take the legislative, executive and judicial power. >> all right, let's hear from gary in winter haven, florida on our line for democrats. good morning, gary. >> good morning. i wanted to talk about the second amendment. one thing a lot of people don't remember is earlier this year there was a school shooting in iowa and donald trump's response was, you just have to get over it and then recently, there was a shooting of a united health care ceo and you could hear the meltdown on the right over that and it came to-- and i realize the first time a board room gets shot up like a second grade classroom, we're going to see a ban on assault weapons. and i'm just curious about the second amendment and how that would play out and you know, the other thing is, with people don't think republicans will introduce that legislation, california's restrictive gun laws were introduced in the '60s by republican governor ronald reagan when the black

panthers were stockpiling weapons. so it's not unprecedented republicans when they get freaked out enough. >> let's look quickly at language of the second amendment that says a well-regulated militia, security of the free state the right of the people to keep and bear arms arms. >> we're leaving this program and you can watch it in full. and they're voting on the passage of the 25 policy bill, ndaa. that's 11:45 a.m. eastern. you're watching live coverage here on c-span2. ...

the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. as the senate enters a new season of change, with senators and staff coming and going to, we thank you that you are the changeless one. may those who are leaving remember your promise that you go with them and that you will never leave them or forsake them. may they have courage to face the future without fear. today we honor the secretary of the senate, ann berry. lord, thank you for her 45 years of faithful work. as she retires, give her a sense of accomplishment and joy. give our senators wisdom and understanding. may the works of their hands and

the meditations of their hearts be pleasing to you. we pray in your holy name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the president pro tempore: the clerk will report the unfinished business. the clerk: house message to accompany h.r. 5009, an act to authorize wildlife habitat and conservation programs, and for

other purposes.

>> thank you, mr. president. i rise in opposition of national defense authorization act, a lightly. i support the final passage of each ndaa that has come before me in the senate up until now. from my tenure in this body and will be for me, there's been a productive bipartisan tradition when it comes to this bill authorizes funding for our military, supporting those in uniform and keeping our country safe. most usually come together on a very quintessential country over party deal. one that i would argue is all too uncommon but still this was important annual ritual that carried serious consequences. this is not to say we do not

have our differences. of course we do. but we know our commitment is bigger than those differences. this year that commitment to our service members, to the people we all represent, and to our security and safety, was broken. it has been broken because some republicans decided that getting the rights of our service members to score cheap political points was more worthy. let's be clear. we're talking about parents who are serving our country in uniform, having the right to consult with their families doctor and get the health care they want and need for their transgender children. that's it. they want the right to get whatever healthcare is best for their child. something i imagine all parents want. and the healthcare we're talking about here can sometimes be

lifesaving. some folks estimate this will impact between 6000-7000 families in the military. i for one trust the servicemembers and their families to make their own decisions about healthcare. without politicians butting in. it's flat out wrong to put this provision in this bill and take away a service members freedom to make that decision for their families. this problem has a solution, a simple one at that. my amendment would strike this provision that gets our servicemembers rights. glad to have 20 colleagues join me in supporting it. and we should pass it. it's unfortunate some of our colleagues decided to force ms. harmful provision in this national defense authorization act because otherwise i would've been proud to support it.

this bill has some great things for our servicemembers, and my home state of wisconsin and measures i've long pushed for. this bill invest in our most valuable assets, our people. and i'm thrilled to see we're giving our junior enlisted troops and well-deserved pay raise, more than 14%, and boosting pay for all others by nearly 5%. this legislation invests in the health and well-being of our troops and their families, eliminating co-pays for contraception for our troops and their families on tricare. making telemental health care services available regardless of where the patient is, and so much more. a long-standing priority of mine in this bill and beyond is ensuring when we use taxpayer dollars we're supporting american companies and american workers and the american economy. and what comes to our national defense, this notion is essential for our safety and

security. that's why i'm glad to see steps forward in supporting the made in american economy. the ndaa puts strategies place to make sure we are sourcing things domestically come from high-tech batteries to navy warships. these suppliers are not only providing the highest quality products but also creating and supporting good-paying jobs across the country. and wisconsin is home to many of them. whether it be the companies like fairbanks morse or oshkosh defense or the military installations like fort mccoy, wisconsin is crucial in our country's defense and i'm excited to see that this bill recognizes our contribution. making sound investments in wisconsin rapids army national guard readiness center to support the training our troops need to stay ahead of tomorrow's

threats. and despite all the common ground we found and all of the smart investments that we are making in our troops, their families and our securities, some folks poisoned this bill and turn their backs on those in service and the people that we represent. this bill should embody the best of us as elected officials, come together without artisan agendas to keep our country safe and support those in uniform. sadly, that's not what happened, and in turn if we pass this bill as is we're going to rip away the rights of our servicemembers to get the health care they want for themselves and their children. it's wrong, and i encourage my colleagues to vote no. i am delighted this morning to be joined by colleagues who share these concerns, and would yield to senator kim for his remarks.

>> -- senator kim. >> mr. president? >> the senator from new jersey. >> thank you, mr. president. i rise today to join my colleagues to call for section seven '08 of the ndaa to be removed from the final bill. as you know i'm new to the united states senate. i come to the floor today with great humility but also great urgency. because while i'm new to the united states senate i have had the honor of serving the past six years estimate of the united states house of representatives, just on the site of this building. congressional leaders the text of a bipartisan, of bipartisan legislation that will keep the government open, deliver critical disaster relief, extend vital health care programs, and protect our farmers. with this agreement, we are now on our way to avoiding a

government shutdown. the sooner congress acts, the better. as always, bipartisan cooperation must lead the way. we can't have last-minute that is or grandstanding, or else the american people won't get the funding they deserve, or else we could risk a shutdown. now there are many good things in this bill that democrats worked hard for and achieved. democrats have insisted these agreements must not have cuts, and this bill has no cuts. democrats have warned we can't have poison pills, and this bill has no poison pills. and democrats pushed hard to make sure this agreement included millions for child care, workforce training, job training, funding to rebuild the key bridge and more. there are three things in particular that i pushed hard, very hard for, and i'm glad to see in the bill. policies to outcompete china,

including outsourcing; policies on artificial intelligence; and policies to bring manufacturing back to america, including chip production. the package includes new restrictions i pushed for to restrict the flow of u.s. development to ccc l development of technologies like a.i. and chips. i'm also very pleased this agreement helps alleviate supply chain disruptions, an alleviates price speaks and increases chip investment in the u.s. i pushed for a strong disaster relief package, and i'm really glad we dot got that done too. federal relief programs are about exhausted. i've warned, doing nothing will haunt us. communities across the southeast, the northeast, and in fact across america, still need help rebuilding from the aftermath of hurricanes, flooding, wildfires and other acts of mother nature that have grown far more powerful because

of climate change. it's very good news, this disaster package got into the bill. there are other good things in the bill, too. we permanently secured 9/11 responder and survivor health funding. we secured important provisions related to haiti. extended protection for farmers. dealt with the nature of lithium-ion batteries that might explode on bikes, and much, much more. now, clearly, this c.r. isn't perfect. it does not include everything democrats called for, and it includes some provisions we wouldn't have added, but this c.r. is a sound and bipartisan and necessary compromise that will keep the government open and deliver many, many good things for the american people. so, now, time is of the essence. the sooner congress acts, the better. if we want to avoid an unnecessary government shutdown right before christmas, republicans must work with democrats to pass this c.r. quickly.

now, on the ndaa, later this morning the senate will hold a vote to pass the annual defense authorization bill, the ndaa. congress has passed the ndaa on a bipartisan basis for over six straight decades, and this year will be no different. many feared that it would, given the polarization, given the late date, but no, we're having -- we're passing the ndaa, and that's a very good thing. the ndaa isn't perfect, but it still includes some very good things that democrats fought for. just like in the c.r., it has strong provisions to stand up against the chinese communist party here on a national security basis. it boosts our use of a.i. for national defense. this is one of the things our forums on a.i. talked about early on and is now in the bill. and it expands tech innovation here at home by expanding money to tech hubs, that i'm particularly glad that the ndaa

expands the tech hub program, that i created with senators young, cantwell, and others, in the bipartisan chips and science act. these funds are going to transform communities in upstate new york, the midwest, and across the country that hadn't been focused on tech, are now going to become the epicenters of innovation and of manufacturing, high-end manufacturing. this is something these rural areas, these smaller cities across upstate new york and the midwest needed, and they're getting some more dollars in this regard, so there will be more tech hubs. again, i thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for the good work on the ndaa, especially chairman reed and ranking member wicker. on drones, this afternoon i will come to the senate floor to stand with senator peters to take up legislation to respond to the recent reports of unusual

drone activity. i am proud to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation, which the fbi, dhs, dod and faa all support. let me say this again. this legislation is supported by just about every federal group concerned -- the fbi, the dhs, department of defense, and the faa. the senate should pass our bill without delay. our bill, among other things, explicitly authorizes state and local authorities to conducts drone detection, and helps them better coordinate with federal law enforcement agencies to keep communities safe. the utter confusion surrounding these drone sightings shows that the feds can't respond all on their own. the federal government needs help from local officials, detecting these drones. but right now, the locals have neither the authority or resources to act. our bill will fix that. all the federal agencies involved say they need local

help. droned are relatively new -- drones are relatively new, but they're all over the place. you don't want to tell people they can't fly drones for recreational use, and many other commercial uses. so, it's a difficult area, and we don't have broad-reaching federal legislation on where drones and -- on drones, even though we do say they can't be near airports and be near military facilities, you can't fly below 4,000 feet, but that's about it. so, there's a desperate need, until the federal government does more on this new issue of drones, for the locals to participate, the feds want the locals to participate. there's no reason they shouldn't. i hope the senate will pass our bipartisan drone legislation later today. on social security, finally, mr. president, the senate -- before i pay tribute to two of our retiring colleagues, the senate will take a very important vote this afternoon to

ensure that no american who has chipped in to social security is wrongly denied well-earned benefits. this afternoon, we will vote on whether or not to take up the social security fairness act, a bill repealing two flawed policies that eat away at the benefits of many americans who, at some point or another, worked as teachers, firefighters, postal workers, and other public sector workers. when we vote today, retirees deprived of benefits will be watching closely. every senator will decide who will vote to secure their benefits and who will stand in the way to waste this golden opportunity to make a law. now, two of our departing colleagues will deliver their farewell addresses on the floor. senator bob casey and senator kirsten sinema. i was proud to work with senator sinema on many different others. whenever we did team up, it was a potent team. we got a lot of good things

done. but, as i'm sure kirsten would be the first to soy, we often -- to say, we disagreed a lot. she's independent. i respect that. whether we agreed or disagreed, i never questioned two things -- one, she scared deeply about her work, and two she would always stay true to herself and the people of arizona, who elected her. during her time in the senate, kirsten has had a handing in passing some of the majority's biggest accomplishments -- the bipartisan infrastructure law, the chips and science act, the pact act, the gun safety act, and respect for marriage act and others. she was a trusted negotiator. she has a keen abilities to find consensus, even on the toughest issues when it wasn't easy, but she kept at it. on our caucus on numerous occasions partnered with her, usually in crunch time, to work with republicans to get bills over the finish line.

that's when kirsten was at her best, when it was time to reach an agreement. i will always respect kirsten for her excellent work on these hard moments. i know many senators on both sides will feel the same. we thank senator sinema for her service, her contributions, her commitment to arizona, and wish her well in whatever comes next. this afternoon, our tier friend bob casey -- our dear friend bob casey will deliver his farewell speech, after many, many distinguished and very successful years serving the people of pennsylvania. now, with a career as distinguished as bob's, there are many things you can say what he meant to his beloved home state. and he loved and breathed pennsylvania. it's a big, diverse state. he knew every corner of it. he was loved and respected in every corner of it. here's what his people called him -- a champion for pennsylvania workers, a champion for middle-class families, a

champion for children, a champion for seniors, a champion for disability rights, a champion for clean energy and the environment, a champion in the fight against corporate gouging. that's just some of the ways that people described bob. during his 18 years in the senate, there are very few issues that he didn't champion. it's not hard to understand where he got such a strong work ethic. like joe biden, he's from scranton, where hard work is the rule, not the exception. if you combine that work ethic with an innate sense of public service, as the son of a governor, as somebody who deeply cares about the people he represented and its genuine and comes out of every pore of his body, you get a fighter who works as hard as the people he represents. you'll get bob casey. when bevil coal mine -- pennsylvania coal miners suffering from black lung disease needed help, he got

their benefits and medical help. he was an amazing advocate for our nation's children, all making sure that they had the support they needed to reach their full potential. he championed efforts to expand access to early childhood health care, child care, child nutrition, family tax benefits, and was one of the biggest advocates for extending the chip, or children's hell insurance program, which -- children's health insurance program, which kept millions of poorer kids healthy. he will go down as one of the senate's greatest champions ever, in all of history, when it comes to disability policies. with our former colleague tomorrow -- when our former colleague tom harkin retired, many wondered who would carry on for people with disabilities. without hesitation and success, bob stepped up to the plate. in the years since, he's been instrumental in passing legislation to advance the rights of people with

disabilities and help them live free from discrim makes -- discrimination. he didn't have any personal connections to the disability community, nor was he trying to score political points. he did it simply because it was the right thing to do. mr. president, he was one ever the most beloved members of our caucus. people love bob. everybody. no one ever said a bad word about bob casey. why? why? because he cared so much, was so hardworking, was so effective, and was one of the most genuine people that we have ever, ever seen in this senate, not just now, but throughout history. he leaves a deep impression on every one of us. he does. and the guy had it all, and in such a nice way. he got things done. he was hardworking. he didn't take no for an answer. but when he came back at you, time and time again, because he was so committed, so well

prepared, so sincere, and so nice, you always said yes. it's one of the reasons he was so effective. so, that sums up the man, bob casey, and let's not forget he always did the right thing, even in difficult political situations. i would talk to him -- we need your help here, bob, we need your vote there. he struggled with it. he knew it might have bad political consequences. he inevitably did the right thing. he is as good, as decent, as honorable as any senator i've worked with. he had a beautiful wife, has a beautiful wife, therese, the entire casey family. i say to all of them, thank you for sharing bob with us all these years and barking him up, de -- backing him up, despite tragedies your family has had. bob, thank you for your leadership, your friendship, and simply thank you for being you. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule 22, the cloture votes with respect to the cheeks and murillo nominations occur upon the disposition to the potion to proceed to h.r. 82. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

quorum call:

>> we have considered this most years annually for many decades. typically though we will have a robust debate we will have amendments to offer and will try to have participation by senators from all over the united states geographically represented in the debate. that won't happen this year. there will be no debate. it will be very controlled and circumscribed and it will not be amendments. this is disappointing to me because i think there are some very important issues that need to be brought up. one of those is emergency powers. our founding fathers understood it was very important to divide these powers between the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judiciary. over the past 100 years we've had a gradual evolution of these powers towards the executive branch and we now have a very,

very strong executive branch that in many ways is able to control the narrative and ultimately to control the country. in 1970s, frank church wrote these words what you think represent a problem that existed then and even more so now. he wrote, hundreds of statutes told the present with unchecked powers with which he can dash rows of all-encompassing ways. this vast range of powers taken together confers enough authority on the president to rule the country without reference to normal constitutional processes. under the authority delegated by the statues, the president may seize property, organize and control the means of production, seize commodities, martial law, seize and control all transportation and communications, regular the operation of private enterprises, restrict travel and

and a plethora of particular ways controlled allies of all american citizens. these was written by senator frank church in 1977 law review article. but they're still true to this day and even more worrisome. the church committee is invested work was famously convince many in congress at the time it come to reassert congressional checks and balances on the executive, and become all too powerful. it's ironic the powers that be still conspired to this day to hide the work of the church committee. i've been trying for over a year to read the classified version of the church committee. all right, this is not some sort of new document. this is a document from 1976, but the powers that be have permitted me from reading the classic report. you've got to wonder does that mean that something to hide? or does it mean they love power

so much they don't want to share it? the national emergencies act of 1976 was supposed to be a reform of presidential emergencies, supposed to limit the the pf presidents. in that act they gave a legislative veto, if an emergency were invoked by president in the majority of congress for it they would be legislatively able to reject that emergency. the court alternately world that would have to be found by the president. effectively meaning if the president declares an emergency, a majority of us say we don't think that should be declared, he vetoes it and it now takes two-thirds of us to overcome a presidential emergency. this is a very high bar and makes it nearly impossible to stop a presidential emergency. essentially the national emergencies act enforcement mechanism became toothless when the court got rid of the legislative veto. subsequently, congress must veto proof or two-thirds vote to

thwart a rope president a story takes a two-thirds majority vote in both houses to overturn a a veto. this is a very high bar. consequently we live in a country, frank church would barely recognize. in some ways the united states of american is a monarchy in disguise. the united states maintains the veneer of a constitutional republic but often operates as an elected monarchy in which the president exercises awesome and unchecked power by decree and in perpetuity. if you look at the emergencies on the books some of them have been on the books for 50 years. if you look at the potential emergency that could be to tt declared you would be shocked. this dangerous imbalance of the constitutional separation of powers is not simply -- it is something that congress has actually been complicit with. congress has the sense of made itself a feckless bridge of the

by granting the president so many emergency powers and refusing to vote on the termination of national emergencies as required by current law. emergencies go on and on. our concern should not merely be to restore close to its proper role in our place the madisonian system of government. rather, our true focus should be to restore the founders' vision of a government of limited and diffuse powers that is devoted to securing our inalienable rights. a government that disperses power among separate, distinct and competing branches is a a government that is less likely to violate our liberties. we of the people nothing less than the restoration of constitutional principles, separation of powers, of checks and balances among the branches of the the federal governme. i've offered a significant step towards rectifying the founders' vision to i've introduced a al called the republic act which is

an amendment to this bill will likely will not be considered because the powers that be don't want debate or amendments. but this amendment, were considered, would restore congress' role in governance by requiring that declarations of national emergency expire after 30 days. the president would still have that power to declare an emergency but it would expire after 30 days unless approved affirmatively by congress. what this does is essentially switches the role we currently have. only takes two-thirds of congress to stop an emergency. now it would take 50% of congress to affirm an emergency. we did this in my state for our governor. it's a good reform and goes a long way towards restoring the faith that people have in the separation of powers and the limitation of powers. this simple reform allows the president to respond to genuine crisis but ensures the executive cannot rule by unchecked

perpetual emergency. my bill includes other reforms designed to safeguard the country from emergency rule. my bill would repeal the provisions of the communications act of 1934, also known as the internet kill switch, that allow the president if he declares an emergency to take over all communications. this emergency fortunately has never been declared but simply having this on the books for so long is a threat that someday a president might occur who says i'm going to take over all communications and i will shut them down. that is a power so ominous no president of either party should ever have that power, and this bill would remove that power. today though with the power still in place with the stroke of a pin the president could use this power to monitor emails, restrict access to the internet, control computer systems,, television, radio broadcasts and cell phones. long-standing use of this power

would effectively eviscerate the first amendment. if the republic act my enemy today were accepted, the president would no longer be able to utilize this power at least would have limited power during a limited time and the majority of card would have to affirm the continued use of this emergency. emergency powers were not the type of role our founders anticipated for our country. the other name for emergency rule is martial law here it something all of us should object and say they should only happen in an exceptional case, be very limited and have the ability of congress to overturn. if anyone doubts that emergency powers can be abused, just look to canada. as gene healy of cato institute wrote, america's neighbor to the north offers a cautionary tale about the risks abroad emergency powers could be turned inward against political dissent. in early 202222 canadian prime minister suga justin trudeau faced a mass protest against covid-19's restrictions.

in which canadian truckers obstructed key border crossings and effectively shut down the capital city with their rigs. instead of simply cleaning up protesters and punishing them via conventional legal means, trudeau and felt emergency powers, brought in -- the financial and personnel of anyone participating in the protest. he went to the bank accounts and took their money. when people raise money voluntarily through crowd financing to help the strikers, he stole that money as well through martial rule without any rule of law. he took the money. no transaction with the protesters. he took their money. people were locked up under martial law. canada's 1988 1988 emergent gave the trudeau government staggering powers to subject individual protesters to de-banking without due process. this is the danger of

presidential power, of excessive presidential power. it is of any individual president. it's about all presidents of either party because men and women will succumb to the desire for power. dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: last week the house passed the water resources bill with broad bipartisan support. today, it's the senate's turn to act thanks in large part to the leadership of ranking member capito and her team, the sensible legislation before us will strengthen our nation's water infrastructure from the everglades to the port of los angeles to the inland waterways that course through kentucky. it's good news to communities across the country from clean

drinking water to our ecosystem maintenance to storm resilience to navigable waterways to trade and commerce. the bill before us takes a comprehensive approach. and because our communities understand their challenges better than any bureaucrat in washington, this bill will provide the flexibility to tailor solutions to each community's unique needs. i'm also pleased it will authorize several projects important to the health and well-being of kentuckians. one bill for water and wastewater treatment in appalachia, always a concern for rural communities across america's heartland. another will help secure safe and reliable drinking water for a growing number of families in scott county and finally another

will update the green brier dam that supplies water for people across the county. they have thrown their support behind with the bill from ports and rivers to farm routes to dozens of industry leaders who rely on our waterways to move goods, protect jobs, and keep costs low for the american people. i appreciate the house's work to move this must-pass bill forward in a bipartisan fashion. obviously i hope the senate will do the same today. president biden's decision earlier this month to pardon his son may well have set a unique

and unfortunate precedent. but abuse of the presidential pardon doesn't stop there. last week the president went on to commute 1500 sentences, and the way liberal activists see it, he should have don't even more. more than 20 liberal retired judges, including the boston radical who recommended the disgrace pro-crime attorney rachael rollins have now urged the president to turn his eye to federal death sentences. they claim that the death penalty is rife with fundamental problems including race discri discrimination. this is not some rhetorical recommendation about systemic

injustice. if the president heeds the calls, it would mean commuting person who slaughtered people at the tree of life synagogue in pittsburgh. are these men the victims of systemic racism? did they have inadequate counsel? of course not. they are mass murderers guilty beyond any doubt whatsoever. let's be clear what commuting these sentences would mean. it would mean that the laws passed by congress and applied by our judges and juries have no value. it would mean that progressive politics is more important to the president than the lives taken by these murderers.

it would mean that society's most forceful condemnation of white supremacy and anti-semitism must give way to legal mumbo jumbo. the irony of sustained racism is ludicrous -- ludicrous to the point of tragedy. there it is no legacy a president should seek. now, on an entirely different matter. from the president's unfortunate legacy. i'd like to close with just a few words about another of our departing colleagues. the senior senator from arizona.

kirsten sinema never had trouble bucking a trend. she spent years in this body commanding policies that are uncommon among senate freshmen. she's thrown herself into worthwhile projects, done the heavy lifting of legislation, and kept at it when a lot of colleagues might have thrown in the towel. needless to say senator sinema's maverick streak extends to her efforts to broaden the senate's fashion horizons as well. but the cornerstone of our colleague's legacy in this chamber will be her willingness to defend the senate, the senate itself. when saying nothing would have been a great deal easier.

arizona's senior senator stood up in the face of a grave threat to this institution's defining character, and she said no. no. and in doing so, she sent a message that will resonate long after her departure from the chamber. i admire our colleague for the courage, wisdom, and clarity that have guided her service for the people of arizona and for the entire nation, and i wish her the very best in the next chapter.

mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic whip. mr. durbin: mr. president, our country demands much of the senate judiciary committee on which i serve, and it's been my honor to serve as chair of that committee for the last four years. we've worked hard to defend freedom, advance justice and equality, and balance our federal judiciary. during my time as chair these last four years, we have held 145 full committee hearings, 88 subcommittee l hearings and 8 l 6 executive business lg meetings. we advanced 373 executive and judicial nominees and reported 56 bills out of committee. we confirmed highly-qualified, diverse judicial nominees who will be a front-line defense of the rule of law for a generation. our efforts over the last four years have filled the vacancies of one-fourth of the members of the federal judiciary.

we also revitalized the committee's critical oversight rule over the executive branch's agencies. we made progress on issues critical to americans, including protecting children online, supporting women who face sexual harassment and assault in the workplace and implementing criminal gun violence prevention reform. i want to thank all the senate judiciary members, particularly the democrats, for their hard work ensuring equal justice for all and defending our democracy. i would be remiss not to our former colleague, dianne feinstein of california. she was a champion for lgbt americans. we honor her legacy by continuing to work on those critical issues. i'm particularly thankful for the republican ranking member lindsey graham and my senate

judiciary republican colleagues who were willing to work across the aisle to advance judicial nominees and bipartisan legislation. over 80% of all the judges approved by the senate reported out of the committee have been approved by a bipartisan roll call. perhaps our most impactful work has been confirming these highly-qualified, independent and evenhanded judges. aside from their exceptional qualification and respect for the rule of law, they represent historic demographic and historical diversity. under president biden's leadership the senate confirmed more black women to the courts than all black presidents of the united states combined, including the first ever black woman to serve on the supreme court, justice ketanji brown jackson. we have confirmed more circuit judges that have experience as

public defenders than all prior presidents combined. during the last four years, senate democrats have confirmed 233 judges to lifetime positions. and if we confirm two more to the federal bench this week, which is our plan, we will surpass the previous administration's record. the confirmation of these highly-qualified, diverse judges will help ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice in our nation. these judges are already making significant contributions to protecting freedoms and democracy. since becoming chair of the committee in 2021, i've also made it a priority to revitalize our tradition of oversight of executive branch agencies within the committee's jurisdiction. we need to make sure these agencies are serving the interest of the american people, and we have scheduled, regularly scheduled hearings for this type of oversight.

we have had meetings with the attorney general, officials in the department of justice, fbi, bureau of prisons and department of homeland security, making sure that every member on both sides of the table had a chance to question the leaders of these agencies on a regular basis. over the past four years, we made progress in advancing key legislation. important bills we enacted into law include legislation banning -- pardon me -- barring forced arbitration for sexual assault and sexual harassment cases. legislation also to sustain the federal crime victims fund, legislation i also offered to limit sexual statutes. we show when we're willing to come together on a bipartisan basis, we can make progress. we also unanimously reported several bills to help stop the

exploitation of kids online. earlier this year i had a full committee hearing and demanded the ceo's of social media giants discord, meta, snap, tiktok and x, formerly known as twitter, come before the hearing. it highlighted the ongoing risk that social media poses to our kids and the immediate need for congress to act. we didn't get it done in this session. we must p get it done in the next. and i believe that senator graham, who will continue to serve on the committee, will join me in that effort. the committee also led the effort to address the supreme court's ongoing ethics crisis. this troubles me, mr. president. it used to be that issues of ethics before the court were bipartisan issues in the senate. not so anymore. at a time when the worst reports are coming out of the supreme court of lavish gifts for supreme court justices, this has become a partisan issue.

the democrats calling for change and the republicans resisting. i don't know what happened to that bipartisan consensus on ethics, but looking at the evidence that we've uncovered through committee staff work and subpoenas, it surely is demanding of us to do something. ensuring that all supreme court justices are subject to an enforceable code of conduct is critical to establishing the american people's trust in the court. more than 12 years ago, i asked in writing chief justice roberts to adopt a binding code of conduct for all supreme court justices. 12 years ago. last year the judiciary committee reported the supreme court ethics recusal and transparency act to the full senate. it is the work product of one of our members, sheldon whitehouse. it's an excellent bill and i was happy to support it. the bill p would require justices to adopt an enforceable code of conduct so that the highest court in the land -- the supreme court -- doesn't have the lowest ethical standards of

all courts in america. our work didn't stop there. we worked on defending reproductive health care, curbing gun violence and dealing with the major issues that are on the minds of the american people. finally i want to acknowledge the work of the senate judiciary committee's eight subcommittees which hold dozens of hearings on matters under the committee's jurisdiction. i want to thank chairs blumenthal, booker, butler, coons, hirono and whitehouse and hirono and welch for their hard work. once again thank you to all the members of the judiciary committee for their cooperation. it has been the honor of a lifetime. mr. president, i want to make one other short statement. i remember polio. i remember it as a kid. it scared the hell out of us.

nobody knew what was happening, how a kid could wake up in the morning and go to school, look as healthy as could be and die before dinner. that's what polio was all about. iron lungs, scary results and crippling kids, and we didn't know where it came from. every conscientious mom had a theory. my mom said playing in rain water in freshly fallen rain in our neighborhood was dangerous for polio. that was her interpretation. no one really knew. and then came the amazing news that someone had developed a vaccine to deal with polio. we couldn't believe it. no kid wants to take a shot, but to be protected from polio, you did it and you were happy to do it. i did when i was a kid in the 1950's. as a result of it, we brought polio under control in this country. a vaccine, dr. jonas salk, from

pittsburgh, a man l i'll always revere because of the comfort he brought to families who were concerned about polio. can you believe, mr. president, that we are now debating polio vaccine again in this country? that the nominee proposed by president trump for the health and human services department has raised questions about the efficacy and safety of vaccines, including polio vaccine. this morning in the ""chicago sun-times"" a reporter named neil sindberg wrote an article about this issue. he quoted an article by katie miller, the transition spokesperson for r.f.k. jr., robert f. kennedy jr., the nominee for the department which has jurisdiction over health agencies. here's what steinberg wrote.

mr. kennedy believes the polio vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied, his spokesperson said. thoroughly and properly studied. what a great idea. let's look into it. how about taking 1,349,135 kids across america and submitting them to a blind trial at 244 different test areas around the country. half will receive the cherry red vaccine and half the placebo or nothing. then we can really find out, really study and see if this vaccine is any dpood. polio vaccine. wait, that's what we did. in the spring and summer of 19 # 54 -- 1954, and to this day it's the largest experiment in united states history. thousands of volunteers and

teachers and doctors banded together working for free. the government wasn't paying them. that smacked of socialized medicine. gosh, neil, neil steinberg, you might ask being yourself and inquisitive, like me, why did thousands of nurses, doctors, principals and others drop everything to help run this giant medical test in america for no compensation? possibly because polio was going through the children more than 50,000 cases in 1952 with over 3,000 deaths. a child could be hilt -- health at breakfast and dead by dinner. for rfk jr. to say we have to study polio vaccine at this point is not only sad, it's shocking. shocking that a person seeking the highest level cabinet position under the trump administration is willing to be so fast and loose with the

scientific truth. 1,300,000-plus cases, administering it, testing before we moved forward with it 70 years ago. nothing in the meantime to suggest it otherwise. it is safe, efficient and effective. what about all the other vaccines? polio is the one i'm focussing on today. what about the other vaccines that spared children, measles and rubella, so many other vaccines and problems that could be dangerous to them. now we're going to debate those over again in the it 21st century because rfk jr. has his own theories on the vaccine? i'm willing to meet with revving jr. to ask -- rfk jr. if he's the scourge of vaccinations across america, he's in for a fight. what's going to happen, sadly are, is lot of innocent children and innocent people are going to be hurt as a result of it.

coincidentally, just before the 1954 test began, 1.3 million people, radio commentator walter winchell went on the air to warn the vaccine may be a killer, and that the authorities were stockpiling little white coffins just in case. the next week, 10% of the kids pulled out of the experiment by worried parents. we've been through this before. thank god cooler heads and smarter minds prevail. if we have to go through it again, it's worth the fight. i ask consent this article be submitted and part of the "congressional record." the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i yield the floor.

mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: mr. president, i come to the floor today to pay tribute to ply longtime chief of staff, ryan nelson, who has decided to step down in the new year. it's difficult to know where to start to pay tribute to a man who has been indispensable to everything i have ever done in congress. so perhaps i should start at the beginning, in 1996, during the republican primary for south dakota's lone house seat. i was a green candidate, running to a shoestring budget, and one morning a campaign volunteer showed up at my door and announced he was my driver. his name was ryan nelson. that day we headed to an event in arlington, south dakota, and unbeknownst to me my new driver proceeded to lock his keys in the car. now, this might have caused some campaign volunteers to panic, but not ryan. he made his way over to a filling station, found someone

who could get into the car and retrieve the keys, all without my knowing that anything had ever happened. well, that resourcefulness turned out to be a pretty good indicator what was to come. not the locking the keys in the car part, but the seeing a problem and solving it before i had even had a chance to become aware of it. well, ryan kept driving me around the state, and we ended up winning the primary. ryan came to a crossroads -- both metaphorical and literal. ryan was originally just filling time on the campaign. he was scheduled to leave for the kansas city police academy the day after the primary, and he was driving out of his hometown of gettysburg, south dakota, when he came to that literal crossroads. he would have to go one way for the police academy and the other way to stay with the campaign. he chose to stay with the campaign, and among the many

blessings i've been given over the course of my career i have to count that as one of the greatest. ryan has been with my team for 28 years. he's helped build my staff and guide my operations, mentored generations of thune employees, and been a con start source of insight and wisdom. there is no one i trust more. ryan's knowledge is deep and broad. he has an intuitive understanding of politics and encyclopedic knowledge of south dakota, and he is deeply connected to the needs of our state. i've relied on those qualities throughout my career, and not just on those qualities but his character. ryan is someone who got into politics for all the right reasons. he's not interested in personal glory. in fact, i think everyone who knows ryan would agree that there is no one who more persistently dodges the spot spotlight. he got into politics to serve.

he cares about our state. he cares about our country. and he's done everything he can throughout his career to ensure a brighter future for both. mr. president, i suppose ryan is technically my employee for a few more days at least, but that's not a word i think of when i think of ryan. i think of words like ally, partner, and friend, and not just to me but to my whole family. ryan has cared as deeply for the well-being of my wife kimberly and daughters brittany and larisa as for mine. when i think back to long days on the campaign trail when our family was young, i think of ryan joking with the girls, jollying them along and keeping an eye out for when they needed a break. the long days on the trail sometimes wore on my younger daughter especially, and ryan used to keep up her spirits by promising her her favorite chicken alfredo at the end of the day. of course, being ryan, he never

failed to deliver. in fact, chicken alfredo is still a family joke. i know some of my daughters' favorite memories are of days spent with ryan and his wife carmen, on the campaign trail or at the lodge then run by ryan's dad. we used to regularly spend time there as a family, and the girls loved nothing more. doing puzzles, watching movies, riding on the four-wheelers, hunting, then all gathering for a good meal at the end of the day. ryan always made sure the girls' favorites were on the menu. of course, as devoted as ryan has been to the thune family, his greatest devotion is to his own family, to carmen and to their sons, parker and mitchell. when i decided to run for leader this year, he said that he would do everything he could to help, as he always has, but that he wouldn't miss his son's football

games. and he hasn't. i'm fairly sure he has only missed one of his son's games in all the time they've played. while it's hard to think of his not being my chief of staff, i'm happy that he will have more time to spend with carmen and with their boys. mr. president, there's so much more that i could say about ryan. it's hard to give a speech about him without mentioning his love of football. between his own days as a standout high school and college player and his son's time playing the game, ryan brings a wealth of football knowledge to the table. then there is his dry sense of humor and love of a prank or two. his deep faith, his loyalty, and his work ethic. it's hard for me to believe that his time in my office is drawing to a close.

the apostle paul says in 1corinthians4, those who have been given a trust must be proved faithful, end quote. there is no one who has been more faithful to his trust than ryan nelson. i am more grateful than i can ever say for his service, and i pray that god will richly bless him and his family in the new days ahead. mr. president, i yield the floor.

mr. heinrich: mr. president.

mr. heinrich: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. mr. heinrich: i ask unanimous consent that privileges of the floor be granted to the following member of senator sinema's staff, kelsey hovendon. the presiding officer: without the presiding officer: without

that is 11:45 a.m. eastern, last night in agreement until march 14, 2025, the short-term bill includes $100 billion for natural disaster victims for government funding at midnight on friday you are watching live coverage of the senate on .

a mini jew, christian anybody that wants this world to be a better place because i want this world to be a better world everybody and we need the hostages. thank you. >> hello first of all i would like to thank the bipartisan woman caucus for arranging this important press conference and

for the past 16 months. thank you. and after all the horror to understand their people to say it didn't happen. women that don't believe us, women that are saying -- ". he came toward me and shoved the gun at my forehead. the recall during interview with the new york times in mid-march. after hitting her and forcing her to remove her towel the terrorist groped her set her at the edge of the bath and hit her again, he dragged her gunpoint to the child's bedroom, the room

covered with images of enter cartoon characters spongebob square pants he recalled. then with his gun pointed at me he forced me to commit a sexual act on him, there is 13 remaining female hostages that are still held by hamas and captivity including my little sister and every minute that were worse could happen to them she was shot in her arizona. ms. sinema: thank you. arm today closing out my time in congress, and i'm reminded of the gravity of this place, the storied history of of the senate and the guardrails that serve as the foundation of this body and our democracy. those guardrails, the

constitution, our oath of office, the rules of the senate and the norms of collegiality, integrity, and respect. these are the pillars that -- that have ensured our democracy could endure. they exist for a reason, to cultivate relationships so we can move history forward, to temper the excesses of greed and to curb the hunger for power. as our country has become more and more divided, and as our politics have devolved into a constant series of all or nothing battles, we fiend ourselves baufrping into these guardrails with more frequency. in recent history, boltsdz parties have wrestled with norms and rules and both parties have viewed these norms and rules as outdated, constraining or obstacles to short-term victories. many blame it for blocking critical progress instead of

recognizing it is us, our actions, our words, our incivility, and ultimately our unwillingness to compromise that prevent reasonable solutions from advancing. when holding political power and feeling the hunger and pressure for an immediate partisan win, it is easy to view the legislative filibuster as a weapon of obstruction. it is tempting to prefer elimination of the filibuster to compromise. it certainly feels faster, easier and more satisfying, at least in the short term, that is. but there are dangers to choosing short-term victories over the hard and necessary work of building consensus. to give into the temptation of the short-term victory means giving into the chaos caused by the constant ricochetting of laws, or it means you labor under an illusion that by

eliminating the filibuster, you'll maintain power forever, ending the two-party system. that's a fallacy, and worse, it's scary. one-party rule is not democracy. that's autocracy, that's not the system our forefathers envisioned and it's not what our country deserves. the beauty of america is in the push and the pull. our democracy ensures that no one person, no one party has too much control. the checks and balances built into our country protect us all. when we work together, listen, compromise and forge moderate movements forward, we're doing exactly what our forefathers intended. we're crafting solutions with broad support to protect against those wild ricochets of policy changes and the whiplash that could be caused by the overreach of a temporary partisan

majority. over the past six years, i've had the honor of serving with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who chose to do the hard work and who took the time to build relationships and build that consensus. together we accomplished real results for the constituents we serve across this great country. and i am so grateful for the colleagues who took those risks with me. you know, not many are willing to step out of their comfort zones and risk political capital for the sake of a deal that may not pay off immediately. but to those who did, thank you. and to their staff. thank you for your dedication and your service and for answering random calls from a senator even though it was a little unorthodox when i was just looking to get a deal done and solve a problem or two. beginning with my good friend and our former colleague senator

rob portman and our other members of our bipartisan group of ten, including the wonder women of the senate, senator susan collins, lisa murkowski, jalen sha -- gjeanne shaheen an bill cassidy, mark warner, and joe manchin, we painstakingly crafted a historic infrastructure law, delivering americas better broad bands, new roads and bridges, cleaner air and water, and more job opportunities. later, working with senators mitt romney, tammy baldwin, giving all americans peace of mind protecting marriages and religious freedoms and teaming up with todd young, we saved the chips and science law, spearheaded by maria cantwell and roger wicker, and now america and arizona can lead the

way in semiconductor manufacturing and our country is safer and more secure. bringing senators john cornyn, chris murphy, and tom tillis together to tackle the int intractable issue of gun violence, we not only saved lives, we improved our country's mental health care. as everyone involved in each of those deals know, it wasn't easy. there were hard conversations, many tough decisions, many tradeoffs, back and forth that pushed us towards that solution and that progress. while those are the highlights, we also witnessed what happens here in this chamber when we give into the temptation of taking the easy way out and abandoning those guardrails. in 2013, judicial nominees were

not being confirmed fast enough, so the majority was lowered to 50. all dperl judges are confirmed with just 51 votes. just nien short years after that, half the country was shocked and disappointed when the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. but it was no surprise at all. it was a foreseeable, predictable result of eliminating the senate standard that requires broad bipartisan support for judicial nominees. no longer is the majority party required to nominate mainstream judges who earn support from across the political spectrum. now it's just a race to get your guys into spots while you have power. yet, some wonder why public trust in our judiciary is at an all time low. even still with the consequences of those shortsighted decisions clear for all to see, the clamor

to similarly destroy the senate's process of passing legislation persists. surely i am not the only one to see the absurdity in all of this. the political winds have now shifted, and yet the filibuster ensures -- to ensure the tyranny of the majority does not overrule the rights of the minority regardless of who sits in the seat of power. and now, as we approach the 119th congress, republicans will control the presidency, the senate and the house, and sadly i'm already hearing rumors of a hunger to subvert these norms, indeed to use reconciliation as a tool to circumvent the filibuster, but the end result of that shortsighted action will be the same. as history has shown, abusing or eliminating one tool for short-term gain will mean the

other party will do the same when it regains political power. it is a devolution. i can't think of anything more dangerous to our dear democracy than the unwillingness to question our own preconceived ideas, to examine our own biases or learn from those who think differently from ourselves. what i've tried to demonstrate in these six years is that you don't have to burn down the rules and the norms to achieve what you want. you can just do the hard work. you can build relationships, you can choose to focus on consensus, not division. you can be an individual thinker, put your state, your constituents, and your country ahead of party leaders and activists because you can get it done. you know, over my time in the senate, i've partnered with more than a few unlike lig allies, from -- unlikely allies from the moss progressive to the most

conservative to break through gridlock and find some solutions. while ill can't detail -- while i can't detail each and every one of those unique relationships today, i will highlight a few, mike lee, i know we're a bit of an odd couple, but we've gotten a lot done together. my dear friend james lankford, who i served on the border committee. while it isn't law today, perhaps parts will become law one day. senators rand paul, cynthia lummis, and at the very dear risk of damaging their careers, chris murphy, bryan schatz and patty murray. it has been an honor to work with these incredible senators.

one of the first things i learned, senator jim risch told me this, you don't have to agree on everything, you just have to agree on some things. it's not worth getting angry about the things with which you disagree, it's better to focus on those areas where you can agree. so over these past six years i've been grateful to embrace the diversity of opinions in this body, to find solutions that reflect the complexity of our country and our democracy and to deliver meaningful, measurable results, to bring divides between tribes and federal stakeholders, to did heing nature -- did hes iing nature land, and safeguarding arizona families and making sure all that of us throughout this country can grow and thrive for generations to come. we've worked together and cleared the way for historic

settlements, land transfer deals, water deals, economic senator, all by listening to one another, not to debate or rebut but to understand. it's this very market place of the diversity of ideas that makes our country great, the knowledge that with dialogue and competition, we are driven to be more thoughtful and more creative. and that is why despite the challenges facing our country, i remain hopeful. america is still the freest, most creative and innovate i place -- innovative place in the world. we are the birth place of emerge being technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, medicine, all revolutioning our economy, and our abilities are limbless and we must not let oir politics hold us back for america is still the shinning

city on the hill and it is up to each of us to protect it and to strengthen it. we cannot afford to let political differences stand in the way of what tomorrow may bring. we must hold firm to those gaurld rails -- guardrails, our shared commitments to the principles our forefathers built this great country upon and the ability and willingness to see the decency in each other, our fellow citizens. we must choose the better angels of our nature. speaking of the better angels, over the past 12 years i've had the honor of working with incredible people. i don't mean members of congress i've served alongside although that's been an incredible privilege, i have the deepest respect and gratitude for my current and former colleagues, but i speak now of our staff. from the minority and majority floor staff, to the cloakroom,

the sergeant at arms, the cafeteria workers, the parliamentarian, police officers, the elevator operators, architect of the capitol employees who never, never fail to give a kind word in the basement of this building. you all are the unsung heroes of the capitol. you're here long before we arrive each day. you're here long after we head home for the night. so thank you. and to my own staff, many of who are here today, from my first days in the house to my very last days here in the senate, thank you. you were the backbone of everything that we have delivered for arizona and for this country. and i am so grateful that all of you chose to serve along side me and help us deliver real results for my beloved state and our country. i could not be more proud of what we've accomplished. as i leave this floor after six

years in the senate, i cannot help but continue to think of president abraham lincoln's words as he closed his first inaugural address. he called for unity in a deeply divided country, and his words ring true today. i am loathe to close. we are not enemies but friends. we must not be enemies. though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. the mystic cords of memory stretching from every battlefield and patriot, to every living heart and heart stone all over this broad land will yet swell the course of the union when again touched as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature. thank you. mr. president, i yield the floor.

were waiting for senator to come to the floor to speak the final passage of 2020 fund programs and policy bills that as it 11:45 a.m. eastern, house leaders reached an agreement to fund the federal government march 14, 2025 and includes $100 billion for natural disaster victims current government funding runs out on midnight on friday you're watching live coverage of the senate on c-span2.

ms. collins: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise to recognize the truly extraordinary contributions to the united states senate, to her home state of arizona, and to our country of my friend and colleague senator kyrsten sinema. the qualities that took sirs citizen from college, law school, the arizona legislature, and the united states congress are evidence to all of us who

have had the privilege to work alongside such a remarkable leader. her strength, courage, and fierce independence are inspiring. her belief in the power of hard wosrk and the importance of lending a hand to those in need guides her approach to public service. most of all, mr. president, i will never forget her persistence in forging compromises that benefit the american people. it truly is remarkable. kyrsten always puts country over pardon. i've had the privilege of working with kyrsten on consequential legislation. she was the negotiator of the

electoral count reform and presidential transition act to ensure the orderly transition of presidential power. she was the lead democratic negotiator of the bipartisan infrastructure act. the most significant investment in our infrastructure since the interstate highway system in the 1950's. kyrsten's worked to craft the bipartisan safer communities act is yet another example. she co. authored the provision -- coauthored the provisions to prevent domestic abusers from having access to firearms. she was vital to the success of the respect for marriage act which defends same-sex marriages

while at the same time strengthening and respecting religious liberties. kyrsten also believes in protecting our institutions, and she spoke eloquently today of the importance of the filibuster and made such a compelling case. standing up to intense pressure, her strong defense of the filibuster preserve the rights of the minority. and i've been here when republicans have been in the majority and when they've been in the minority. she reminded us that working together across party lines inevitably produces better legislation that's more carefully thought out and

drafted. in a powerful speech that senator sinema gave to a college on a college campus two years ago, she said this. imagine what more we could accomplish for our country if rather than staying in comfortable partisan corners, more leaders reached out in a genuine desire to craft durable, bipartisan solutions to our country's most difficult challenges. that is exactly what kyrsten sinema has done. she is that kind of leader. i thank her for her service, for making such a difference in the united states senate, for her country, for the senate, and for

her home state. and i wish her all the best in her next endeavor. thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. romney: i don't think i've had a better friend in the united states senate than senator kyrsten sinema. we are best friends. and i would not have predicted that at the outset. by all appearance we're about as different as we can be. but actually our roots are very much in the same soil. we've grown up with the kinds of values that have shaped our lives and our public service. when she first came to the senate floor, her appearance was quite striking. and her personality was in a similar v.a. ein, highly

noticeable. i turned to one of my senate colleagues and said would do you think about that new senator from arizona? and he said, i can tell you right now, she's going to be trouble. she obtained the nickname trouble at that point. and as -- and has carried it ever since, at least in my lexicon. the truth is she's been so far from trouble, it's hard to imagine a less appropriate name. why is that? one, i believe she has been the most productive united states senator in the last six years of anyone in this body. now, there may be a competition here or there if other people, but i don't think so. if you look at all the legislation of significance that's been passed over the last six years, she has been critical to it, generally leading it, at least a co. chair in all of that legislation. at the same time, she gets along with everybody. i think those are related.

there are some members of my own caucus which i believe are an acquired taste which i haven't acquired yet. and yet she has from the outset been able to make friends with people who are dramatically different in politics but also different in personal style. she likes some very difficult to like people. and as a result of those friendships, she's been able to get people to come across the aisle from time to time when it was critical to get things done. but if i had to say what has distinguished her most as a member of this body, not just the fact that she's been the most productive and has been able to get people on both sides of the aisle to work through tough issues and to make the senate work when we were stalled, what i think sets her apart most is the degree of her principle and character.

she is an individual who was raised in a home with principles, went to institutions, including my alma mater brinkham young university -- brinkham young -- bringham young university. she graduated faster and made it through that university in a short period of time. at one point my colleagues asked me is she going to be able to stand up to the pressure that's going to be placed on her for preserving the institution of the senate. because there's going to be enormous political pressure reined upon her and will she be able to resist that pressure. i volunteered at our caucus lunch to go sound out whether she would have the capacity to overcome what was a groundswell on her side of the aisle to take action on which would have devastated, in my view, the institution of the senate. and i approached her and said

kyrsten, will you be able to vote no? will you be able to defend the principle that has made the senate work over these decades? and she said mit, you ought to know he by now. i was raised with the same values you had. i'm a person of principle. and i stand by my principles. and i've watched her time and again do that very thing. i spoke with one of the leaders in my party, and i said, how is the senate going to work without kyrsten sinema to bridge the divide that is often between us? and he said is i'm not sure it will be able to work without her. how in the world she is not coming back as a united states senator is one of the greatest mysteries to me. she should be coming back. we need her in this body.

she has been an essential member of this body. i used to love reading books by louie lamore. i've read them all. i'd probably still love them. he had an expression about people that were just really individuals you could count on, rely on, people of character and capacity and principle. he said they had sand, and if there's someone who has sand in this body, it's kyrsten sinema. she's going to continue to make a huge imprint on the united states of america. it's been an honor to serve with her. i feel we have been blessed by having her this in body. thank you, mr. president. mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic whip. mr. durbin: mr. president, one of my jobs in this congress as chair of the senate judiciary committee, and considering

hundreds of nominees for lifetime appointments to the federal bench. it's been quite a process. 80% of those who've gone through have been on a bipartisan basis, which is a good thing. but there have been ups and downs. there is only one senator who is able to bring both -- bring two senators from from her state through the committee without the usual waiting periods because she asked on the other side for permission to move forward. they trusted her. they liked her, and they gave her an exception. in both instances, kyrsten sinema has delivered for the state of arizona when it comes to federal judges. on an expedited basis, driven sole by by her personality and charm and ability, might add. i also want to say a word. i've invest add large part of my senate career on the immigration issue, and i thank her for her valiant effort trying to put

together an effort on the whole immigration issue. i know it was a heartbreak for you not being able to do that. i think you really held the key to bringing together both sides in a way i've never seen in the senate. so thank you for trying, thank you for your effort. congratulations on your achievements. i wish you the very best. m mr. wicker: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from mississippi. mr. wicker: i ask unanimous consent that senator reed, senator schumer, and i be allowed to speak for up to ten minutes each prior to the scheduled roll call vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. wicker: thank you very much, mr. president. the senate will soon consider the national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2025. the ndaa is among the most

important bills congress considers each year. it's our primary way of fulfilling our most solemn obligation, our constitutional duty to provide for the common defense. congress has come together to pass the ndaa each year for more than six decades -- 63 years, to be precise. today we continue our streak of earned success. in our best moments, we've worked out the ndaa in an open and above-board process. here i must say that tim frustrated with -- that i am frustrated with the majority leader's decision to thwart that regular order this year. he did not bring the bill to the floor, thus denying americans the opportunity to witness their elected representatives make decisions in the open on critical national security issues. still, we continued in the spirit of honesty and

collegiality. the numbers bear that out. the armed services committee considered nearly 3,000 requests submitted by all senators. we considered 618 amendments at markup, adopting 327 of those amendments. we then processed over 90 amendments during the informal conference process. these statistics tell the story of the hard work and professionalism that characterized the construction of this bill. mr. president, we are currently experiencing the most dangerous national security moment since world war ii. one need only scroll through the headlines summarizing this year's world events. congress needed to respond in kind. at every possible opportunity, we should be sending a signal of peace through strength be, of

strong deterrence. accordingly, the senate armed services committee took an honest look at growing capability and aggression by our adversaries. we decided that this year was the time to change our course and move our military toward the generational defense investment it deserves. that vital committee action included an upgrade of $25 billion for our missile defense, shipbuilding, and counterdrone technology, among other modernization programs. $25 billion. this should have been part of the bill today. regrettably, we missed an opportunity to strengthen the president-elect's hand, as he takes office in a precarious world situation. i hope and expect we will see bipartisan support for

much-needed investment early in 2025. and yet, as i note what's missing from the bill, i am happy to recognize the immense accomplishments that the members have included in the ndaa. we secured a significant 14.5% pay raise for our junior-enlisted servicemembers as well as a 4.5% increase for all other servicemembers. we made investments in junior rotc and recruitment capabilities, both of which will help solve the military's manpower crisis. this bill stops the department of defense from paying for puberty blockers and hormone therapies for children. we blocked the teaching of critical race theory in military programming, and we froze diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring at the dod. in fact, we defunded dei.

the ndaa authorizes critical investments across the board. we accelerated ongoing nuclear deterrence efforts, we move forward on shipbuilding for our nuclear destroyers and submarines. from the wars going on today, using real-world experience, we discovered ways for the middle east and europe. so let me say again. this is a good bill. it is a piece of legislation in which i take pride. as always, i'm grateful to have the opportunity to advance our national security. and as i speak of gratitude, i want to extend special thanks to my friend, chairman jack reed. i also want to thank his team on the armed services committee, ably led by staff director liz king. i thank my republican and democratic colleagues on the

committee as well. each made important contributions to the bill. this is especially true of our subcommittee chairs and ranking members, and i will recognize those on my side of the aisle. senator tom cotton, ranking member of airland. senator deb fischer, ranking member of strategic forces. senator mike rounds, ranking member of cybersecurity. senator joni ernst, ranking member of emerging threats and the capabilities. senator rick scott, ranking member of personnel, and senator dan sullivan, ranking member of readiness. i also want to thank my armed services committee staff. these patriotic individuals burned the midnight oil for months, literally. they delivered a product that this body can be proud of, one that does much to advance american interests. the american people would be

astounded to see how hard and how long these staff members work. and i can hardly mention my staff without thanking my intrepid staff director, john keist. john and his superb team know how to get the job done. and i want to recognize john keist and his staff by name. they are rick burgerer, brendan gavin, james mazel, gregg littlecy, adam barker, zach barnett, christie into belcourt, jack biner, isaac jalcanen, eric lofgren, jonathan moore, brad pitu, eric treger, and olivia trustie. this year's ndaa will further

the cause of our national defense, but it cannot do all that we need. this bill -- this will be the final vote on this bill. it has passed the house. we have invoked cloture, and this vote will send this bill to the president. let this piece of legislation be an exhortation that congress can no longer leave the job of national defense half-finished. we have no choice but to move ahead and to move ahead early next year with a generational investment in our military. thank you, mr. president. mr. reed: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: mr. president, i rise to express my support for the fiscal year 2025 national defense authorization act. i am glad that we will be soon voting on final passage of the bill, and i expect it to pass

with strong support. first, i would like to acknowledge the great work and leadership of my colleague, senator roger wicker. also our colleagues in the house, chairman mike rogers and representative adam smith. their partnership has been crucial for the success of this bill, and the hallmark of the senate and house armed services committees has long been bipartisanship. and i am glad that we have continued that tradition for the 64th consecutive year. i would also like to thank the members of the senate and house armed services committees who helped produce this bill as well as leader schumer, leader mcconnell, speaker johnson and leader jeffries, who facilitated a thorough debate and enabled all members to engage in the process. we were able to negotiate hundreds of bipartisan provisions between both chambers over the past few months. this is a strong,

forward-looking bill that we can all be proud of. this ndaa is laser-focused on the threats we face. first and foremost, it recognizes the urgent challenge that china poses to our national security. beijing continues to escalate its aggressive behavior, both militarily and economically, against the u.s. and our allies, and we must respond with resolve. this ndaa makes strong progress in that regard. among many other efforts, it authorizes $15.5 billion for the pacific defense initiative. it establishes a joint force headquarters in japan and has strengthened a number of our regional networks, including aukus, the quad, our trilateral

partnership with south korea and japan, our alliance with the philippines, and our partnership with taiwan. these are momentous accomplishments. the ndaa also addresses the evolving threats from russia, iran, north korea, and transnational criminal organizations. it authorizes full funding for the european defense initiative, provides support for our security cooperation missions with israel, and improves our counterdrug capabilities in the western hemisphere. importantly, the bill authorizes record-level investments in key technologies like hypersonics and artificial intelligence and significantly increases resources for uncrewed systems and counter-uas development. indeed, our drone capabilities -- both defensive and offensive -- must be improved quickly, as we are

