about some big, massive mandate i'm looking forward to. that does mean we don't it make

adjustments to make sure that we can get me on fighting house republicans with the national waive on top of us to a draw. but the question about this notion of some mandate to make massive far right extreme policy changes, it doesn't exist. it doesn't exist. and so in the new congress, for anything to happen, particularly as a relates to an enlightened spinning agreement or ensuring that america does not default on our debt and crashed the economy and hurt everyday americans for the first time in our nation's history, it's clear house republicans cannot do it on their own. >> we are not off to a great start, this new governing minority, majority that they have is going to continue to be

very close. when the first question of this press conference has nothing to do with how we have security at our borders, how we make that every american has a fair shot, how would make sure that we had a budget by the end of the year, as a look out into the debt ceiling, how do we ensure we do not take economy and the global economy off the cliff? what are they talking about their on day one? is where one member out of 435 is going -- where she's going to use the bathroom? that is their focus? so this is not a great start for how we start to turn the focus to the american people. it is where the house democratic caucus lives. this is our purpose. we understand that we are the

closest connection to the people, and that is exactly where our work is going to be. and you seen it demonstrated over the last two years, that we met there chaos, their division, their scapegoating, they're creating issues that are not important. the american people say mind your own business about what people do their business. but what they do want you to talk about is making an economy that works for them. affordable housing, child care that people can access. these are the issues that we will continue to push. this is the governing role that this caucus has taken on. because of gop has remained mired in their own chaos and division. ..

lying to the american people? focused on solving problems in the ranks cost? apparentlyes not. re 43. and the motion is agreed to. under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until 2:15 p.m. recess: