how do you know it's great internet? because it works. we're sparklight and we're always working for you. >> sparklight supports c-span as a public svice along with these oer television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> on this tuesday morning, we take you live now to the u.s. senate where today lawmakers will be debating a nomination to the national labor relations board. they'll also be voting on nominee to be a district court judge from middle pennsylvania. lawmakers are also working off the floor in government funding measure ahead of a 20th shutdown deadline. live coverage on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer.

the chaplain: let us pray. o god of light and truth, in these tumultuous times, enable our senators to hear your still, small voice. may this awareness of your presence renew their spirit and lift their vision of what this nation can become by your grace. may they be people dedicated to moral values and determined to live by the highest ethical standards possible. lord, keep them from success that is purchased by deviating

from the path of wholehearted obedience. enable them to experience the constancy of your presence so that they will choose the harder right and leave a legacy that honors you. we pray in your mighty name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate.

the clerk: washington, d.c, december 10, 2024. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable raphael g. warnock a senator from the state of georgia, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, national labor relations board. pharynpharynof the district of columbia to be a member of the -- lauren mcgarity mcferran of the district of columbia to be a member of the national be a member of the national

before we get to transition your take with president trump's "meet the press" interview yesterday. what stood out to you? >> guest: not a lot of surprises. of surprised some news media that he from the commentariat is

planning to be serious about mass deportations. as the caller seemed surprised now, that that could include families of legal immigrants i don't think the united states has the power to deport illegal immigrants but he is say there's going to be a family separation policy. >> host: what reaction outside of the political media? has been reaction from congress so far from this -- >> guest: i have paid attention to be honest. congress right now is sort of it has its own fiscal deadline it has to meet and it's tied up at least on the senate side and what to do about trump's nominations or his nominees to be in his cabinet. >> host: let's go to nominees. pete hegseth what's the latest on his nomination? >> guest: the trump team feels relatively good about his position compared that was a few

days ago. in the estimation the last few days, to three days of the week, he was strong, no new allegations. allegations denied. they believe the longer pete hegseth nomination proceeds and the longer republican senators don't say no at least publicly, the higher the chances are pete hegseth gets a favorable vote and becomes the next secretary of defense. >> host: who are the republican senators who could say no, you are watching? >> guest: joni ernst is 12 other watch. there's lindsey graham to a degree but the possibility that would likely lindsey graham winds up blocking is pretty small. joni ernst is under incredible pressure from the grassroots, the right wing whatever you want to call it.

that's the state i will that he won by a few points or something. she's up for reelection this coming cycle. the likelihood of her saying no politically speaking is pretty low but we'll have to wait and see. she hasn't said no. she also hasn't said yes, and on friday she and united states indicated they had a second productive meeting. it's hard to see how he winds up with, without a majority of the republican conference. it's expected now susan collins of maine, and senator mitch mcconnell former leader are no votes that's expected at least. that is enough if it's just three no votes against hegseth to get confirmed. again they feel relatively good about it. the trump transition team does. they believe time is in their

favor as long as they can keep grinding clock. on december 20 the republican senators leave town for winter break, holiday break or whatever it's called. if there's one thing senators hate for senators all stripes hate is republicans bird-dog in the outside offices asking about controversial nominations and whether they will confirm them. that goes way starting septembe. -- december 20. december 20. the new year starts and in that span of time again if hegseth is not pulled if he doesn't withdraw and if there are four hell no votes in the republican conference, then the chances again kind of increase and increase closer and closer. the bottom line is the trump campaign, the transition team, the trump base believes he has a mandate. he won the popular vote for the first time for republicans since

2004. he won a majority of electoral college vote. there are republican majorities in the senate and in the house and, therefore, they expect his nominees get confirmed by the republican senate. it's an understandable position. >> host: if the hegseth nomination falls apart is ron desantis the next man up? >> guest: it looks that way, where we stand now, but one of the dangerous things to predicting what donald trump is going to do what makes a unique figure. it is confirm donald trump did call ron desantis when the initial peak or when the initial crush of that headlines started to really care away at hegseth. and in that conversation trump had mentioned to the santa's the possibility of a second defense. this a discussion they start having in june. it wasn't real in june, helped

not been elected yet. in this most recent conversation just a few days ago, trump had dangled this possibility and the santa's signaled that he was interested, that doesn't mean he's the soda going to do it and it doesn't necessarily it will be offered. there's a lot of things that have to happen in between but the main thing that happens in between his hegseth needs to withdraw one way or another and right now hegseth is that he's going to fight like hell. trump has told other people he likes the fact that pete hegseth fights like hell. he started to publicly push him more. things are looking as we stand now it's monday morning, right? things are looking okay for hegseth in the minds of the trump transition team. that can change on a dime. >> host: as we stand out the claimants left with marc caputo. want to join the conversation, phone lines 202-748-8000. republicans 202-748-8001.

independence 202-748-8002. you can see his work at the bulwark.com. maga bill is name of the substack. one of the recent pieces the nominees from donald trump is prepared to go to war for includes tulsi gabbard and rfk jr. explain. >> guest: those other two, gabbard and kennedy, who were a feature of the trump campaign. they traveled the swing states, the two of them together, , they appeared in these joint events where they drew 1000, 2000 people thousand people in places like dearborn, michigan, and las vegas, nevada, and trump feature them as being part of his new coalition, his new political coalition. and now implicitly in that is his new governing coalition. they are both former democratic candidates for president, both of them, at the both left the

democratic party. they are representing the axis of the canceled so to speak. more to the point, they are the at the establishment figures whom trump wants to burnish his record with, his legacy with. there's certainly a lot of controversy over both of them from the health establishment, kennedy would be the hhs secretary, from the intelligence community tulsi gabbard would be the director of national intelligence. but in the trunk view, the more you have the establishment criticizing the pics, the more it indicates how valuable they are. and so the opposition to hegseth largely on personal matters, his behavior. same with matt gaetz, the now withdrawn attorney general. to a smaller degree kash patel, the fbi pick that donald trump

wants to lead the agency. whereas gabbard and kennedy a more on policy grounds, and that is something that the trump team tells me that trump intends to fight for. but again it's trump, let's see what happens to them what you mention kash patel. what's the latest on him as head of the fbi? >> guest: not a lot. i think cnn just did a piece about how he grew to now, mr. president, when we passed the bipartisan chips and science act two years ago, we promised to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to our s shores, to strengthen our national security, shore up our domestic supply chains. today, that promise is coming to fruition in upstate new york. micron just finalized this morning, early this morning, a

6.1 billion, that's billion, $6.1 billion award that was made possible by the bipartisan chips and science law, to bring advanced memory chip manufacturing to upstate new york and to america. most importantly, micron's chip award is now locked in. it's signed, sealed, and ready to deliver for central new york, all of upstate new york, and for america. micron's chips award is more than just the once in a generation investment in upstate new york. it's an investment that will span multiple generations, create over 50,000 jobs, and spur historic amounts of private investment in the region. and the chips micron will make are essential, essential for america's future. they're critical for our national security, for a.i., our

smartphones, our cars, our computers, and so much else. and the benefits go beyond new york. this award is also fueling expansion of micron in idaho, and today the commerce department has struck yet another deal with micron to expand their virginia facility. so, micron is investing and expanding in states big and small, from coast to coast. this is just the latest in a flurry of good news, showing that chip production is expanding in america, from new hampshire and new york to arizona, new mexico, to ohio. that's what chips and science is all about, making sure that america harnesses all our potential to stay number one in chip manufacturing, and when i conceived the chips and science bill, i had upstate new york in mind. we knew that manufacturing had left new york, and we wanted it to return, and that is now coming to fruition, from one end

of the state to the other. and the i-90 corridor, from buffalo to albany, will be known as the semiconductor su superhighway. we're close to a quarter of all chips made in america, will be made. it's great news. not only for this generation, but for future generations, whose kids and grandkids will want to live in upstate new york. on sentence business, we'll continue the work of confirming more nominations this week. last night, i filed cloture on the nominations of lauren mcgarity mcferran and joshua ditelberg to sit on the national labor relations board. ms. mcferran is a current board members of the nlrb, but her term will soon expired unless she's reconfirmed for another five years. the nate will take the -- the senate will take the first votes to advance these nlrb nominees on wednesday. if you truly care about working families, then you should be in favor of advancing the nlrb nom

kneeings. the nlrb -- nominees. the nlrb is essential to protecting workers' rights, so ployees can speak up for better pay and protections and the right to organize without retaliation. if we're worried about too much of a gap between working people and those who are very, very wealthy, the nlrb is a great, great way to deal with that problem, because again, it strengthens the workers' hand. anyone who says they stand with working americans should care immensely about getting these nlrb nominees done. on senator rubio, on the topic of nominees, today i will later sit down with the president-elect's nominee for secretary of state, our longtime colleague senator marco rubio. i've known senator rubio many years, and worked with him on numerous issues.

i expect we will have a good and productive conversation. i look forward to giving him the same fair chance to make his case that all nominees, regardless of party, deserve. on disaster aid, in 2024, mr. president, at least 24 major disasters have battered communities across the united states, killing, killing over 400 americans, costing over $60 billion in damages. the true cost is certainly higher. these disasters, and disasters of recent years, have left the federal government's emergency resources all but depleted. so, for the last month, i've worked with my colleagues to try and get a comprehensive disaster aid package done before the end of the year. i believe we must try as much as possible to get it done, and we on the democratic side have been persistent in getting as many dollars as possible to help both

blue and red states affected by the disaster. i remain hopeful and determined that we can reach a deal with our republican counterparts, but the only way we're going to get a disaster package done is with a serious show of bipartisan cooperation. that's how the c.r.'s work. disaster aid is not a democratic or republican issue whatsoever. mother nature comes for us all, as we've seen in every part of the country, time and time again. on artificial intelligence, for more than a year, i've worked relentlessly with senators on both sides of the aisle to find a way forward on a strong, bipartisan a.i. legislation. i created a bipartisan working group, with senators heinrich, rounds, and young, with the help of our committee chairs and ranking members, we organized a never before seen bipartisan a.i. insight forum, many forums, nine of them, to bring top

experts from across the country. democrats and republicans also worked together on writing bills, and through hard work we came to significant compromises that will have led to meaningful legislation and kept america number one on a.i., both in keeping innovation our north star but making sure there were safeguards so that the worst could not happen. in fact, speaker johnson and i agreed that all our committees should keep working together, to figure out a way to get a.i. legislation done before the end of the year. we were feeling quite good about that, until, unfortunately, the november elections occurred, and following those elections senate republicans chose to walk away from the bipartisan negotiations, abandoning over a year of good-faith hard work. this is deeply unfortunate, because if we want america to remain the technological leader

of the 21st century we can't turn a blind eye to the changes a.i. will bring. nor can we let a.i. become a partisan issue. that's why i will never walk away from a.i. talks. i remain committed to working with both sides to make a.i. a top priority here in the senate. as i said, speaker johnson and i have had productive talks on a.i. for months, and i'm glad to say we're still having those talks. with the hope of finding opportunities for action in the future. it's not going to be easy. it isn't. it's a differ issue. but we have some opportunities to move the ball forward on a.i. next year. i know that many of my republican colleagues here in this chamber are just as committed as i am to finish the job. there are two senators i'd like to thank in particular on the republican side, senators young and rounds, who have been excellent bipartisan partners

with senator heinrich and myself for over a year. i thank them for their hard work. i thank their stars for their hard work, and tell them we must keep going. we can't let a handful few on this senate republican side stop us from moving forward on a.i. again, no matter how difficult it may be, my commitment to members in both chambers remains steadfast. i will work with anyone, regardless of party, to get meaningful, sustainable, and transformational a.i. done. transformational because of what a.i. could do, to cure heart disease, to educate young people around the globe, to deal with our climate crisis, and sustainable so that we have guardrails that prevent a.i., if some bad force, whether it's a country or rogue group get hold of it, we prevent them from doing bad things and keep a.i. sustainable. we must get both done.

our outline and our work are a good step in that direction. we must continue to move forward. and finally, saying goodbye to senator ben cardin. today, one of the most beloved members of our caucus in this chamber, and a very near and dear friend of mine, will deliver his farewell address on the floor. that's the senior senator from maryland, senator cardin. everyone knows ben. he's humble and modest, and i expect his speech will reflect that. make no mistake about it -- ben's legacy is giant, and he's left an indelible mark on this institution, on his home state of maryland, and on america. now, it's no surprise ben and i became so close, and frankly our wives, iris and myrna, have become very close friends, because we're cut from the same cloth. we both began our careers in the state assembly before coming to congress. ben, i believe, stayed -- was elected when he was 23 years

old, as i was, to the assembly. and we both have strong jewish values. we're both known for showing up to any event, big or small. we both married up. and another thing, we took great inspiration from our fathers. when ben was just 23 years old, a newly elected member of the maryland house of delegates, his father told him something ben still draws upon to this day -- quote, he had something people worked for for a lifetime for, the opportunity to make a difference. ben has made an immense difference in maryland. whether you're enjoying the beautiful views of the chesapeake bay, which ben has fought so ardently to restore, protect and conserve, or riding the many roads, bridges, trails, and rails across maryland that ben helped secure billions in federal funding for, or talking to the millions of marylanders who today have access to better

health and dental care and the promise of a secure retirement because of ben's efforts, ben has been a difference maker. as chair of the foreign relations committee, he's made a huge difference on human rights and foreign policy. when i asked ben last year to serve as chair, i nude he'd be up to the -- i knew he'd be up to the task. he sure was. despite the many challenges facing america at home and abroad. ben is one of the reasons america has the power today to hold accountable gross violators of human rights, even when their home countries fail to act. he worked closely with senator john mccain on this, and the magnitsky act and so many ramifications of what was done to magnitsky inspired ben, and he moved forward in legislation in that regard. as chair of small business, he made a difference for main street differences, especially in the pandemic. i worked closely with ben to make sure the small businesses get the money they needed. because of his leadership, the

small business economy, and we worked together to get nonprofits, when i said our churches and synagogues and mosques and theaters and museums needed help as well, ben joined me, and they were saved. he made a difference on many other issues, leading legislation to affirm the ratification of the era, the east coast wall rights amendment, serving as cochair of the helsinki commission and more. the reason ben accomplished so much, he took the road less traveled here in congress oftentimes. he put substance over flash. he dug deeply into issues. got to their roots, then worked across the aisle. he was all about details. what was the problem? who was it affecting? who can i find common ground with? questions he asked. that's him from the first day in office, amendment it will be -- and it will be until his last. smart, decent, humble, loyal, hardworking. a great man, a great senator, a great friend. we will miss him deeply, but iris and i continue every year,

myrna and ben would come to new york and we'd go see shakespeare in the park. we did it i think the last ten years or so. ben and myrna, that condition will continue as will our friendship. but we will miss you. i yield the floor. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: >> if not, what is your message -- [inaudible] >> look, it's an important issue. as a pair of passion about protecting children online, as a professional, as a lawyer come in micro as a legislator i've made this a big part of my work, my advice commitment is to protect children and we've been doing that. look, we have to take some initiative on this. there's been some great work done. as you know there still some concern about the free speech

components of that and whether it might lead to further censorship by the government, a valid concern voices for example. example. working through all that. i'm grateful for the hard work that's been done, grateful to the sport behind. i think all of us 100% of us support the principles behind it but you got to get this one right. when you dealing with the regulation of free speech you can't go too far and have it be overbroad but you want to achieve those objectives. it's essential we get this issue right. we are very optimistic if it's not done this year that we can do the early next year with republican majorities because it's the republican party that's been working aggressively. >> after yesterdays story given it looks like there will be no women as elected committee chairs for next congress. do you think that shows -- the party as you -- [inaudible] >> look, chairman of the committee's are very important positions but we really do

engage all the membership. with extraordinary women serving in congress and in republican conference. we elected some strong women in this upcoming freshman class. we value those voices and then,, but has an equal say at the table. i'm really proud, i don't think we have inside all the committee chairs yet as you know so we'll see of this shakes out but these are thoughtful elections. we have an embarrassment of riches frankly. when your multiple people running for these gavels we discussed yesterday industry community spoke can do is ask her job because all great colleagues and a great experience to the table and all that. stay tuned on a final composition of conference chairs. chairs. we'll see how it all shakes out. >> your first year was 2017, the last time gop trifecta. republican spent large majority of the your focus on repealing obamacare and it did work out for your party. >> you've got remind me of that, don't you? >> looking ahead to 2025, is

there any discussion or debate it would be wise to start with tax cuts which is a big priority for a number of folks in your conference rather than something like border security which could really run into a lot of problems and get bogged down by the process? >> great question and as you know we're having lots of double discussion about the best play calls. you heard me talk about a proverbial playbook. we've been developing for about a year, it's well-designed so with a menu of options. what we're deciding is a sequence. it's important, the house and senate have different regulations on how that's done we all had exactly the same priorities. the incoming administration, senate republicans and have republicans we've got to take your the board as a top point we ever will. we got to get the economy going again and we will. part of that is ensuring we don't have the largest tax increase in u.s. history on the american people at the end of this coming year when those

trump tax cuts expire. we can walk and chew gum at the same type of the sequence and use of reconciliation is important. thoughtful discussions going on now. they will be all day. i have a session late tonight scheduled i think from 7:30 to s with the committee's of jurisdiction and folks will be involved in engineering all of this. we've been talking almost, well, i've been talking did it with the incoming white house and policy staff and the president and i will be talking, president-elect trump and i will be talk about this in depth this weekend before the army-navy game. we're going to come up with a play called that we have consensus on double work for the american people. we are going to achieve these objectives, with when you get this done. stay tuned on the sequence. we'll get back to you on that. thank you all so much. thanks.

focus on new survey on american jews and military spending and international engagements. rogers act as a guess,

washington director of the ronald reagan foundation, presidential foundation and institute a group whose mission is what? >> guest: to advance president reagan's legacy, broadly speaking in washington, d.c. i had the honor of being director of the institute. we work on taking reagan ideas, principles, values and making sure those engage in public policy being in congress, executive branch, thought leaders in town are looking at reagan ideas and principles as advanced use public policy. >> host: how long has a foundation been about and funded? >> guest: it's a 501(c)(3). since they started the library back in 1991 the institute in d.c. has been around for about six or seven years. we have our presence right next to the hotel from the white house on 16 straight. >> host: when and why did you survey americans about their views on national defense issues? >> guest: present reagan had strong links in terms of advancing american leadership in world to glenn advancing peace

through strength. we for some time have been engaging with america's thought leaders and elected officials on these issues. we found it was a gap in the discussion with the views are of the american people. you hear elected officials talk about the american people believe x or y but is not backed up by a lot of evidence. what we sought to do with our survey is to make sure when it comes to foreign policy national screen defense issues there is an annual survey, a deep dive into the issue set to make sure our elected officials and policymakers is to what american people were on those question. >> host: how many did you survey? >> guest: we were in the field after the election. in early november about 2500 people were reached out to buy our polling services. some questions were over 1500 but overall 2500 responded. >> host: hundred spotted. >> host: topline members from the survey this you survey, 50% including 61% trump voters prefer a quote in case

international american leadership approach of the international stage. 79% strongly support strongly support an increase in defense spending, highest level ever recorded on one of the surveys and said 1% supported more defense spending in the institute summer 2023 polling. what stuck out? >> guest: the first one was really the one that got our attention. as you mention 57% of american people believe america should be leading in the world. surprising to many of those who look at our survey, 61% of trump voters. there is a big broad coalition that put president trump back in office. there's a pocket of those voters a slice of those voters who look to reduce america's role in the world. as a survey bears that the majority are in line the very reaganesque worldview, 61% is up significantly not just what were

as you mentioned and our last survey as the summer trump voters were that there's some demographics the standout in addition to trump voters, young voters want to see america leading the world significant jump by about 30% since last survey. >> host: they want engaged leadership approach. is that at odds in your mind with a campaign slogan, a campaign platform that is america first? >> guest: it's a question i've have america first. what is america first? what the survey bears out in terms of what american leadership is and what president trump often campaigned on peace through strength you can stitch together how the people are interpreting that. american leadership in the world should first and foremost be about america's national interest. you will not hear the trump supporters folks are going into the trump administration talk about america supported the rules-based international order. that's not part of the lexicon. what they want to see is america is leading america's interests

are being advanced and that is what 61% of those trump voters were probably getting behind. there is a recognition for american interests, the american security, american prosperity to be preserved it can't be done by fortress america. to preserve those equities requires america leading the world is a contribution the survey in this question. >> host: we will die more into this. roger zack and is aghast. start calling in. phone numbers are split this way. republicans 202-748-8001. democrats 202-748-8000. independents 202-748-8002. a special line for active and retired military, 202-748-8003. especially to hear from you especially in topics related to the second are the survey, tough it is in the u.s. military was one of the subjects that was pulled on page 1% responders have a great deal of confidence

in the military with another 31% stating to have at least some confidence. that is up from historic low of 45% who had a great deal high confidence in the military after withdrawal from afghanistan. >> guest: this is one of the more important discoveries we've had since we've done or survey. we've had as far back as 2018 and we started this early in 2018, 18, 70% of the surveyed had trust and confidence in the military. total count was 70% and we saw this decline and as you noted that decline bottomed out in 2021 this year survey that was carried out in november of this year we saw that number of going up a bit to just north of 50%. institutions as a whole if they can hit and we see that intersected over the years but it's a positive indication the

american people have now increased their confidence in the u.s. military. >> host: what do you do with these numbers? dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: on january 20, 2021, president biden broke with long-standing precedent and fired the general counsel of the senate labor relations board. i guess if you campaign on establishing the most pro-union administration in american history and replacing duly appointed officials with big labor acolytes is a day-one priority.

executing on the biden big labor agenda is the chief lauren mcferran, and she is up for confirmation to another term. if the board's public actions over the last four years aren't telling nuffer, i'd urge my colleagues to consider the gross mismanagement of miss mcferran's watch. it took an independent inspector general report to uncover serious violations of electoral procedures and cover-up attempts, to boot. this is to say nothing of the fact that our confirmation would give a lame-duck president control of an independent board well into his successor's term. in this case, there are any number of reasons not to reward bad behavior, and whichever of

our colleagues choose, i hope they'll join me in opposing the mcferran nomination tomorrow. on another matter regarding the federal judiciary, it's membership, it's independence, and its ethics, i've increasingly found myself at odds with my democratic colleagues. i don't intend to stop policing the separation of powers any sooner than the left stops trying to down-and-mine it t -- to undermine it. over the last year, one corner of the judiciary's operation has become the sight of rare bipartisan agreement. and that is federal courts' capacity to hear and decide cases in a timely manner. across the country, federal

district courts' case backlogs are preventing them from rendering swift justice. this past swing, there was a one-inch uptick in civil filings before district courts of 22%. the solution to this clear challenge for district judgeships has earned wide support. in april, the senior senator from indiana introduced legislation that would steadily apportion larger benchmarks to districts across the country over the next decade. in august, the judge's act passed the senate by unanimous consent, proving that the right to a speedy trial still enjoys overwhelming popularity. i was particularly encouraged by the vocal endorsement of my friend, the democratic leader, who recognized the measure as, quote, very responsible, bipartisan, and prudent bill that would lead to a better

functioning judiciary. soon we expect the thousands take up and pass the judges act with similar overwhelming support. and normally we could rest assure that such popular action would be signed into law without further ado. ah, but maybe not that time. last week the white house seemed to suggest through anonymous comment that president biden has concernings with the bill -- concerns with the bill. i, for one, would be curious to hear the president's rationale. it's hard to imagine a justification for blocking the judges act that doesn't smack of naked partisanship. it's almost inconceivable that a lame-duck president would consider vetoing such an obviously prudential step for any reason other than selfish spite.

litigants across america deserve their day in court. they deserve to know the federal judiciary has the bandwidth to carefully and thoroughly consider their cases. the president, the former chairman of the senate judiciary committee, is well-equipped to appreciate this fact, and i hope he acts accordingly. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

the threat from hamas, stability in gaza content to be interest focus. you have to delineate notches in terms of american people and in terms of willingness to u.s. security assistance in those countries, israel and ukraine but over all the united states through this survey we see the american people have strong support for israel and ukraine. 75% of the surveyed view ukraine as an ally, as a partner. 74% you israel as a partner and an ally. to contact slice of that, 73% view japan as a as a part . there is strong support for those countries, specific policy in terms of security assistance as we see the divide.

>> host: but the majority now supporting the idea of sending weapons to allies. 43% support, 57% don't. for that majority what is the reason not to do arms transfers? is it weakening the united states weapons supplies? were not ready to fight on battles? is a spending money overseas? >> guest: entrance of the overall point of view we don't have the following question on that but we know a bit about this in terms of the following questions as it relates to ukraine. there's a definite concern of cost, the idea we have our priorities, our needs, physical situation here that cost too much. there is also concern beyond that in terms of whether or not the u.s. stockpiles are sufficiently supplied that we are and will deliver munitions and security assistance to other countries. we need it for the military. that is contributing to concerns about security assistance, military assistance ukraine.

that's for sure going to be the concern with other countries. as you note the majority of american people as relates to this conflict wants to continue. >> host: just in washington, independent. good morning. >> caller: good morning, guys. i really believe that where widely overspending on defense, and we always have. who is going to fight a war these days? does no economic benefit for anybody. china is what, , they're going o shut down the straits and cut their own throats on trade? or russia, how are they going to project war? they can't even beat ukraine. i would like to see 10% flashes

in defense spending. and let's get down to a reasonable level. i think the threats to the united states are wildly overblown, and obviously we could use that money much better at home. thanks, guys. >> guest: the caller has a point of view that we are wildly overspending on defense. we can take and historical look that is soaping up the case. of gdp dedicated to consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, 10 million -- between official u.s. customs and encounters and known runaways -- there have been 10 million. to put that number in perspective, that's roughly ten times the population of my home state of south dakota.