seeing every day. the bill also makes substantial progress towards modernizing our ships, submarines, aircraft, and combat vehicles. most importantly, this ndaa provides an historic level of support for our troops and their families. we have included the largest pay raise for junior-enlisted servicemembers in decades. expanded eligibility for the basic needs allowance, and authorized increased funding to repair barracks around the world. i acknowledge the concerns some of my colleagues have about the bill. a number of senators hope to see a higher top line to match the threats we face around the world. their concern is well reasoned. however, i would point out that the physical -- fiscal responsibility act of 2023 which was demanded by house republicans, clearly set forth

the top-line cap and the budgetary consequences that would result from breaking it. the top line we ultimately negotiated adheres to that law. nonetheless, i am confident that this bill will provide robust capabilities for the department. in addition, i share many of my colleagues' frustrations that the bill includes a provision that would prohibit gender-affirming health care for minors in certain circumstances. i voted against this provision in committee, and i disagree strongly with including such -- frankly, i think misgided provision in -- misguided provision in the defense bill. we will continue to work to ensure the health care rights of all military personnel and their dependents. ultimately, though, we have before us a very strong national defense authorization act. i am confident it will provide the department of defense and our military men and women with

the resources they need to meet and defeat the national security threats we face. now we'd like to take an opportunity to recognize the staff who have made this bill possible. senator wicker has already pointed out the extraordinary members of his staff. and rightfully commended them for their comment work. i specifically want to recognize first the director of the democratic staff elizabeth king and the director of the republican staff john keese. they did a superb job and led their staffswith professionalism and skill. i'd also like to thank members of the officers committee staff on my side of the side of the aisle. jodi bennet, carolyn chuda, john clark, jenny davis, jonathan epstein, jerry feldman, kevin gates, creighton green, chad johnson, gary leland, maggie

m{l1}c{l0}namara cooper, john quirk, andy scott, cole stevens, meredith westerner, allison warner, lay ya brewer, sean jones, joe gallow, ryan bates, brittany almadore, sophia kamala and zachary volpe. i also want to thank the floor staff and leadership. we can't get anything done around here without the floor staff and the leadership. thank you, senator schumer, for your great efforts. as the majority leader points out, the floor staff is the most important component of what we do. you've been part of this process for the last several weeks, and you've done a remarkable job getting us to this point. i thank you very much. finally, i urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

and with that i will yield the floor. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, first let me commend jack reed for his great leadership as head of the armed services committee. he's an amazing leader. he knows the military like no one from his service there, west point graduate, great new york institution. sorry they lost. i was on their side. who can explain things. but just done an amazing job. and he's steadfast and intrepid and on the merits and everyone respects him. that's why -- this is a difficult year to get this bill done. some thought we wouldn't be able to, the polarization, late hour and everything else but because of this man we did and he deserves all of our thanks. i want to thank senator wicker as well. he's a big, strong fighter for the military. and did a great job as well.

so i thank both of you. this is the kind of bipartisan way we should do this. today for the 64th consecutive year, the senate passes a bipartisan national defense authorization act to protect the american people and strenen -- strengthen our security. 64th year. pretty good. pretty good. the ndaa is not perfect. but it still makes several important advances democrat, fought for to secure america's national defense and take a strong stand against the chinese communist party. i'm particularly glad that the ndaa expands the tech cubs program i created in the bipartisan chips and science act along with senators young, cantwell, and others. and i thank our leaders for understanding the importance of that issue. it will help make tech innovation more achievable. in the midwest, across the country and near and dear to me in upstate new york. the ndaa will also strengthen

america's leadership on a.i. by expanding our a.i. infrastructure within the department of defense, something that our bipartisan a.i. forums from last year stressed was critical and now we're getting it passed into law. the ndaa gives our troops a raise, authorizes funding for military families to pay for child care, extends programs for military spouses to find good-paying jobs, expands mental health services for parents. so again i thank the staffs as well. they're great and professional and excellent. i thank senator reed. i thank ranking member wicker and the members of the armed service committee. this is a good day for the strength of america. i yield the floor. i ask unanimous consent that the pending motion to concur with amendment 3317 be withdrawn. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection.

map. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion to concur. 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. >> the senator from wisconsin. >> mr. president, i rise today in opposition -- >> we're in a quorum call. >> asked the quorum call be vitiated. >> without objection. >> thank you, mr. president. i rise in opposition of the national defense authorization act, a position i do not take lightly. i have supported the final passage of each ndaa that is come before me in the senate, up

until now. from my tenure in this body and will be for me has been a productive bipartisan tradition when it comes to this bill that authorizes funding and keeping our country safe. most usually come together on a very quintessential country over party deal. one that i would argue is all too uncommon but still this was an important annual ritual that carried serious consequences. this is not to say we do not have our differences. of course we do. but we know our commitment is bigger than those differences. this year that commitment to our service members, to the people we all represent and to our security and safety, was broken. it has been broken because some

republicans decided that gutting the rights of our service members to score cheap political points was more worthy. let's be clear. we're talking about parents who are serving our country in uniform. having the right to consult with their families, doctor, get the healthcare they want and need for their transgender children. that's it. they want the right to get whatever healthcare is best for their child. something i imagine all parents want. and the healthcare we're. talkg about can sometimes be lifesaving. some folks estimate this will impact between 6000, 7000 families in the military. i for one trust of the service members and their families to make their own decisions about healthcare. without politicians butting. i. it's flat out wrong to put this provision in this bill and take

away a service members freedom to make that decision for their families. this problem has a solution, a simple one at that. my amendment would strike this provision that guts our servicemembers right. i was glad to have 20 colleagues joinsk me in supporting it. we should pass it. it's unfortunate some of our colleagues decided to force this harmful provision in this national defense authorization act. because otherwise i would've been proud to support it at this bill has some great things for our servicemembers, and my home state of wisconsin and measures that i have long pushed for. this bill invest in a most valuable asset, our people. and i'm thrilled to see we're getting our junior enlisted troops a well-deserved pay raise, more than 14%, and boosting pay for all others by nearly 5%. this legislation invests in the

health and well-being of our troops and their families, eliminating co-pays for contraception for our troops and their families on tricare. making telemental health care services available regardless of where the patient is, and so much more. a long-standing priority of mine in this bill and beyond is ensuring when we use taxpayer dollars we are supporting american companies and american workers and the american economy when it comes to our national defense, this notion is essential for our safety and security. that's why i'm glad to see steps forward in supporting the made inn. america economy. the ndaa puts strategies in place to make sure we are sourcing things domestically from high-tech battery to navy warships hear these suppliers are not only providing the highest quality products but also creating and supporting

good-paying jobs across the country. and wisconsin is home to many of them. whether it be the iconic companies like fairbanks morse or oshkosh defense, with a militaryt, installations like ft mccoy, wisconsin is crucial in our country's defense and i'm excited to see this bill recognizes our contribution, making sound investments in the wisconsin rapids army national guard readiness center to support the training our troops need to stay ahead of tomorrow's threats. and despite all of the common ground we found and all of the smart investments we're making in our troops, their families and our securities, some folks poisoned this bill and turn their backs on those in service and the people that we represent. this bill should embody the best of us as elected officials, coming together without partisan

agendas to keep our country safe and support those in uniform. sadly, that's not what happened. and in turn we passed this bill as is, we're going to rip away the rights of our servicemembers to get the health care they want for themselves and their children. it's wrong and i encourage my colleagues to vote no. i am delighted this morning to be joined by colleagues who share these concerns and would yield to senator kim for his remarks. >> mr. president? >> the senator from new jersey. >> thank you, mr. president. i rise today to join my colleagues to call for section 708 of the ndaa to be removed from the final bill. as you you know i am new toe united states senate. i come to the floor today with

great humility but also great urgency here because while i am new to the united states senate i have had the honor of serving the past six years as a member of the united states house of representatives, just on the other side of this building. during my time as a member of the house one of the things i've been most proud to work on our issues involving our military servicemembers and their families. as a house member i represented the only tri-service joint base in the country. because of that of represented tens of thousands of military families who signed up to serve our country. when you talk to military families blessing blass politics. in fact, the last thing they want to talk about his politics. military families often struggle with sufficient housing or putting food on the table. they faced inadequacies in healthcare. military spouses often face barriers to finding work. while it is only the service member who swears at the oath,

it is all families that serves. i come to the floor with great urgency because speaker johnson sought to politicize this by inserting a dangerous provision after the armed services committee in both the house and senate came to a bipartisan agreement. this kind of action undermines trust in negotiations and set a dangerous precedent for what was widely considered last true space of traditional bipartisan legislation. section 708 would harm those who serve by doing healthcare for military families. by banning tri-care from covering gender-affirming care for minors we are standing in the way of military families and healthcare the doctors have prescribed or where putting politics a bill where it simply does not belong. we are sending a signal to our military families that if your loved ones are transgender, we don't have their backs or theirs. and for the former ranking

member, as a former ranking member of the military personnel subcommittee on the house armed services committee there's a lot about this national defense authorization act to support our junior enlisted servicemembers will receive a 14.5% pay raise, and all others will receive a 4.5% pay raise. our servicemembers with greater access to meals so they can address hunger in our ranks. so will have additional funding to improve military construction of housing so they will have better roofs over their heads. we made real progress in improving access to healthcare. these are all wins we should be proud of. they are bipartisan. they build our stronger national defense. that is all the more recent to strip this harmful provision section 708 from the bill. we shouldn't play politics with our national security. we shouldn't target transgender youth and further spread fear into a community that is seen so much hate directed towards it. we should basson ndaa that

supports our servicemembers and families, all of them, without politics or prejudice. i hope my colleagues join me to that end. thank you. >> mr. president? >> the senator from hawaii. >> mr. president, i rise today to acknowledge the work we have done on a bipartisan basis to address this year's national defense authorization act, ndaa. as more than 1800 pages, this bill contains wins for our

country, our military and our servicemembers. it provides a raise to all servicemembers with an even bigger raise for junior enlisted troops. it invests billions in need military infrastructure in hawaii and throughout the indo-pacific region. investments that are critical as we work to counter china's influence and support our allies and partners in the region. i'm proud a contains a provision i fought for to create a new major mishaps classifications to ensure better oversight and accountability of major incidents like the 2021 fuel spills at the red hill fuel storage facility on a wahoo which impacted over 93,000 people. all of these provisions in many more will support our military, our servicemembers and their

families. in fact, our priority should be supporting the men and women of our armed forces and their families. that includes making sure they have access to quality healthcare but instead of focusing on the things that matter such as healthcare, republicans demanded inclusion of a provision prohibiting tricare from covering gender-affirming care for minors. despite efforts to stop this provision, to strip this provision from this bill during conference, it's in there. i many estimates, there are thousands of transgender children of servicemembers who are currently receiving gender-affirming care from tricare. under this bill those children not be able to access the health care they need. despite their parents approving the care. we know what happens when

transgender and non-binary children are refused gender-affirming care. according to the journal of adolescent health, rates of depression, anxiety and suicide all increase. there's no question that this provision will cause concern for servicemembers worrying about their children that getting the health care that they need. and, of course, this will cause trauma to the servicemembers, their children, their entire family. we didn't have to do this, mr. president. we didn't have to impose this cruelty on our servicemembers and their families. i think senator baldwin for introducing an amendment to stop this unnecessary cruel provision to strip this provision from this bill, an amendment i and

others are proud to cosponsor. we note that this fight is not over. i yield back. thank you, mr. president. >> mr. president? >> the senator from massachusetts. >> thank you, mr. president. so much. i want to thank senator baldwin for her leadership on this issue for helping us focus upon this threat to the right of americans that is being propounded in this defense bill. i want to thank senator merkley. i want to thank everyone who's joining with senator baldwin on this fight. because today we are considering the national defense authorization act, and embedded within its language would be a ban on tricare coverage of gender-affirming care for children of servicemembers in our country.

if passed into law it would be the first and the lgbtq ball past -- anti-lgbtq. there's been no at the lgbtq law which is passed. and it passed into law, it would force thousands of members of the military to decide between service to the country and guaranteeing their child can get the healthcare which they m nee. this language is a product of a nationwide campaign against trans rights. i campaign that is facilitated harassment of teachers, bomb threats to children's hospitals, and attacks on transgender people. this is the same campaign that drives legislators from state capitals to capitol hill to insist on dictating americans healthcare decisions. we are seeing this before.

for decades republicans attacked the right to abortion. they slowly chipped away state-by-state, law by law. today there is no constitutional right to abortion. and now they have turned their attention to servicemembers families. we must fight off efforts by politicians to force themselves into exam rooms. they think they know better than trained health care providers and patients. they do not. the only expertise they are exhibiting is an expertise in oppression, suppression, and repression of healthcare freedom. and their attacks will not stop there. freedom isn't lost all at once. it happens one inch at a time. and as the senate author of the trans bill of rights, this is an inch that i insist that we

cannot give. at its best this institution has affirmed the rights of every american. on this floor with expanded access to healthcare, guaranteed american civil rights and protected same-sex marriage. and today we have the opportunity and the responsibility to fight discriminatory attacks on servicemembers, their families and their healthcare providers. we must strike this language. and if we do not, we must vote no on the entire bill. to every trans member, every service member and your families, and communities, i will not turn my back on you. i'm with you. together, we will keep fighting. so again i think senator baldwin for her leadership on this issue, and with that, mr. president, i yield back. >> mr. president?

>> the senator from wisconsin. >> i want to thank my colleagues as senator kim, senator hirono, senator markey for participating in this debate today, and for standing firm. as i said earlier, historically the ndaa has embodied the idea that the more that brings us together than separates us. that our servicemembers and national defense are not to be politicized. that we put our country over party when the chips are on the table. unfortunately, this year that was ignored. all to gut right of our servicemembers to get the health care that they need for their children. with that i encourage a no vote on the ndaa. and i yield back. >> we are currently considering the defense authorization bill.

we have considered this most years annually for many decades. typically though we will have a robust debate. we will have amendments offered and we will try to have participation by senators from all over the united states geographically represented in the debate. that won't happen this year. there will be no debate. it will be very controlled and circumscribed and there won't be a member's. this is disappoints me because i think there are some very important issues that need to be brought up in one of those is emergency powers. our founding fathers understood it was very important to divide these powers between the executive branch of the legislative branch and the judiciary. over the past 100 years without a gradual evolution of these powers towards the executive branch and we now have a very, very strong executive branch that in many ways is able to control the narrative and also to control the country.

in 1970s, frank church wrote these words what you think represent a problem that existed then and even more so now. he wrote, hundreds of statute cloak the president with virtually unchecked powers with which you can affect the lives of american citizens and a host of all-encompassing ways. this vast range of powers taken together confers in a authority on the president to rule the country without reference to normal constitutional processes. under the authority delegated by these statute the president may seize property, organize and control the means of production, seize commodities, martial law, seize and control all transportation and communications, regulate the operation of private enterprises, restrict travel and and a plethora of particular ways control the lives of all american citizens. these were two written by

senator frank church and in 1977 law law review article but they are still true to this day and even more worrisome. the church committees investigatory work with famously convinced many in congress at the time it come to reassert congressional checks and balances on the executive, that had become all too powerful. it's ironic the powers that be still conspired to this day to why the work of the church committee. i've been trying for over a year to read the classified version of the church committee. this is not new document. this is a document from 1976 but the powers that be have prevented me for over a year from reading the classified report. you got to wonder, doesn't mean that something to hide or does that mean they love power so much that they don't want to share it? the national emergencies act of 1976 was supposed to be a reform of presidential emergencies,

supposed to limit the power of president. in that act they gave a legislative veto, if an emergency were invoked by a president and a majority of congress voted if the would be legislatively able to reject that emergency. the court ultimately ruled of though that would have to be signed by the president, effectively meaning if the president declared an emergency, and majority of us say we don't think that should be declared, he vetoes it, it now takes two-thirds of us to overcome a presidential emergency. this is a very high bar and makes it nearly impossible to stop a presidential emergency. essentially the national emergencies act enforcement mechanism became toothless when the court that read of the veto. subsequently, congress must muster this veto proof or two-thirds vote to thwart a rogue president it really takes a two-thirds majority vote in

both houses to overturn a veto. this is a very high bar. consequently, we in a country, frank church would barely recognize. in some ways the united states of america is a monarchy in the skies. the united states contains the veneer of a constitutional republic that often operates as an elected monarchy in which the president exercises awesome and unchecked power by decree and in purpa duty. if you look at the emergencies on the book some of them been on the books for 50 years. if you look at the potential emergency that could be declared you would be shocked. this dangerous imbalance of the constitution operation of powers is that simply advertisement by the executive branch. it is something that congress is actually been complicit with the congress is essentially make itself a feckless branch of the federal government by granting the president so many emergency powers and refusing to regularly vote on the termination of

national emergencies as required by current law. emergencies go on and on. our concern should not merely be to restore corridors to its proper role in in a place of madisonian system of government. rather our true focus should be to restore the founders' vision of a government of limited and diffuse powers that is devoted to securing our inalienable rights. a government that disperses power among separate, distinct and competing branches is a government that is less likely to violate our liberties. we owe the people nothing less than the restoration of constitutional principles, separation of powers, of checks and balances among the branches of the federal government. i've offered a significant step towards re-vivifying the founders' vision got introduced a bill called the republic act which is an amendment to this bill but likely will not be considered because the powers that be don't want debate or amendments.

this amendment were it considered with restore caucuses role in governance by requiring that declarations of national emergency expire after 30 days if the president would still have that power to declare an emergency but it would expire after 30 days unless approved affirmatively by congress. what this does is essentially switches the role we currently have. currently it takes two-thirds of congress to stop an emergency. now it would take 50% of congress to affirm an emergency. we did this in my state for our governor. it's a good reform and goes a long way towards restoring the faith that people have in the separation of powers and the limitation of powers. this simple reform allows the president to respond to genuine crises but ensures the executive cannot rule by unchecked perpetual emergency. my bill includes other reforms designed to safeguard the country fun emergency rule.

my bill would repeal the provisions of the communications act of 1934 also known as the internet kill switch that allow the president if he declares an emergency to take over all communications. this emergency fortunately has never been declared but simply having this on the book for so long is a threat that someday a president might occur who says i'm going to take over all communications, and i will shut them down. that is a power so ominous no president of either party should ever have that power, and this bill would remove that power. today though with the power still in place with the stroke of a pen the president could use this power to monitor emails, restrict access to the internet, control computer systems, television, radio broadcasts and cell phones. long-standing use of this power would effectively eviscerate the first amendment. if the republic act my imminent today were accepted, the

president would no longer be able to utilize this power of these would be limited power during a limited time and a majority of corridors would have to affirm the continued use of this emergency. emergency powers were not the type of rule our founders and the anticipated for our country. the other name for emergency rule is martial law. it's something all of us should object to and say they should only happen in an exceptional case, be very limited and have the ability of congress to overturn. if anyone doubts an emergency powers can be of use just look to canada. as gene healy of cato institute road, america's neighbor to the note offers a cautionary tale about the risks the broad emergency powers could be turned inward against political dissent. in early 2022 canadian prime minister justin trudeau faced a mass protest against covid-19's restrictions in which canadian truckers abstracted key border crossing and effectively shut down the

capital city with their rigs. instead of simply clearing out protesters and punishing them via conventional legal means, trudeau invoked emergency powers, brought enough to permit the financial on person in of anyone participating the protest. he went to the bank account and took their money. when people raise money voluntarily through crowd financing to help these truckers, he stole that money as well through martial rule without any rule of law. he took the money. no transaction with the protesters picky took the money. people were locked up under martial law. candidus 1988 emergencies eight emergencies act gave the trudeau government staggering powers to subject individual protesters to de-banking without due process. this is the danger of presidential power, of excessive presidential power. it's about all president of either party because men and

women will succumb to the desire for power. it's inherent in all. that's what we must have checks and balances. deputy prime minister and finance minister put it this way and describing kudos martial law. as a federal 2022 and a and a warning to the truckers, as of today a bank or financial service provider will be able to immediately freeze or suspend an account without a court order. the government of canada essentially trudeau could freeze a bank account without a court order, without due process of law. we are today serving notice if your truck is being used in these protests, your corporate accounts will be frozen. the interest on your vehicle will be suspended. send your trailers home. while native born americans basic emergency powers are to be used to target others, i would venture to guess the canadian

truckers protesting covid era mandates didn't expect the government would treat them as foreign adversaries and freeze their accounts. if they can happen in canada a can have in the u.s. expansive emergency powers do not end there. today in the united states country that owes its very existence to tax revolt, the president can unilaterally impose and raise taxes on foreign imports. some of that power unfortunately congress gave to the president and he was a mistake and we should take the power back. the rallying cry of our american revolution no taxation without representation was not just a protest. it is a core principle american governance, and yet congress in its feckless desire to scott on all responsibilities said to the president, you can have come we don't want it, you can raise taxes anytime you want without a vote of congress. terrible idea.

our constitution was designed to prevent any branch of overstepping its bounds. unchecked executive actions, and acting terrace on her citizens without a vote of congress threatens a comical raises prices everyday goods and it erodes the system of checks and balances that our founders carefully crafted. the republic act in the reform of emergency powers, the limitation of emergency powers would correct this. we end up saying to the president that you can't declare an emergency to raise a taxpayer are funny funds were specifically to taxes have rigid and congress confed original in the house before coming to the senate because house was seen as being closer to the people. yet here we are taught that the vast taxes being levied by one person who through emergency powers. we should not let this stand. finally, the republic act by reform requires the president to

disclose presidential emergency action documents to the congress. what are these? these are executive orders prepared in anticipation of a wide range of emergency scenarios. these documents are kept secret and congress has historically had little oversight or insight into how many exists, what they say and what are the powers that the president anticipates taking in an emergency. although the documents have ever been made public their have reported an emergency orders designed to unilaterally suspend habeas corpus, impose censorship, and seize property without warrants. we don't know for certain because they will not reveal these executive orders but we do know that they exist. congress desperately needs to the documents to conduct oversight of the secret plans that can threaten basic constitutional rights. we do not have to accept as inevitable or an inevitability

degeneration of republicans who will buy it now powerful executive. we do not have to live in a monarchy the skies as a republic. we would do well to remember montesquieu wrote that when executive and legislative powers are combined into one branch, no liberty will remain. it's time to reclaim the authority of congress and protect the liberties of people by paring back the vast emergency powers delegated to the president. i hope the powers that be will change their mind and see all vote on this amendment. there is significant bipartisan support. we passed it out of committee i was 13-one. there's a democrat chairman is a cosponsor of this bill. i think this is a bill that really should bring both sides together. they used to be pride in our country, the pride in the legislative branch to hold firm against usurpation of power by the other branches. this was a pride that went beyond party label and brought

legislators together. in recent years is been disappointing. some people are for presidential reform of a presidential emergencies when the party is not a power and some people off or until they're against it when their guy with a woman is in power. i can tell you this. i have been for this emergency reform under the previous president i am for this emergency reform under the next president. because this is about power. it's about the dispersion of power. it's about decentralizing power. it's about the constitutional separation of powers. it's about checks and balances. it's important enough that it should be considered. i think it would pass were a considered. the american people need to know that important debates like this will only occur if the powers that be allowed to vote to occur. so i would beseech powers to be to allow a vote on this amendment and for my colleagues to vote yes. thank you, and i reserve the remainder of my time.

>> the ndaa is among the most -- our primary were fulfilling our most solemn obligation. our constitutional duty to provide for the common defense. congress has come together to pass the ndaa each year for more than six decades. 63 years to be precise. today, we continue our streak of ernst success. and her best month we worked out the ndaa and open and above board process. here i must say i am frustrated with the majority leaders decision to thwart that regular order this year. he did not bring the bill to the floor. thus denying americans the opportunity to witness their elected representatives make decisions in the open on critical national security issues. still we continue in the spirit

of honesty and collegiality. the numbers bear that out. the armed services committee considered nearly 3000 requests submitted by senators. we considered 618 amendments at markup, , adopting 327 of those amendments. we then process over 90 90 amendments during the informal conference process. these statistics tell the story of the hard work and professionalism that characterized the construction of this bill. mr. president, we are currently experiencing the most dangerous national security moment since world war ii. one need only scroll through the headlines summarizing this year's world events. congress needed to respond in kind, that every possible opportunity we should be sending a signal of peace through

strength, of strong deterrence. accordingly, the senate armed services committee took an honest look at growing capability and aggression by our adversaries. we decided this year was the time to change our course and move our military toward the generational defense investment it deserves. that vital committee action included an upgrade of $25 billion for our missile defense, shipbuilding, and counter drone technology, among other modernization programs. this should've shoulde bill today. regrettably, we missed an opportunity to strengthen the president-elect's hand as he takes office in a precarious real situation. i hope and expect we will see

bipartisan support for much-needed investment early in 2025. and yet as i know what's missing from the bill, mapping to recognize the immense accomplishments that members have included in ndaa. we secured a significant 14.5% pay raise for our junior enlisted servicemembers as well as a 4.5% increase for all other service members. we investment in junior rotc and recruitment capabilities both of which will help solve the militaries manpower crisis. this bill stops the department of defense from paying for puberty blockers and hormone therapies for children. we block the teaching of critical race theory in military programs, and we froze diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring at the d.o.t.

in fact, we defunded dei. the ndaa authorizes critical investments across the board. we accelerated ongoing nuclear deterrence efforts we moved forward and ship of the programs for our destroyers and submarines. finally, we learned from the walls going around us today at the war stash that we seem real world express. we found ways to strengthen security assistance for frontline allies in the pacific, the middle east and in europe. so let me say again this is a good bill. it's piece of legislation and which i take pride. as always i'm grateful to have the opportunity to advance our national security. as i speak of gratitude of what to extend special thanks to my friend, chairman jack reed. want to thank his team on the armed services committee ably led by staff director liz king.

i think my republican and democratic colleague on the committee as well. each made important contributions to the bill. this is especially true of our subcommittee chairs and ranking members. and i will recognize those on my side of the aisle. senator tom cotton, ranking member of arab land. senator deb fischer, ranking member of strategic forces. senator mike rounds ranking member of cybersecurity. senator joni ernst ranking member of emerging threats and capabilities. senator rick scott ranking member of personal, and senator dan sullivan ranking member of readiness. i also want to thank the armed services committee staff. these patriotic individuals burned the midnight oil for months literally. a product that this body can be proud of, does much to advance

american interests. the american people would be astounded to see how hard and how long these staff members work. i can hardly imagine my staff without they can my intrepid staff director, john. john and his superb team know how to get the job done. and i want to recognize john and his staff by name. they are rick berger, lyndon gavin, james, greg lily, adam barker, zach barnett, christina belcourt, jack, jody emerson, isaac, kevin kim, katie, jonathan, sean o'keefe, brad, j. d., eric, adam and olevia

truste. this use ndaa will the cause of our national defense but it cannot do all that we need. this bill on this would be the final vote on this bill. it has passed the house. we have invoked cloture and this vote will send this bill to the president. let this piece of legislation be an expectation that congress can no longer leave the job of national defense unfinished or where no choice but to move and and to move ahead early next year with a generational investment in our military. thank you, mr. president. >> mr. president? >> the senator from rhode islan island. >> mr. president, i rise to express my support for the fiscal year 2025 national defense authorization act. i am glad we will be soon voting

on final passage of the bill and i and i expect it to pass with strong support. first i would like to acknowledge the great work and leadership of my colleague senator roger wicker. also our colleagues in the house, chairman mike rogers and representative adam smith. their partnership has been crucial to the success of this bill. and the hallmark of the senate and house armed service committees has long been bipartisanship. i'm glad we've continued that tradition for the 64th consecutive year. i also want to thank the members of the senate and house armed services committees who helped produce this bill as well as leader schumer, leader mcconnell, speaker johnson and leader jeffries who facilitated a soul debate and enable all members to engage in the process. we were able to negotiate hundreds of provisions between both chambers over the past few

months. this is a strong forward-looking bill that we could all be proud of. this ndaa is laser focus on the threats we face. first and foremost it recognizes the urgent challenge china poses to our national security. beijing continues to escalate its aggressive behavior both militarily and economically against the u.s. and our allies, and we must respond with resolve. this ndaa makes strong progress in that regard. among many other efforts it authorizes $15.5 billion to the pacific defense initiative. it establishes a joint force headquarters in japan and it strengthens a number of our regional networks, including aukus, the quad, trilateral

partnership with south korea and japan, our alliance with the philippines, and our partnership with taiwan. these are momentous accomplishments. the ndaa also addresses the evolving threats from russia, iran, north korea and transnational criminal organizations. it authorizes full funding for the european defense industry, provides support for our security cooperation mission to israel, improves or counter drug capabilities in the western hemisphere. importantly, the bill authorizes record level investment in key technologies like hypersonics and artificial intelligence, and significantly increases resources for uncrewed systems and counter uas development. indeed, our drone capabilities both defensive and offensive

must be improved quickly as we are seeing every day. the bill also makes substantial progress towards modernizing our ships, submarines, aircraft and combat vehicles. most importantly, this ndaa provides an historic level of support for our troops and their families. we have included the largest pay raise to junior service enlisted members in decades, expanded eligibility to the basic needs allowance, and authorized increase funding to repair barracks around the world. now i acknowledge the assurance some of my colleagues have about the bill. a number of senators hope to see a higher top line to match the threats we face around the world. their concern is well reasoned. however, i would point out the physical, fiscal responsibility act of 2023 which was demanded

by house republicans, clearly set forth the top line tap and the budgetary consequences that would result from breaking it. the top line we ultimately negotiated and here's to that law. nonetheless, i am confident this bill will provide robust capabilities. in addition, i share many of my colleagues frustrations that the bill includes a provision that would prohibit gender affirming healthcare for minors with certain circumstances i voted against this provision in committee and a disagree strongly with including such a frankly i think misguided provision in the defense bill. and we will continue to work to ensure the health care rights of all military personnel and their dependents. ultimately though we have before us a very strong national

defense authorization act. i am confident it will provide the department of defense and our military men and women with the resources they need to meet and defeat the national security threats we face. now i would like to take an opportunity to recognize the staff who have made this bill possible. senator wicker has already pointed out the extraordinary members of his staff, and blithely commended them for their excellent work. i specifically want to recognize first the director of the democratic staff elizabeth king and the director is republican staff john kees they did a superb job. they have led with professionalism and skills. i would also like to thank members of the armed services committee staff on my side of the aisle. jody bennett, caroline, john clark, jenny davis, jonathan epstein, feldman, kevin gates, crate new green, chad johnson,

gary, maggie cooper, mike, john, andy scott, cold stevens, meredith warner, allison warner, isabel, leah, sean jones, joe gallo, ryan bates, brittney, sophia, noah, and zachary. also i want to thank the floor staff and the leadership. we can't get anything done around here without the floor staff and the leadership. thank you, senator schumer, your great efforts. as the majority points echo the floor staff is the most important component of what we do. you have been part of this process for the last several weeks and you've done a remarkable job getting us to this point. i thank you very much.