10 million is more -- is larger, i should say, than the population of colorado. it's larger than the population of tennessee. it's larger than the population of maryland. of massachusetts, of indiana. and i could keep going. 10 million is larger than the population of the vast majority of u.s. states. mr. president, needless to say, a crisis of this size has had consequences. shelters have been overwhelmed, border cities have been overwhelmed, blue cities, far from the border, have been overwhelmed, border patrol agents are exhausted, as their chief noted in an interview last week, and i haven't even mentioned the national security implications. there is no question that the chaos at our southern border represents a serious security risk for our country.

and you don't have to take my word for it. the department of homeland security's 2025 threat assessment notes -- and i quote -- over the next year, we expect some individuals with terrorism ties and some criminal actors will continue their efforts to exploit migration flows and the complex border security environment to enter the united states -- end quote. that, mr. president, is from the biden department of homeland security's 2025 threat assessment. the june arrest of eight tadzhikistan nationals with suspected ties to isis as well other migrants who use add smugseling network to enter the united states are just two examples of the kind of threats that we face, and then there is the fact that chaos at the

border createds opportunities for cross-border illegal activity like the deadly trade in fentanyl, which affects communities around our country. my state of south dakota is about as faraway from the southern border as you can get, but law enforcement officials consistently tell me that the illegal drugs that they're dealing with have entered the country across our southern border. mr. president, four years of record-breaking illegal immigration at our southern border under the biden-harris administration. 10 million encounters, and those are the migrants that we know of. it has been a dangerous four years. but the end is in sight. when president trump and republicans take control in january, stemming the flood of illegal immigration will be one of our first priorities. under republicans, national security here at home at our

borders and in our communities will be just as important as taking care of our national security priorities abroad. and we're going to start right away with a once-in-a-generation investment in border security and immigration enforcement here in congress. among other things, that package will include substantial resources to increase the number of immigration and customs enforcement officers and border patrol agents, increased detention space, and provide the barriers and technology we need to fully secure the border. there's a lot of work to do and a big mess to clean up. a recent article reported that there are around 1.4 million individuals who have been ordered to be deported but are still here in the united states. and most of them are not in immigration custody. and that's just one small corner

of the problem. as i said, we have a lot of work to do. but republicans are committed. for the sake of our national security and for the sake of our rule of law. four years of record-breaking illegal immigration, mr. president, but the end is in sight. mr. president, i yield the floor. and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin. i have convened the group 24 times now.

members have committed more than $57 billion to direct security support, security systems. and as a percentage of gdp, more than a dozen contact the group members now provide more security assistance to ukraine and the united states does. and together we have helped ukraine survived an all-out assault by the largest military in europe. >> host: then defense forum over the weekend. your defense forum try to that is the reagan national defense forum i referenced earlier we hold annually the first weekend in december, and secretary austin has been with us each year he has served as secretary of defense and, of course, this was a fourth time he visited and mates and is as you know in terms of what the department defense is doing to support ukraine in the final weeks of the biden administration. ..

there are others present. president trump as it relates to this, he's a first president to run reagan ran on the.

we are pushing to show how they can push together strength one of the things i came out of secretary austin the policy will be released to ukraine. 59% report peace negotiations and harris voters 5% so pretty much how they go about that brings another element in the survey 80% russia is an

adversary or enemy trump will pursue those negotiations and it will end by the time he's inaugurated. the survey shows american people know the outcome, who the brand is and who the adversary is. >> i don't see a defense. i see offense of spending. we've had so many conflicts starting with vietnam in the 80s and then iraq and syria

and afghanistan and palestine slaughter is nonstop it's not most americans don't know we are in syria right now. spend more money than on military.

he spent his job. >> i disagree with the characterization. soldering is thousand, u.s. forces engaged in doing what they can to help humanity. crisis caused by a solid is no longer in power. overstated. i would encourage look at fort by mckinsey american enterprise. it is coming closer to what the u.s. spends 800 billion china

and the way they went there resources support the jury. the u.s. has interest globally not because of the offensive protecting u.s. interest. our freedom security and prosperity u.s. forces deployed overseas not because of an offensive posture because they know globally rely on the formal conflict.

>> eleven carriers in service. >> china would like to 11 not the most relevant platform because of missiles and other technologies. those places we can go the navy is the best vehicle to get the managers favorites to operate

freely. j.d. terrorist organization without and those trade patterns have an cost of goods go up. more than we need very much would like to displace that. cal the presiding officer: yes, we are. mr. cornyn: i'd ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, josef stalin was rumored to have once said we will hang the capitalists with the rope they sell us. unfortunately, the united states has been selling the chinese communist party a lot of rope in recent years. at this very moment, american entities are fueling china's

aggression by funneling huge amounts of capital into capabilities that could eventually be used against the united states and our allies. from advanced semiconductors to quantum computing to artificial intelligence, it's high time that the united states become serious about limiting the flow of u.s. dollars into the arsenal of our biggest strategic adversary. by some estimates, u.s. investments in chinese companies totaled more than $2.3 trillion in market value in 2020. that's american investments in chinese companies, $2.3 trillion in market value at the end of 2020. that includes $21 billion in semiconductors, $54 billion in military companies, and a whopping $221 billion in

artificial intelligence. according to a report from the u.s. china economic and security review commission, the united states is the most important foreign source of investment to semiconductors, quantities up computing and a.i. in china. because of china's strategy of military civil fusion, these investments are not simply benefiting china's economy. they're directly bolstering china's military. china is the greatest national security threat of our time. i think we all understand that. and it's incomprehensible to me that american investors are continuing to bankroll its rise, and we are essentially blind to what that scale and what the focus of those investments really are. the chinese communist party has

become increasingly aggressive in its efforts to gain power and influence, and embracing illicit tactics like intellectual property theft, forced transfer and predatory lending. according to findings of the house select committee on strategic competition between the united states and the chinese communist party, china sublease dieses the sale of -- subsidizes the sale of fentanyl and illicit narcotics abroad and fueled addiction and death in the united states. the drug enforcement administration reports that fentanyl is the leading cause of death among americans between the age of 18 and 45. we know where the precursors are coming from. we know where they go, to mexico, and then they are combined, and then produced to look like normal pharmaceutical

drugs, much to the chagrin and misery and death of so many of our young people. then two years ago, the united states intercepted a surveillance balloon from china that traveled across our country. meanwhile, the chinese communist party continues to assert excessive and illegal maritime boundary claims in the south china sea, at times using force against our treaty ally, the philippines, when they're attempted to resupply their ship near the second thomas shoal. president xi has ordered the chinese military to be ready and capable of taking taiwan by force in 2027, just two years from now. so it should go without saying that the united states should exercise caution before continuing to sell the chinese

communist party rope in the form of sensitive technology like advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence. i've been working with my colleagues here to address legislation that would provide some transparency for this outbound investment from the united states to the prc. last year, the senate made good progress on this issue by including a provision to address outbound investment transparency in the senate-passed national defense authorization act. the senate voted 91-6 to include my amendment in the ndaa last year, showing an overwhelming bipartisan consensus on the need to address this issue. we all know how hard it is to find consensus around here. a 60-vote threshold can be hard to come by on many important issues. but upwards of 90 votes should send a clear message that this

issue is one that we deem of utmost importance on a bipartisan basis. we all are acutely aware of our competition with china and our need to counter some of china's aggression, including prohibitions on certain outbound investments are a critical step to that end. i must say, we've had some great partners in the house. i want to thank in particular john molenare chair of the senate select committee in the house, congressman michael mccaul, chair of the foreign relations committee, and speaker of the house, mike johnson, who have all contributed to our efforts to advance this issue. but this isn't where the story ends. the senate has -- or had, another opportunity to include these provisions in the defense authorization act this year, but house minority leader hakeem

jeffries chose to block these prov provisions. one person is standing in the way. it is simply unconscienable that anyone who claims to care about the china threat would be opposed to outbound investment trans transparency, and it's unacceptable to play political games with such an essential national security provision. i understand over the last day leader jeffries has listened to the voice of reason and come back to the negotiating table. i'm hopeful these conversations will continue to be productive and yield a positive outcome. t country depends on it and we must not squander this opportunity to confront the chinese communist party while time is running out. we all know that we are living in the most dangerous time since

world world war ii. our adversaries are not shy about the fact that they are working together. earlier this year china and russia pledged to deepen their trust and cooperation while they've continued to conduct joint military exercises. north korea has sent 10,000 troops to russia, and some intelligence estimates suggest they may be willing to provide up to 100,000 soldiers in the coming months from north korea to russia to fighting ukraine. meanwhile iran and its proxies have been attacking u.s. shipments in the red sea and have launched a terrorist attack against our greatest strategic ally in the middle east, which is israel. it's no secret, it's well known that china, russia, iran, and north korea are working in concert to undermine american interests and to threaten the

stability of the p global world order. so we should not add our name to the list by helping them with the gift of unrestrained, nontransparent american investment. i would urge all of our colleagues to not let politics stand in the way of our national security. we cannot stand by and continue selling the communist and china the rope they will use to hang the united states of america. mr. president, i yield the floor.