finally, i urge all my colleagues to support this bill. and with that i will yield the floor. >> mr. president? >> the democratic leader. >> mr. president, first let me commend jack reed for his great leadership as head of the armed services committee. he's an amazing leader. he knows the military like no one from the service there, west point graduate, new york institution, sorry for loss. i was on their side. who can explain things? but just done an amazing job and he's steadfast and intrepid and on the merits, and everyone respects want respect him. that's why we have -- some fubo would merely get it done with polarization, the late hour and every thing else but because of this man we did and he deserved all of our thanks. i want to thank senator wicker as well.

he's a big strong fighter for the military, and did a great job as well. so i think both of you. this is a kind of bipartisan way we should do this. now today for the 64th consecutive year the senate passes a bipartisan national defense authorization act to protect the american people and strengthen our security. 64th year. pretty good. pretty good. the ndaa is not perfect but it still makes several important advances democrats fought for to secure america's national defense, and take a strong stand against the chinese communist party. i am particularly glad the ndaa expands program i created in a bipartisan chips and science act along with senator young, cantwell and others. i think our leaders for understate the importance of that issue. it will help make tech innovation more achievable. in the midwest, across the country near and dear to me in

upstate new york. the ndaa will also strengthen america's leadership on ai by expanding it infrastructure within the department of defense. something that our bipartisan ai forums from last year stress was critical and now we're getting it passed into law. the ndaa it's our troops a raise, authorizes funding for military families to pay for child care, extends programs for military spouses to find good-paying jobs, , expands menl health services for parents. so again i thank the staff as well. they're great and professional and excellent. i think senator reed. i think ranking member wicker and the members of the armed services committee. this is a good day for the strength of america. i yield the floor. ..

these are the pillars that adventured our democracy could endure to call debate relationships in the excess of greed we find ourselves bumping into the guardrails with the frequency. in recent history those parties wrestle with the important liberals and those parties have viewed the norms and roles as outdated, constraining or sibley obstacle to their short-term

victories. many blame the guardrails were rock on shabbat incredible progress instead of record ouractions, our words, our instability and ultimately her unwillingness to compromise that prevents reasonable solutions for advancing. when holding political power and feeling the hunger pressure for immediate partisan it is easy to view the legislative filibuster as a weapon of obstruction is temping to prefer elimination of the filibuster to compromise. it feels faster, easier and more satisfying at least in the short term that is, there are dangers to choosing short-term victories over the hard and necessary work over building consensus. to give into the temptation of the short-term victory means giving into the chaos caused by

the constant ricocheting of laws to waiver under an illusion by the filibuster maintain political power forever effectively ending the two-party system that is a fallacy and worse, scary. the beauty of america is in the push in the 85, the nays are 14. the motion to concur is agreed to. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 82, which the cloture motion will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 693, h.r. 82, an act to amend title 82 of the social security act.

the presiding officer: majority leader. mr. schumer: in a few moments my friend senator peters will offer an amendment that responds to the reports of unusual drone activity, and i thank him for his great work and leadership on this. i'm proud to be a cosponsor of this bipartisan drone legislation, which the fbi, the dhs, the faa, and the dod, department of defense, all support. the senate should pass our bill without delay. our bill, among other things, explicitly authorizes state and local authorities to conduct drone detection and helps them better coordinate with federal law enforcement agencies to keep communities safe. the people in new york and new jersey have a lot of questions and they're not getting good enough answers. the utter confusion surrounding these drone sightings shows that the feds can't respond all on their own.

they need help detecting these drones from local officials who have neither the resources nor the explicit authority to act and the bill fictions that. we all -- fixes that. we all know that drones are a relatively new phenomenon, they are all over the united states. the federal government doesn't have the ability or resources, if we were to say that the federal government should look at it this completely, they'd be taking away from so many other important jobs. the logical thing to do is to let localities have some authority. these are law enforcement authority. for all we know the recent drone incidents are benign, but the people of new york and new jersey still have questions and they deserve answers. the problem is the wide proceed use of drones is relatively new

in the eyes of the law and therefore the ability to detect drones in sensitive areas. the federal government doesn't have the ability to go to every corner of america and see if the drones are safe or not safe. local law enforcement is appropriate and they will work with the feds in working on this. the bill is about giving local officials on the ground greater flexibility and proven technology to detect and track threats in their jurisdictions. it's about giving people answers they don't now have heard directly from authorities on the ground. if this bill becomes law, we will have better clarity in pt future. so i yield to my friend from michigan. it has broad bipartisan support. i hope the senate can act. i yield. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: madam president, every day more and more americans are using drones,

everything from hobby flights to commercial applications as well as law enforcement activities. drones can offer important societal and economic benefits but they can also cause problems if they are not used appropriately. recently in new jersey we've seen reports of loud and menacing drones. and while the department of homeland security, the fbi and other key agencies have assured the public that these drones have no threat, they have caused unease and concern for many americans. rogue drones can interfere with commercial air traffic as we saw with the recent closure of runways at a new york airport, as well as large public gatherings like football games or concerts. the national football league, a support supporter -- a key supporter of this legislation

has said that they have seen more than 2,000 drones violate the airspace around stadiums, sometimes having them to stop the football games, to resolve potential threats to their fans and teams. we have seen how drones prayed by a -- bratd operated by a bad actor can become a security threat. this year a drone was over trump's candidate sight. that's why i've been working to pass bipartisan legislation that would address these concerns by giving law enforcement the tools and the authorities that they need to detect, identify and track drones to ensure that they do not pose any risk to americans. my legislation, which passed out of the committee that i chair, homeland security and governmental affairs, passed

unanimously last congress, out of committee, would equipment law enforcement agencies, including state and local police, like the officials currently dealing with the ongoing situation in new jersey with the tools to better detect and to track drones and identify cases where they may pose a security threat to large public gatherings, airports, critical infrastructure facilities as well as our communities. most urgently this bill would ensure that law enforcement has the technology needed to quickly and clearly identify what the reported sightings of drones across the country actually are. if a drone is found to be a potential danger, our law enforcement agents, they must, they must have the tools to mitigate these tools effectively. that's why my bell would allow department of homeland security and department of justice to

operate a pilot program so that state and local law enforcement can conduct drone law enforcement activities before drones cause serious harm. this legislation has strong bipartisan support here in the senate. we currently have 28 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, 14 democrats, 11 republicans, and three independents. and as the number of registered drones continue to grow, so does the need to pass this critical legislation to ensure that our law enforcement agencies can address these potential threats. so i urge my colleagues to join me in passing this commonsense bill to safeguard our homeland and ensure that law enforcement can better protect our communities from the potential threats posed by recklessly or nefariously operated drones. so i ask unanimous consent that the committee on homeland security and governmental affairs be discharged from

further consideration of s s. 1631, and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration, that the peters substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to, and the bill, as amended be considered and read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there an objection? the senator from kentucky. mr. paul: reserving the right to object. no one disputes that drones flying in airspace could be a danger, that drones flying over the super bowl could be a danger, that drones flying over our military bases could be a danger. that's why it's illegal. it's currently illegal, and the federal government has the capacity to investigate and stop drones that are in airspace over our military bases, following our ships, we have that capacity. but what is disputed and what

the biden administration is currently telling us is they don't see a problem. so if there's a problem, let the biden administration be forthcoming, let us know the extent of the problem, let us know who is flying the drones and let us know what is going on. this bill says, well, we don't know, the biden administration doesn't know, but why don't we give the power to local officials to go after drones. but i rise today to object to this unanimous consent request because at the time public trust in government is at historic lows. this body should not grant sweeping surveillance power without consideration and debate by the committees of jurisdiction, which is what i pledge to do in january when we will be in charge of the committees. yet, what is going on is what this legislation seeks to do now is to expand authority to affect

communications and disrupt drone activity, it goes against our protection. it is needed to address an imminent drone threat, yet the government itself admits no such threat exists. if there is a threat or isn't a threat, the biden administration says it is all normal stuff. so it is or isn't. why don't we get to the truth of the matter of what actually exists and what the threat is before we prepose legislation. federal agencies, including the department of homeland security and the fbi have stated clearly that there is no current national security risk, no public safety concern and no unlawful drone activity requiring intervention. so there either is a problem or isn't a problem. if there is a problem, let's discuss how to do it while protecting the communications of

innocent americans whose communications could be caught up in this legislation. until the federal assessment changes, the assessment that it didn't a problem changes to that it is a problem and these are the malefactors, these are the people orchestrating this, let's get that from the biden administration, tell us what the problem is, instead the biden administration is saying there is not a problem. so, madam president, this pattern is all-too familiar. history has shown us time and time again how fear and manufactured urgency are used as pretext to expand power government at the expense of freedom. after 9/11, congress passed the patriot act in the name of security. americans were promised that these surveillance powers were necessary, they would only be directed towards foreigners, they would only be directed toward terrorists until we discovered that these powers were being used on americans. americans were promised that these powers were necessary and

temporary. instead they were abused, misused and weaponized. innocent americans had their privacy violated, data collected and rights trampled. when congress legislates in haste without accountability, it is the american people who suffer the consequences. today we are facing pa similar moment. -- a similar moment. the bill before us would grant law enforcement the ability to intercept private electronic communications without consent. the bill would allow the government to commit dragnet surveillance of the phones, of innocent civilians, as long as it is doing it to neutralize the drone. to look at the information, it may be you capture all the information of everybody in an airport. once you have the data, what are the assurances the government

isn't looking at your data in addition to the data related to flying the drone? this is not just about security. it's about unchecked government overreach, about capitalizing on fear and media-driven hysteria to jam through sweeping legislation that could violate the civil liberties of the american people. congress has a constitutional responsibility to serve as a check on the executive power, not as a rubber stamp for it. the federal government already has the power to deal with drones. the federal government already has the power to stop any drones that are in air space around airports. the federal government already has the power to protect its air bases. so if there is a significant problem here, the biden administration needs to come forward and let us know who are these drones? who is operating these drones? what is the federal government doing to protect either airports or bases if this? instead we are told by the biden administration there is no threat to our national security. so let's first insist on truth and transparency from the biden

administration before offering up legislation that is feel good, pat somebody on the back and say oh, we've done something about drones. we are strong on drones. congress has a constitutional responsibility to serve as a check on executive power, not as a rubber stamp. we owe it to the american people to demand compelling justification, meaningful safeguards and full transparency before granting any new surveillance authorities. we are a nation of laws, not fear, not panic, and not manufactured urgency. we do not trade away our freedoms, our privacy, and our industrial protections for vague promises of security. i will object to this bill today, but i am open to talking with the authors of this bill about how we could have enhanced ability to interrupt drone activity but done while protecting all americans' constitutional right to privacy. madam president, i object. the presiding officer: the without objection is heard.

today members pass the annual defense program and policy will program in the newly under the $4 billion and includes 14.5% pay raise for enlisted personnel call khmer and for military service members. in addition it prohibits military healthcare covering children under 18 for gender affirming hormone therapy, the bill goes to the president's desk in the upper chamber is waiting on the house for a major funding the federal government

until march 14 of next year that bill includes $100 billion for natural disasters. current government funding runs out at midnight on friday. you're watching live coverage of the senate on c-span2.