mr. hawley: mr. president the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. hawley: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to speak up to ten minutes prior to the scheduled roll call vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hawley: mr. president, we have come to the end now of 2024, to the end of another legislative session, indeed to the end of another congress. and before this congress congratulates itself on finishing its legislative work next week, i must come again here to this floor and remind my colleagues that hundreds of thousands of good americans are still waiting for this congress to act, waiting for justice to be done in their cases. i'm talking about the hundreds

of thousands of americans who have been poisoned by nuclear radiation by their own government. i'm talking about the people of st. louis, missouri, an original uranium processing site dating back to the manhattan project 50, 60 years ago now. the people of st. louis did their duty proudly, patriotically, but the government didn't do right by them. what did the government do when the manhattan project was shut down? the government took that nuclear waste, that radioactive material and dumped it into a public landfill. they allowed it to seep into our groundwater. they allowed it to be distributed across the region so that now in the greater st. louis area, in the greater st. charles area thousands upon thousands of missourians have been exposed to nuclear waste and radiation for decades. and even as i stand here today, the radiation continues. the groundwater is still in doubt. cold water creek is still

contaminated. a few weeks ago the army corps of engineers could have had p additional nuclear radioactive material under residents' homes in suburban solution. welldon spring is not fully remade educated. no one, i emphasize no one in the state of missouri received a dime of compensation from the federal government for the decades of radioactive exposure that this government forced upon them and the people of missouri are not alone. the same story is repeated over and over in places like new mexico and arizona and in idaho and in colorado and in wyoming and montana. i could go on. hundreds of thousands of americans, exposed through no fault of their own, many of them veterans, might add, many of them miners who went to work in uranium mines to provide the critical material that allowed us to support our nuclear program, that allowed us to win both the second world war and

the cold war. and what has the united states government done for these good americans? veterans, laymen, one and all, what has the government done for them? nothing. it has exposed them to nuclear radiation and done nothing, mr. president. that is why this body finally acted this year, passing with a huge bipartisan majority, legislation that would finally compensate and honor those americans who serve their country, who gave their health and in many cases, yes, gave their lives for this country's national security as part of our nuclear program. mr. president, while this body has acted, the house has not. and here we are now at the end of this calendar year, at the end of this legislative session. and because the house has waited and because the house has stalled and because the house has failed to being the a, the radiation exposure compensation program has now fully expired,

fully expired, so that no american, no veteran, no one across the country who has been exposed by the government to this radioactive waste, not a single person has been compensated for the cancers that they have contracted, compensated for the loved ones that they have lost to radioactive-related diseases. nobody. it's completely dark. no one is getting anything. and now we are told, mr. president, that at this 11th hour after this body has passed legislation not once, but twice to fairly compensate these good americans, after this body has acted to ensure that these good americans get the justice that they deserve, now at this 11th hour, after the house has allowed the program to expire, we are told that now house leadership is considering a backroom deal, a backroom deal to be shoved into an end of the year package next week that would select just a few counties in one state, the state of utah,

just a few counties to compensate and exclude be everybody else. i cannot emphasize to you enough, mr. president, what an offense this would be. for months now victims have met with house leadership and negotiated with them a path forward. i have negotiated with house leadership. many here have engaged in this effort to find a way to get the house to act and compensate these good americans who have been poisoned. and now at this last minute, for house leadership to be preparing, as reports indicate they are, to shove down the throats of these victims across the country a backroom deal that excludes almost all of them, almost all of them is not only unacceptable, mr. president. it is absolutely offensive. it is unjust. it is wrong. president reagan used to say that sometimes there really are simple answers, just not easy

ones. let's be direct about this. what house leadership is considering here, there's a simple way to describe it. it's wrong. it's just flat-out wrong. there's no more nuance needed than that. and who will suffer if house leadership puts a backroom deal, rigged for only a few insiders, excluding most of the country, who will suffer? i'll tell you who will suffer. it will be people like the young children of jana elementary in my home state of missouri, an elementary school that had to close over a year ago because of continuing radioactive contamination right there in the st. louis area. this elementary school is right near the creek that is still contaminated. the entire school had to shut down. who knows how many children have been exposed, by the way, before that happened. the entire school closed. it's still closed. it will remain closed. and every child will remain uncompensated and exposed until the house chooses to act.

think about leslie begay, a member of the navajo nation. no one contributed more to the defense of this country than the proud members of the navajo nation. in the second world war war, in the cold war, still today. their rates of volunteer service for our military are higher than than other community in the entire country, and nobody suffered more from the fallout of the nuclear program than the navajo nation, including leslie who has had a be double lung transplant. if the house fails to act, if the house forces a backroom deal through this body, leslie and thousands of others like him will be uncompensated, will be unhonored, will be unrecognized. it is wrong, mr. president. consider claire, a young girl from missouri, diagnosed with a radiation-related illness when she was born, going through chemotherapy when she was just a child age 2. consider bernice gutierrez from

the great state of new mexico. every member of bernice's family for three generations has had cancer and radiation-relaited illnesses because they were downwind of the original op hiemer tests that carried that cloud over so much of this country. consider it zack vizentine from the state of missouri born with cancer, died at the age of 2. he never had a chance because his mother grew up along cold water creek in the st. louis region of missouri that is still to this day contaminated. none of these people, none of them have been helped by their government with the expenses, with the losses, with the pain that the government forced on them. not a one of them. mr. president, it is time to act. and i want to be crystal clear about this. if the house persists, if house

leadership persists and attempts to force into a c.r. package, a partial back room, special interest deal that ex-clouds these good -- excludes these good people, i will object. and if they come to this body asking for a time agreement at the end of the session to pass that package, i will object. i want to be clear about this. there is no way forward for a partial backroom deal. no way. i will stand in the way on behalf of every one of these americans as long as it takes until justice is done. this is the time, mr. president. this body has acted. and i call on the house to act. what we should do instead of their backroom deal is pass what this body has already passed -- generous compensation, fair, just compensation with a spending limit that will fairly honor, recognize, and help these good americans who deserve it.

this isn't a handout, mr. president. this is justice. this is recognition of what these good americans have done and what they have suffered. you know, we are near upon christmas now, and it's sort of old-fashioned but it used to be around christmastime we used to talk about the christmas feeling or christian feeling. i just observe this. what does that christian feeling consist of if not, in the words of micha, doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our god? this is a chance, i move to just say, to do just that, to do justice, to show kindness, to fulfill our duty to our fellow americans. the scripture admonishes us to be not just hearers, but doers as well. as this year comes to a close, let's be doers of justice. let's be demonstrators of kindness. let's do what's right by our fellow americans.

let's honor our countrymen for what they have done. let's right this wrong finally, this 50-year wrong. let's end the year and this congress with this historic righting of a wrong. then we can say to our constituents and fellow americans merry christmas. then we can say we have truly done our jobs here. until that time, mr. president, i will be here, i will be standing, and i will be advocating on their behalf. i yield the floor. .

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report.

the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, keli marie neary, of pennsylvania, to be united states district judge for the middle district of pennsylvania. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. 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.

authorization act. the quality of life families and drink the national of our service members and ability. in addition programs and your receipt the dod. pay raises, better access to childcare, employment, support for spouses and much more. national security and support

the most powerful in the world and armed services federal and that over. >> is elected peers over the weekend. fear the world is anticipating return of u.s. president who can, at the very least fully engaged in important discussions leadership is being felt. forty-one days before he said to be inaugurated restored respect for our country in the world stage and start contrast what

americans have been forced to learn the supply biden administration of the last four years. russia's invasion of ukraine iran and proxies israel. seen what happens when we have leaders in the white house's policy is our adversaries and underwrite our allies. thankfully november 4 -- this, father said enough is enough. fast-forward hundred trump is quite here. he will shorten strength around money dominance on the world stage. the. >> are members have been working

for months into the for wednesday national defense authorization act. bill is focused on the quality of life for service men and women the biden cares administration hard to recruit and as members is policies and lack of focus out the talk about those things during focus on

what we they want the weight of the failed biden talked a lot about america's voter strengthening and lowering costs is a gorgeous look. contain way too much. we talk about what we do to stabilize writing to allow assets to expired the massive tax and families. there were deliver on those promises are probably back on

provide real relief for families forthe vaccine mandate confront those problems in january finale took office as we are preparing a lot of all the seats were

filled. they satthere sensitive will be

go. we are working on that now. waste fraud and abuse from the federal government and it was very productive and very aggressive agenda we've been planning for a long time. it was a considerate priority.

i want to thank chairman mike rogers on the committee the members present artwork on the bill. he raised service members is important right now. describing treatments for our kids di bureaucracy strengths reported the deployment expanded joint military exercises the

indo pacific. we cut $39 billion and a lot of will resources and capabilities needed powerful fighting force in the planet. a large boat allows for. i will be voting on the judges in november of the population but republicans believe in the rule of law and you got to uphold that principle. in 35 years in our population in

case also prone and we have to address this. more americans can access it lots of holiday celebrations, christmas parties and seen these events, it's a good time to be thankful in the new year ahead of us. with that, i'll take any questions. >> january 1 bill have been gone for four years. is this something leadership still wants to bring back? if so, will go on the calendar early next year or wait for the big bills to move the immigration?

>> we haven't had it chance to address that. >> furious, what is your message? >> it's really important. especially as a lawyer, part of the work and commitment is to protect children. there is still concern about speech so we are working through all of that.

i think one 100% of us, you've got to get this one right. you can go to far right so it's optimistic that we can do that. for the policy are elected strong women biden both.

i am doubt is thoughtful elections any of these folks sprinted to the table. make your first year was 27. obama. >> a number of folks other than

something like border security. about a year, it's really important the house and senate have different calculation we all have exactly the same priorities. got to take care of the border is a top priority and we will get the economy going. we get bob into going at the same time thoughtful discussions going on right now.

a late night schedule 7:30 p.m. 30:00 p.m. talk daily with the incoming white house talking weekend and that will work for the american people. we are going to get this done.

it's not all of board. >> i was scheduled before and had the privilege we sat down and talked is the one who uncovered what happened being wet tonight against is not show. defensible going on with that one who brought it to life. if you get them focused on the mission president politics

refocusing. >> are you confident he's going to be able to stand up? >> maybe we should ask the biden administration is a lot that can happen published. but we are wanting to do and what president trump wants to do is get the d.o.j. doing their job again american people first signs and going after the political boats.

>> did you have a discussion about potential plans for headquarters in washington. >> we did discuss ways guy. we agree they are doing a phenomenal job role is known as the space within. >> everyone is targeting fbi that would be fired and those

and the housework isbiden you

got pete buttigieg all had nominations offense will divide to go after present investigation prioritize the

past. >> we didn't talk about that, some of the around the country and human trafficking and looking at and everybody has a piece of pie and what the dea is focus on and they are mission central and going after hand in hand with ice.

there is a reason need to vent out of washington. it has been weapon nice. the last reelection had well over nine party. and what we are going to be

little with the fbi has done. request what he had. will tell you the fbi is compromised. it exists partly because of actors and you just that how they were liberalized.

his friend weapon is anything, i would disagree what you did this time. >> collect trump so much in the u.s. senate. in the political capital.

go on and on. how much political capital? >> as far as little cap will feel a lot is concerned about obscure and current the pope. he felt a phenomenal job. those one on one is the level of

job is not one single republican nomination likely said earlier the leadership of the fbi mark frost smoke will reveal. there is as you.

>> about time they were going to happen in a timely manner. ...

a long drawn out process for the check to come to. we said will give you an opportunity but if you drag your feet on these individuals and start dragging like kash patel or pete or some of these other ones out and you're not getting back to us in a timely manner they were willing to go around that. we will go around it if we have to. we're giving them the opportunity, let's get the background checks treat them like they have all the rest like there's no problem with that. i've got time for one more question. >> image and movie agencies out of washington, shutting them down speeds added to shut it down. i said before me and them them out of dcf we have to. >> did linda mcmahon you met with her did she you talk at dismantling the department education? >> reform, absolutely. dismantling note but reforming the agencies, what the design to do and what their mission was originally what they're doing today i think all of these

agencies have a hard look at. the american people were very clear about that. they gave president trump and republicans in mandate they want government to start working for them for not working for a party. we are very serious about that. every one of these agencies need serious reform. what that reform looks like will depend on each appointment and working with the administration and working with the senate. we are all on the same page. there is going to be heavy reforms taking place in these agencies. they have to be. one more. >> can you expand on the discussion about the indian case in oklahoma? >> he wasn't really familiar with mcgirt to the extent which is most people are not. if you go around look at the from you guys are like what is mcgirt? it's been an issue in oklahoma and it dealt with a supreme

court case that you know capital had an interesting -- kavanaugh -- the way he described the reservation on still existing a lot of unknowns taken place. since that a lot of crimes have been going unnoticed and unpunished. the fbi who has jurisdiction with the local tribal police has been overwhelmed. we have only been able to focus on some of the most heinous crimes that they're still enough crime going on. with the lax drug rules we have in oklahoma when it comes to marijuana and legalizing medical marijuana we've allowed a lot of organized crime to come in. we had a pretty in-depth conversation about that and how they could use some help. i'm not saying the fbi has not done what they could but they've done what they could with resources they have had. i think those resources should be looked at and is committed to work with us on that.

guys, thank you for your time. i appreciate it. >> takes everybody. appreciate your time. >> now this a president when we passed the vipers and chips and science act two years ago, we promise to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to our shores. to strengthen our national security, shore up our domestic supply chains. today that promise is coming to fruition in upstate new york. micron just finalized this morning early this morning a 6.1 billion, billion, $6.1 billion award that was made possible by bipartisan chips and science law to bring advanced memory chip manufacturing to upstate new york and to america. most importantly, microns chip award is now locked in.

it's signed, sealed and ready to deliver to central new york, all of upstate new york and four america. microns chip award is more than just a once in a generation investment in upstate new york. it's an investment that will span multiple generations, create over 80,000 jobs and spur historic amounts of private investment in the region. and the chips micron will make our essential essential for america's future. they are critical for national security, for ai, our smartphones, our cars, computers and so much else. and the benefits go beyond new york. this award is also a philly expansion micron in idaho and today the commerce department has struck yet another deal with micron to expand their virginia facility. so micron is investing and expanding in states b from coas.

this is just the latest in a flurry of good news showing that chip production is expanding in america from new hampshire and new york to arizona, new mexico to ohio. that's what chips and science is all about, making sure that america harnesses all our potential to stay number one in chip manufacturing. and when i conceived the chips and science bill i had upstate new york in mind. we knew that manufacturing had left new york, and we wanted to return, and that is now coming to fruition from one end of the state to the other. and the i 90 corridor from buffalo to albany will be known as the semiconductor superhighway with close to a quarter of all chips made in america will be made. it's great news. that only for this generation but for generations whose kids and grandkids will want to live in upstate new york. on senate business will continue

the work of confirming more nominations this week. last night iphone cloture on the nomination of lord mcferrin and joshua to sit on the nlrb, national labor relations board. miss mcferrin is a cork board member of the nlrb but her term will soon expire unless she is reconfirmed for another three years. the senate will take the first votes to advance these nlrb nominees on wednesday. if you truly care about working families then you should be in favor of advancing the nlrb nominees. the nlrb is essential to protecting workers' rights, so employees can speak up for better pay, stronger protections and the right to organize without retaliation. if we are worried about incoming district income inequality and too much of a gap between working people and those who are very, very wealthy, the nlrb is a great, great way to deal with

that problem. because again it strengthens the workers hands. so anyone who says they stand with working americans should carry immensely about getting these nlrb nominees done. on senator rubio, on the topic of nominees today i will later sit down with the president-elect's nominee for secretary of state, longtime colleague senator marco rubio. i've known senator rubio for many years and and of work m on numerous issues so i expect will have good and productive conversation. i look forward to giving him the same fair chance to make his case at all nominees regardless of party deserve. on disaster aid, in 2024, mr. president, at least 24th major disasters have battered communities across the united states, killing killing over 400

americans, costing over $60 billion in damages. the true cost is certainly higher. these disasters and disasters of recent years have left the federal governments emergency resources almost depleted. so too the last month i've worked with my colleagues to try and get a comprehensive disaster aid package done before the end of the year. i believe we must try as much as possible to get it done. we on the democratic side have been persistent in getting as many dollars as possible to help both blue and red states affected by the disaster here i remain hopeful and determine we commit to do with our republican counterparts but the only way we can get a disaster package done is with a serious show of bipartisan cooperation. that's how crs work. disaster aid is not a democratic or republican issue. whatsoever. mother nature comes for us all,

as we seem, in every part of the country time and time again. on artificial intelligence, for more than the i've worked relentlessly with senators on both sides of the aisle to find a way forward on strong bipartisan ai legislation. i created a bipartisan working group with senators hypercom brown and young with help from our committee chairs arrangements were organize and never before seen bipartisan ai inside forum, many forums nine of them to bring top experts from across the country. democrats and republicans also worked together on writing bills and through hard work we came to significant compromises that will have lead to meaningful legislation and kept america number one on ai, both in keeping innovation on north star but making sure we are safeguards so that the worst would not happen.