>> closing on my time in congress and i am reminded of the gravity of this place this history of the senate one which were all honored to contribute the server the body in the democracy, those guardrails, the constitution our oath of office, the rules of the senate and the norms of collegiality and integrity, these are the pillars that are insurer democracy put into work. and cultivate relationships moving forward. in our country has become more divided as our politics has evolved into a concert series of all or nothing battles and more

frequency. in recent history both parties have wrestle with the importance consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. con. res. 44. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 44 directing the clerk of the house of representatives to make a correction in the enrollment of the bill h.r. 5009. the presiding officer: is there an objection proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. reed: i further ask the concurrent resolution be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reed: i yield the floor. a senator: madam president?

the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. a senator: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on energy and natural resources be discharged from further consideration of s. 3373, h.r. 4385, and h.r. 5770, and the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc. calendar number 629, s. 4576, s. 3373, h. 4385, h.r. 5770. the presiding officer: is there an objection to proceeding to the measures en bloc? without objection, the committee is discharged of the relevant bill. and the senate will proceed to the measures en bloc. mr. hickenlooper: i ask unanimous consent the substitute amendment to s. 3373 at the desk

be considered and agreed to, that the bills as amended where applicable be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hickenlooper: madam president, in colorado and across the west, as you know as well as i know, many, many communities are facing a historic drought crisis. decades of drought are in fact long-term -- in many ways become the new normal. these bills respond to the urgent needs of our drought-stricken commune can is. they maintain the government's ability to respond to drought and allow voluntary water conservation in the upper colorado river basin. we need these now as we're seeing in real time how drought

threatens our very way of life. more than 40 million people rely on the colorado river for water, food, recreation, energy. our communities, our farms, our environment all depend on water. these bills extend programs that we already know work. at risk is our entire way of life. thankfully, the two house bills i mentioned, the drought preparedness act and the wattr, the water improvement act will now become law. my colleague from colorado has done the heavy lifting to get this across the finish line in that chamber. i'm happy to do the same here. but the two senate bills just passed will still need to pass the house to help us out in the west. and we really are running out of time. the system conservation pilot program enables voluntary water

conservation in the upper colorado river, and i've been working closely with senator barrasso to reauthorize it. it's supported by the upper colorado river commission and got its start in the depths of the 2022 colorado river drought that continues to this day. it's critical that we pass this two-year reauthorization because water users and other -- water users and farmers that participate need to make decisions now about signing on for next year. any delay that will limit the upper basin's ability to find participants and run a successful water conservation program. we can't afford that. we're asking speaker johnson to please put this lifeline for western farmers and ranchers on the suspension calendar and make sure that it is able to pass this year. madam president, i thank you and i yield the floor. a senator: madam president.

the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: i'm speaking to s. 3373, the hydropower license extension which helps a lock on the red river project. this bill is incredible important to louisiana. hydropower is reliable, safe, and responsible and the federal government should be enabling project, not standing in the way. today's actions are bipartisan, pro job and pro american energy. i'm glad to see congress cut the red tape holding up the red river project. these hydropower projects have been negatively impacted by supply chain issues the last four years. they simply need more time to start construction. i'm very pleased to see this get across the line. i yield. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. ms. lummis: i'm proud to support h.r. 4385, the drought

preparedness act, which i joined my colleague from colorado in introducing. senator hickenlooper has been fabulous to work with as have all of the senators from the states that headwater and utilize the colorado river, including yourself, madam president. this bill would reauthorize the reclamation states emergency drought relief act and allow the department of the interior to prepare drought contingency plans and provide technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments on their drought contingency plans. this is one of the many bills i've plaid the pleasure with partnering with senator hickenlooper on and i look forward to the president signing it into law. again, madam president, i appreciate your help on these matters as well. i'm also pleased to support

h.r. 5770, the water data improvement act, also sponsoring and introducing with my colleague senator hickenlooper to reauthorize three water data programs at the u.s. geological survey that address water scarcity in the west. the west continues to lead the nation in water conservation and management practices and is home to some of the best and brightest experts in this field. by extending these successful programs, we will improve water quality, secure our water infrastructure, and ensure we remain good stewards of our natural resources. again, with my appreciation for my fellow colorado river senators with whom we've been working for the last couple years on these measures and others to support our states' engineers in the more than hundred-year-old colorado river compact, i thank you and look forward to continuing to work

with you to address the important rivers -- the important colorado river issues to the west and to our country. madam president, i yield back.

ms. stabenow: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. it be it be are we in -- ms. stabenow: are we in a quorum call, madam president. the presiding officer: no, we are not. ms. stabenow: okay. i rise today to pay tribute to a wonderful staffer who has been indispensable to me and the

entire stabenow team. she's left us now, so she's in the gallery rather than sitting next to me, but i'm so grateful for ann stanski and her incredible work. ann began as a scheduler in my washington staff at the beginning of my second term in the senate, and after just a few weeks, i wondered how i got along for six years without her. anyone who knows congressional offices knows that being the scheduler is not the most glamorous job, but having a great scheduler is the secret sauce of every successful hill office. ann tracked countless flights to and from michigan, organized every detail of a codel to four different countries in africa, planned and executed numerous events and so much more. no task was ever too small or too large for anne to handle.

she knew how to do it all, and she did it all exceptionally well. she rolled with the punches and was always, always available to untangle the knots that inevitably make their way into a well-planned schedule. after ten years of being the go-to person on all things scheduling, anne transitioned to be my deputy chief of staff. i pride myself on having the best team in the congress, and anne was influential in building that team. over the years, anne has mentored countless interns, many of whom became staffers in our office and grew to become integral members of our team under her guidance. her latest achievement in this area includes two of her former schedulers becoming engaged to

each other. everyone on staff always knew they could go to anne for help. whether it was managing the front office, solving a scheduling issue, or just needing someone to talk to, anne was always there. anne's leadership and hard work has made my office effective at getting things done and a great place to work. during her time in my office, we have had one of the lowest staff turnovers of any office in the senate. most recently, anne took on the responsibility of leading the democratic policy and communications committee, comprised of 51 senators whose schedules often appear to be professly planned to thwart any attempt to get us all in one place. despite this, anne successfully planned and executed annual retreats, which is no small job.

and weekly policy luncheons for the committee, all while steering our party's policies and messaging forward. may i add, she's accomplished all of this while she and her husband matt are raising very impressive twin girls, addie and lizzie, who were born while anne was working for me and are now in high school. i can't believe this. they are such a beautiful family. now, despite what many people think, you don't have to be a michigan state university fan to work in my office, but it helps. as proud alums, anne and i have always spent so much time together cheering on our spartans, even watching them play in the sweet 16 at madison

square gardens. go green! anne, thank you for everything. your incredible work, your loyalty, your friendship. i wish you every happiness and success possible in the future. you deserve it. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. ms. stabenow: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the cloture motion on the motion to proceed to h.r. 82 be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. stabenow: madam president, i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

they passed the indian getting more funding for the pentagon 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted personnel and improved housing for military services. in addition to the program military healthcare covering children under 18 with gender affirming hormone. the bill goes to the president's desk for his signature in the upper chamber is waiting on the house to send a major funding the federal government into march 14 of next year that

includes $100 billion for victims of natural disasters, current government funding runs out midnight on friday. you're watching live coverage on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. tillis: thank you, madam president. madam president -- the presiding officer: we are in a quorum call. mr. tillis: i ask that the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tillis: i come to the floor to talk about the vote we're about to move to here shortly. it sounds like motherhood and apple pie -- the social security fairness act. who could be against social

security fairness? the fact of the matter is, the policy does address a challenge with social security for a single-digit percentage of people who have a pension, a government pension program and they're not necessarily getting exactly what they should back. so it is something we need to fix. but this is not the way to fix it. ladies and gentlemen, we are 10 years away from most economists' consensus believing that the social security trust fund is going to reach insolvency. ten years, ten years away. this bill will take $200 billion over that ten-year period out of the social security trust fund without any offsetting payment to it, so that is to right a wrong for a small percentage of

people that should get fairly treated, they are going to take -- they are going to raid $200 billion -- with a "b" -- over ten years to pay for this. that pulls insolvency forward by six months. now, six months doesn't sound like lot if you're talking, you know, years and years and years into the future. but we're estimated to be reaching insolvency within the next nine or ten years. suddenly six months become a pretty significant amount of time. so we're bowing -- we are -- we have people here who have voted against bills before because they say i don't like the idea of having to go through regular order and voting on it. ladies and gentlemen, this bill has not even had a hearing in

any committee in the house and senate. it got sent to us through a procedure called a discharge petition which means they discharged their duty of doing regular order, sent it to us, and now we're about to take a vote today without having voted on it. i know there are a lot of people that say, thom tillis must be committing political suicide because how could you be against social security fairness. people ask me the same question when i was against the pact act that my office helped author. the pact act was a veterans bill, a $1 trillion bill we had a commitment to get it right before we passed it. i talked to veterans groups who were concerned about my lack of support for a bill i helped author. i said it is because i think you're going to regret us not thinking through the implications. i said it wouldn't surprise me if two years from now you're going to see and realize the very challenges that i told you about. they sapd you know what -- they

said, you nope what? we think it will work itself out. you know what happened almost two years to the month? we're $3 billion in the hole for the current year veterans budget and $15 billion in the hole going forward. because we didn't do our homework. we caved to the pressure of the moment. instead of doing this on a sustainable basis. i don't know how many people are going to oppose the bill today. it is likely to move through. but to those of you who are looking past the regular order and fixing the things that i know are not fixed in this bill, own it when we have to come back and fix it. i will come back and fix it. i will help with social security reform. but know that you're making the job harder to fix a trust fund that is within ten years of going insolvent. it would be easy for me to talk to my friends in the fraternal

order of police and say we're going to get this done. i hope somebody over the next eight to ten years fixes social security in the future because in ten years there will be a mandatory 17 minimum, 17% cut in the social security benefit across the board if we continue to fail to act here and if we continue to dig a deeper hole by the vote we're having today. so to those of you who need this fixed, who need to be treated fairly, count me in p. but understand the folks that are rushing this vote today are hastening today where they're probably going to break the promise for 97% more people on social security who do not benefit from this bill. i'm in an election cycle. a lot of people may think i'm committing political suicide by doing this, but this chamber needs courage and needs to say what needs to be said. we are about to pass an unfunded

$200 billion spending package for a trust fund that is likely to go insolvent over the next nine to ten years, and we're going to pretend like somebody else has to fix it. when you're a u.s. senator and you've got the election certificate, that falls on us. i want to finish with this, there is nobody in this chamber i hate to be in disagreement more than the senior senator from maine. senator collins understands that we do need to fix this, and her sense of fairness and her expertise is unpatched in this chamber. we do not disagree with what we ultimately need to do. this is a disagreement on how to get there and how to have something that addresses the downstream risk. so it is with some trepidation that i come to the floor and criticize the good work of senator collins, but i do it because there's so much riding

on us getting this right and having the courage to fix social security over the next few years, folks. record this speech. we will rue the day that we fail to do it. thank you, madam president. ms. collins: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, let me just briefly say that i have great admiration for the senator from north carolina. this is a rare instance in which we see the issue differently, but i appreciate his leadership and hard work. madam president, i rise today in strong support of the long every due social security fairness act. this bipartisan bill would repeal two social security provisions that unfairly penalize many public servants in maine and across the country. i also want to acknowledge and

thank senator brown for his leadership. we have championed this bill together for several years. in fact, madam president, we've been debating this inequity in the social security system for dec decades, for decades. in 2003, i held the very first senate hearing on this policy. in 2005, the late senator dianne feinstein and i introduced the first social security fairness act. in 2007, senator barbara mikulski and i introduced another version of the bill. and just last month the house of representatives passed the bill overwhelmingly by a vote of 327-75.

it is now time for the senate to finally pass this legislation so that it can become law. social security is the foundation of retirement income for most americans, yet many teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public servants often see their earned social security benefits unfairly reduced by two provisions -- the so-called windfall elimitation provision and the government pension offset. the windfall elimitation provision, or wep, affects public servants who receive a job, receive a pension from a job not covered by social sec security, but who also worked

long enough in another job to qualify for social security benefits. in other words, they have earned those benefits. they worked the 40 quarters, the 10 years under a job that pays into social security. due to the wep, however, their social security benefits are calculated using a different formula which reduces their monthly benefits. for workers who become eligible for benefits in 2024, the wep deficit reduction can be up to $700 per month. the government pension offset, or gpo affects public serves receive a pension from a job not covered by social security but

who are also eligible to receive a social security spousal or widow's benefit. the gpo, however, reduces the social security spousal, or widow's benefits by an amount equal to two-thirds of the noncovered pension. more than 70% of those affected by the gpo lose their entire benefit. madam president, this issue is extraordinarily important to people in my state of maine because the state's pension system does not include a social security component. and among those most affected are maine schoolteachers. they love their jobs and the children they teach, but they have to worry about their future and their retirement security. many are women, often retired

from teaching whose spouses worked full time in the private sector. but when they become widowed, their retirement security is often jeopardized because they don't receive the standard amount from their late spouse's social security. madam president, the fact is that 83% of retirees penalized by the gpo provision are women. according to the social security administration, in november 2024, more than two million people, including more than 20,000 in maine, had their social security benefits reduced by the wep. similarly, more than 650,000 people were affected by the gpo in november of it 2024,

including more than 6,000 in maine. let me give you one example. there are so many. catherine sogrith from bangor, maine, told me about having to reenter the workforce at age 72 after retiring from teaching for many decades. her husband, a navy veteran, paid into social security for 40 years. when he passed away, the gpo reduced catherine's widow benefits by two-thirds. she did not have the financial security any longer to remain retired, and the gpo penalty left her with few choices but to return to work. madam president, our dedicated public servants such as our teachers who help prepare our

children for the future success, our police officers and firefighters who help keep our communities safe, should receive the full social security benefits that they have earned. and let me stress that last point. they have earned these benefits. this is an unfair, inequitable penalty. i urge my colleagues to support the social security fairness act and end this inequity once and for all. thank you, madam president. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. casey: i ask unanimous consent that i be permitted to speak up to ten minutes and senator brown permitted to speak for up to ten minutes prior to the scheduled vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. casey: madam president, when washington, when we in congress, when the president makes a promise to the american people, people expect us to fulfill it.

today the senate has an opportunity to live up to a promise. millions of teachers, firefighters, police officers -- i worked in a public hospital for the uninsured. i would add nurses, technicians, lab teches, janitors, they expect us to fulfill this promise, and they're watching today. they're watching filled with hope that the senate will pass the social security fairness act to finally stop punishing them for having elected to serve our communities. we can fix a broken system that is unfairly harmed them for almost 30 years. we can finally deliver relief this christmas for millions of americans after years of nothing but empty promises. the social security fairness act has passed the house and has overwhelming bipartisan support in the senate. with 52 cosponsors, it should not be even a question if we have the support to move forward

today. not too long ago i met with a retired louisiana schoolteacher impacted by gpo. she cried in my office, not understanding why she was getting less in social security spousal benefits than if she had never worked at all. think about this. she had her quarters. she had worked, say, 20 years in the private sector. she was getting less from spousal benefits than if she had never worked at all. she felt like she was being punished for educating generations of louisiana children, and she was being punished. there is no excuse to treat our public servants this way. so to my colleagues who are concerned about the price tag, i hear you. the good news, i have a plan that helps address these concerns. i have a comprehensive social security plan that addresses both the inl solvency in nine yoers, and including paying for this repeal of wep and gpo. if you want to talk about it, i've p been promoting this for four years. it