in fact, speaker johnson and i agreed all our committee should keep working together to figure out a way to get ai legislation done before the end of the year. we were feeling quite good about that until, unfortunately, the november elections occurred and following those elections senate republicans chose to walk away from the bipartisan negotiation negotiations, abandoning over a year of good faith hard work. this is deeply unfortunate because if we want america to remain the technological leader of the 21st century we can't turn a blind eye to the changes and i will bring. nor can we let ai become a partisan issue. that's why i will never walk away from ai talks. i remain committed to working with both sides to make ai a top priority in the senate. as i said speaker johnson and i have a productive talks on ai for months and i'm glad to say

we're still having no stocks. with hope of finding opportunities for action in the future. it's not going to be easy, it isn't, it's a difficult issue but we have opportunities to move the ball forward on ai next year. i know many of my republican colleagues in this chamber are just as committed as item to finish the job. there are two mex senators i would like to thank in particular on the republican side, senator rounds and store yoko been excellent partners with senator heinrich and myself for over a year. i thank them for their hard work. i thank their staffs for the hard work and. tell them we mut keep going. we can't let a handful few on this senate republican side stop us from moving forward on ai. again though matter how difficult it may be my commitment to members in both chambers remain steadfast. i will work with anyone

regardless of party to get meaningful sustainable and transformational ai done. transformational because of what i could do. to cure heart disease, to educate young people around the globe, to deal with our climate crisis, and sustainable so that we have guardrails that prevent ai if some bad force whether it's a country or a a rogue gp get hold of it. we prevent them from doing bad things and keep a eye sustainable. we must get both done. our outline and a work are a good step in that direction. we must continue to move forward. and finally say goodbye to senator ben cardin. today one of the most beloved members of our caucus in this chamber and a very near and dear friend of mine will deliver its farewell address on the floor and that senior senator from maryland senator cardin. everyone knows it. he's humble and modest and

expect his speech will reflect that. make no mistake about it, his legacy is giant and is left an indelible mark on this institution, , on his home state of maryland and on america. it's no surprise ben and i became so close and, frankly, our wives, iris and murder had become very close friends. because we are cut from the same cloth -- murder. we both beginner crews in the state assembly before coming to congress. ben idly stayed he was elected when he was 23 years old as i was to the assembly. and we both have strong jewish values we are both known for showing up to any event big or small both married up. and another thing. we took great inspiration from our fathers. when ben was 23 and a newly elected member of the maryland house of delegates his father told him something that he still

draws upon to this day. quote, he had something people worked for a lifetime for, the opportunity to make a difference. ben has made an immense difference in maryland. what are you enjoying the beautiful views of the chesapeake bay which ben has fought so ardently to restore protect and conserve, or wrig many roads and bridges and trails in rails across maryland that ben helped secure billions in federal funding for, or talking to the millions of marylanders who today have access to better health and dental care and the promise of a secure retirement because of his difference, because of his efforts, ben has been a difference maker. as chair of the foreign relations committee he's made a huge difference on even rights and foreign policy. what i asked him last your disservice to your i knew he would be up to the task and he sure was. despite the many challenges facing america at homenk and abroad. ben is one of the reasons

america has a power today to hold accountable the gross violators of human rights, even when the home countries fail to act. he worked closely with senator john mccain on this and the magnitsky act and so many ramifications of what was done to magnitsky inspired ben any move forward on legislation in that regard. as chair slope is a difference for main street businesses especially in the pandemic. i worked closely with him to make sure small businesses would get the money that they needed. because of his leadership the small business economy and we work together to get nonprofits when i said our churches and synagogues and mosques and her theaters and museums needed help as well, ben juul'ing me and they were saved. he made a difference on many other issues leading legislation to a from the ratification of the era, equal rights amendment, serving as cochair of the helsinki commission and more. the reason ben is able to

accomplish so much he took the road less traveled here in caucus oftentimes picky but substance over flashed up he dug deeply in dishes, got to the roots and that work across al. he all about details. what was a problem with who was it affecting? who can i found common ground? that's been him from his first day in office and it will be until his last. smart, decent, humble, loyal, hard-working. a great band, great senator, the great friend. we will miss him deeply but iris and i continue every year, myrna and ben, to new york and we would go see shakespeare in a park. we did it for the last ten years or so. ben and myrna that condition will continue as will our friendship but we will miss you. i yield the floor. >> on january 20, 2021, president biden spoke with long-standing precedent and fired the general counsel of the

national labor relations board. i i guess if you campaign on establishing the most prounion administration in american history, and replacing kelly appointed officials with acolytes, is certainly a day one priority. the nlrb member whose health primary responsibility for executing on the biden labor agenda is its chief lauren, and she's up for confirmation to another term. if the board's public actions are not telling enough, i would urge our colleagues to consider the gross mismanagement of ms. mcferrin watch. it took an independent instructor at the inspector

general report to recover series violations of electoral procedures and cover-up attempts to it. needless to say nothing of the fact that our confirmation would give a lame-duck president control of an independent board well into his successors term. in this case there are any number of reasons not to be board bad behavior and whichever our colleagues choose i hope you'll join me in opposing the current nomination tomorrow. on another matter regarding the federal judiciary, its membership, its independents and its ethics i've often for myself increasingly historic odds with many of my democratic colleagues. it's unfortunate but i don't tend to stop policing the separation of powers any sooner

than the left stops trying to undermine it. but over the last year one corner of judiciary operation where the center rightly holds sway has become the site of rare bipartisan agreement, and that is federal courts capacity to hear and decide cases in a timely manner. across the country federal district courts case backlogs are prevented them from rendering swift justice. this past spring the judiciaries of data recorded a one inch uptick in civil filings before district courts of 22%. the solution is a clear challenge for district judgeships. it's far and wide support. april the senior senator from indiana introduced legislation

that would -- larger benches to districts across the country over the next decade. in august that judges act passed the -- [inaudible] speedy trial still enjoys overwhelming popularity. i was particularly encouraged by the vocal endorsement of my friend the democratic leader who recognize the measure as quote very responsible bipartisan and prudent deal would lead to a better functioning judiciaries. soon we expect the house to take up and pass the judges with similar overwhelming support and normally we could rest assured that such popular action would be signed into law without further ado. but maybe not this time. last week the white house seem to suggest through anonymous comment that president biden has concerns with the bill.

i for one would be curious to hear the president rationale. it's hard to imagine a justification blocking the judges act that doesn't smack of naked partisanship. it's almost inconceivable that a lame-duck president would consider vetoing such an obviously provincial step for any reason other than selfish spite. let against deserve a day in court. they deserve to know the federal judiciary has the bandwidth to carefully and thoroughly consider their cases. the president, former chairman of the senate judiciary committee is well-equipped to appreciate this fact and the help he acts accordingly. >> mr. president, 10 million between official u.s. customs and border protection encounters and known gotaways have been

roughly 10 million migrant encounters at her southern border during the biden-harris administration. now to put that number in perspective, that's roughly ten times the population of my home state of south dakota. 10 million is more come as large i should say that the population of colorado. it's larger than the population of tennessee. it's larger than the population of maryland. of massachusetts, of indiana. and i could keep going. 10 million is larger than the population of the vast majority of u.s. states. mr. president, needless to say, a crisis of the size has had consequences. shelters have been overwhelmed. border cities have been overwhelmed. blue cities far from the border have been overwhelmed.

border patrol agents are exhausted as their chief noted in an interview last week. and i haven't even mentioned the national security implications. there is no question that the chaos at our southern border represents a serious security risk for our country. and you don't have to take my word, for it. the department of homeland security's 2025 threat assessment note and i quote over the next year we expect some individuals with terrorism ties in some criminal actors will continue to get their efforts to exploit migration flows and the complex border security environment to enter the united states, end quote. that, mr. president, is from the biden department of homeland security 2025 threat assessment. the june arrest of eight to zika stent nationals suspected ties to isis would illegally entered

the country as well as the dedication of more than 400 migrants who use isis affiliate smuggling network to enter the united states are just two examples of the kind of threats that we face and then there's the fact that chaos at the border great opportunities for cross-border illegal activity like the deadly trade in fentanyl. which affects committees around our country. my state of south dakota is about as far away from the southern border as you can get, the law enforcement officials consistently tell me that the illegal drugs to dealing with have entered the country across our southern border. mr. president, four years of record-breaking illegal immigration at at our southen border under the biden-harris administration, 10 million encounters, and those of the migrants that we know of.

it has been a dangerous for years. but the end is in sight. when president trump and republicans take control in january stemming the fun of the olympic will emigrate will be of our first priority. and republicans, national security here at home at our borders and in our communities will be just as important as taking care of our national security priorities abroad. we are going to start right away with the ones in generation investment the board security and immigration enforcement here in congress. among other things that package will include substantial resources to increase the number of immigration and customs enforcement officers and border patrol agents increased detention space and provide the barriers and technology we need to fully secure the border. there's a lot of work to do and a big mess to clean up.

a a recent article reported that are around 1.4 million individuals who live in order to be deported are still here and the united states. and most of them are not in immigration custody. and that's just one small corner of the problem. as i said we have a lot of work to do. but republicans are committed. for the sake of our national security and for the sake of our rule of law. four years of record-breaking illegal immigration, mr. president, but the end is in sight. mr. president, i yield the floor and i suggest the absence of a quorum. >> mr. president, joseph stalin was rumored to have once said we will hang the capitalists with the rope they sell us.

unfortunately the united states has been selling the chinese communist party a lot of rope in recent years. at this very moment american entities are fueling china's aggression by funneling huge amounts of capital into capabilities that could be used against the united states and our allies. from advanced semiconductors to quantum computing the artificial intelligence, it's high time the united states becomes serious about limiting the flow of u.s. dollars into the arsenal of our biggest strategic adversary. by some estimates use investments in chinese companies total more than $2.3 trillion in market value in 2020. that's american investments in chinese companies, $2.3 trillion in market value at the end of

2020. that includes $21 billion in semiconductors, $54 billion in military companies, and a whopping $221 million in artificial intelligence. according to a report from the u.s.-china economic and security review commission, the united states is a most important foreign source of investment to semiconductors, quantum computing and ai in china. because of china's strategy of military cell effusion e investments are not simply benefiting china's economy. they are directly bolstering china's military. china is a greatest national security threat of our time. i think we all understand that. and it's incumbent visible to me

that american investors are continuing to bankroll its rise, and where essentially blind to what that scale and what the focus of those investments really are. the chinese communist party has become increasingly aggressive in its efforts to gain power and influence, and embracing illicit tactics like intellectual property theft, , force technoly transfer, and predatory lending. according to findings of house select committee on strategic competition between the united states and the chinese communist party, china subsidizes the sale of fentanyl and illicit narcotics abroad, and has fueled addiction and death in the united states. the drug enforcement administration reports that no is a leading cause of death among americans between the age of 18-45.

we know where the precursors are coming from. we know where they go, to mexico, and then they are combined and then produced to look like normal pharmaceutical drugs, much to chagrin and misery and death of so many of our young people. and then two years ago the united states intercepted a surveillance of ballooning from china that traveled across our country. meanwhile the chinese communist party continues to assert excessive and illegal maritime boundary claims in the south china sea. at times using force against our treaty ally the philippines when they've attempted to resupply the ship near the second thomas scholes. president xi has ordered that china's military to be ready and capable of taking taiwan by force in 2027, just two years

from now. so it should go without saying that the united states should exercise caution before continuing to sell the chinese communist party rope in the form of sensitive technology advanced semiconductors in artificial intelligence. i i've been working with my colleagues here to address legislation that would provide some transparency for this outbound investment from the united states to the prc. last year the senate made good progress on this issue by including a provisional to address outbound investment transparency and the senate passed national defense authorization act. the senate voted 91-six to include my amendment in the ndaa last year showing an overwhelming bipartisan consensus on the need to address this issue. we all know how hard it is to

find consensus around here, a 60 vote threshold can be hard to come by on many important issues, but upwards of 90 votes should send a clear message that this issue is one that we deem of utmost importance on a bipartisan basis. we all are acutely aware of our competition with china and our need to counter some of china's aggression, including prohibitions on certain outbound investments are a critical step to that end. i must say we've had some great partners in the house. i want to think a particular john molinari chair of the senate select committee on chinese communist party in the house, congressman michael mccaul chair of the foreign relations committee and the speaker of house mike johnson who have all contributed to our efforts to advance this issue. but this isn't where the story ends.

the senate has, or had, another opportunity to include these provisions in the defense authorization act this year but house minority leader hakeem jeffries chose to block these provisions. one person is standing in the way. it is simply unconscionable that anyone who claims to care about the china threat would be opposed to outbound investment transparency here and it's unacceptable to play political games with such an essential national security provision. i understand over the last day leader jeffries has listened to the voice of reason and come back to the negotiating table. and i'm hopeful these conversations will continue to be productive and yield a positive outcome. the national security of our country depends on it and we

must not squander this opportunity to confront the chinese communist party while time is running out. we all know that we're living in the most dangerous time since world war ii. our adversaries are not shy about the fact that working together. early this year china and russia pledged to deepen their trust and cooperation while they continue to conduct joint military exercises. north korea has said 10,000 troops to russia and some intelligence estimates suggest they may be willing to provide up to 100,000 soldiers in the coming months from north korea to russia to fight in ukraine. meanwhile iran and its proxies have been attacking use shipments in theth red sea and have launched a terrorist attack against our greatest strategic ally in the middle east, which is israel.

it's no secret, it's well-known that china, russia, iran and north korea are working in concert to undermine american interests and to threaten the stability of the global world order. that we should not add our name to the list. by helping them with the gift of unrestrained, nontransparent american investment. i would urge all of our colleagues to not let politics stand in the way of our national security. we cannot stand by and continue selling the communists and china the rope they would use to hang the united states of america. mr. president, i yield.

john greenspan, greenspan, a political history curator for the smithsonian national museum of american history and also the author of the ages acrimony, how americans ought to fix or democracy. thanks for being with us we will talk about your book for the next 45 minutes or so. what is just by telling us why you chose to write about this specific topic and timeframe mr. president? >> felt like i was living in two different worlds since one to get them to talk to each other in our area we see concerns about a crisis of democracy and threats that been going on a growing sense of partisanship, acrimony and political violence, tribalism and yet as a curator of the system we have collections they go back to the founder of american democracy and there's a big chunk of maybe the middle of that time, similar to 1900. when you see that partisanship

and the tribalism and acrimony. people in 2016 sourcing this is not normal but we really did have a president that if not normal. there's a continuing of political aggression and really the abnormal era was ever we grew up in what people more calm and civil. i wanted to get these worlds to talk to each other thank you, mr. president will look at some examples from the book, quotes that show that. but who should be reading your book and what mindset should they have when they opened it up treasure eglin should read it. that's really after that question. what mindset should have? sometimes with people code history they have a recessive mindset that they're trying to in the back of the mind prove our era is bigger and more significant and more of president that thinks in the past and a seat in the comments section sometime a resistance of giving the past the same that we give the present. the present has be worse or

bigger. i would like people in the sansome who lived in 1860 or 1880 and see have these on folding a fence filter them and allies as big as our allies feel today. >> host: and what you want when something does whatever he does read this, what you want them to be taking away from it once they finish it? >> guest: a couple takeaways. we've been if the two before can we been some else before. we've had our history is not just a succession of normal normal normal normal suddenly abnormal in 2016. we have rises and falls in our democracy. a lot of the things we see we see the past even in worse come more violence, the second think would be it's fixable. i don't how we're going to fix it but in the past people identified the proms in a democracy in a political behavior and organize reforms

especially cultural reforms, change ever used democracy, to change our level of civility and restraint and partisanship and building new political culture. we're not like headed towards apocalypse. people have the agency to change as it did in the past and as, we will somehow, history does change and evolve. i'm certain were not heading towards absolute doom. >> host: i want to share this quote from the preface in your book. americans claim we are more divided and we have been since the civil war but forget the lifetime after the civil war saw the loudest political campaigns in her history from the 1860s through the early 1900s. presidential elections to the highest turnouts ever reached. they were decided by the closest margins and witnessed the most lyrical n this vote, the yeas are 49, the nays

are 48. this nomination is confirmed. now, under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. ms. smith: on behalf of the majority leader, at 3:45 p.m. today, i ask the chair to execute the order of november 20 with respect to the dixon nomination. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the senate now stands in recess >> u.s. senate has gambled out and is in recess. members are debating a nomination to t national labor relations board and voting on the nominee to be a district co