miguel cardona, the nominee, is currently connecticut's education commissioner. he has really emphasized the importance of in person learning in his state but stopped short of mandating it all together or taking actions like some other states have with threatening to remove funding for sanctioned school districts that don't return. host: for folks that don't know anything about miguel cardona, what is his background? guest: he is currently education commissioner of connecticut. before that, assistant superintendent in his hometown. he is the child of parents that moved to connecticut from puerto rico as children. he came to school as an english-language learner and grew up in housing projects, which is some of that background. that is what people have applauded with him that he can identify with a growing share of the nation's students. he went off to become an elementary school teacher and a principal at age 28, which is pretty young. he was involved in a lot of statewide work to bring together ideas about how to address the achievement gap or to spur performanc

miguel cardona, the nominee, is currently connecticut's education commissioner.has really emphasized the importance of in person learning in his state but stopped short of mandating it all together or taking actions like some other states have with threatening to remove funding for sanctioned school districts that don't return. host: for folks that don't know anything about miguel cardona, what is his background? guest: he is currently education commissioner of connecticut. before that, assistant superintendent in his hometown. he is the child of parents that moved to connecticut from puerto rico as children. he came to school as an english-language learner and grew up in housing projects, which is some of that background. that is what people have applauded with him that he can identify with a growing share of the nation's students. he went off to become an elementary school teacher and a principal at age 28, which is pretty young. he was involved in a lot of statewide work to bring together ideas about how to address the achievement gap or to spur performance be

morning, the senate health education labor and pensions committee holds a confirmation hearing for miguel cardona to serve as education secretary, watch on c-span three. ♪ >> you are watching c-span, your unfiltered view of government. c-span was created by america's cable television companies in 1979. today, we are brought to you by these television companies who provide c-span to viewers as a public service. utah senator mike lee talked about the senate filibuster at an event hosted by the heritage foundation. this is just over 30 minutes. >> will the nature of the senate be preferred in favor of ramming through an agenda the that's -- that does not enjoy broad-based support amongst people or in the united states senate. to sort through this question, senator mike lee is with us and it's our great rebels to have them with us. the senior senator from utah is the chairman of the joint economic committee and chairman of the senate steering committee but i wanted to speak with him about this particular issue. he has the most keen understanding of senate rules and procedures and where they intersect

eastern on c-span3 miguel cardona education secretary nominee, and a 2 p.m.hael reagan environmental protection agency administrator nominee. on thursday at 10 a.m. eastern marty walz, secretary of l

confirmation of jennifer granholm to be energy secretary and then move on to the nomination of miguel cardona to be education secretary. yesterday louisiana senator john kennedy talked about reopening public schools and russia. here is a part of what he had to say. >> thank you, mr. president. i want to talk just a few minutes, mr. president, about the need to open our schools. i think you would agree with me, mr. president, because i've followed your career, with admiration, by the way, that our country is only as good as its dreams and we're only as valuable as our children. and in my judgment we are doing immeasurable damage in this country to our children. we all know that we had to close down our public schools and our parochial schools and our private schools. pre-k to 12 because of the coronavirus. but i think most fair-minded americans understand that we need to open them. the future of this country is education. it's not the level of the stock market, it's not the unemployment rate, it's not who the president is. it's education. and we know that. so why aren't we opening our public s

senator murphy. >> thank you, for giving us the opportunity to introduce miguel cardona. if you're from maryland, you know the cardona family. they are in some ways a typical and in some ways an extraordinary american family. a family that eats, sleeps and breathes to make its community better. and well today the whole country is learning about miguel cardona, it frankly is his gregarious police officer father with his trademark handle bar mustache that often draws the most attention in meriden. i can't remember where i first met miguel but at the puerto rican festival. it is home to thousands of families, but its cultural festival hit hard times. years only a couple hundred people showing up until the cardona family took the festival over. each summer now you can find miguel and his family speeding around the festival in their golf carts organizing children's activities and checking on vendors and organizing bus transportation. now 8,000 people a year come to meriden to this festival because miguel and his family not only care about their community, but because they're wi

. >>> the senate education committee today considered the nomination of miguel cardona to become educationretary. in this next portion, kentucky republican rand paul questions the nominee about transgender students taking part in sports. >> the office of civil rights sent a letter to connecticut saying that boys can't compete with girls in sports -- to allow boys to compete in girls sports. if you're confirmed, will you enforce that office of civil rights opinion? >> hello, senator. thank you for the question. i understand that there are a lot of concerns about that. it's -- if confirmed, it's my responsibility and my privilege to make sure we're following civil rights of all students. and that includes activities that they may engage in high school or athletics. >> what do you think in general about boys running in girls track meets like they've been doing in connecticut? >> i think that it's critically important the education systems and educators respect the rights of all students, including students who are transgender and that they are afforded the opportunities that every other stude

when miguel cardona is confirmed, this will be his top priority. we will leave it to him and his team at the department of education working with the cdc to determine how quickly and efficiently it can be done. >> is there a reason the goal to reopen schools does not include high schools? press sec. psaki: i would suggest you ask the cdc if there are differences between the schools. >> on impeachments, president biden said he was anxious to see what is republican friends would do. was he signaling for them to vote to convict mr. trump? if not, what else did he mean? press sec. psaki: as you know, the president was in the senate for 36 years. he watched as many americans did, as the very institution he ascended for decades was under assault. this week he watched new videos. we all did. it was a reminder how shocking that assault on our democracy was. i talked to him this morning. for everyone's context, he was having his morning coffee, looking at the new hearts on the front lawn, when he was asked this question. he means the senate should take the

eastern on c-span3 miguel cardona education secretary nominee, and a 2 p.m. michael reagan environmental protection agency administrator nominee. on thursday at 10 a.m. eastern marty walz, secretary of labor nominee. watch the confirmation hearings live on c-span3, on demand at c-span.org or listen on the c-span radio app. >> alaska governor mike dunlevy thank healthcare workers and law enforcement for the work during the coronavirus into the cookie talked about economic relief for small businesses and creating more jobs in the state. >> lieutenant governor meyer, president micciche, members of the thirty-second legislature, and fellow alaskans: exactly one year ago tonight, the pandemic landed on our nation's shores just a few miles from where i sit. from the beginning, the deck was stacked against us. they pointed to our lack of infrastructure and hospital capacity. they claimed alaska would suffer the fate of third-world countries. health experts warned us of 14,000 hospitalizations and over 10,000 dead. i would be lying if i said the tragedy of 1918 didn'

i am so deeply honored and excited and proud to be here today to introduce doctor miguel cardona, president biden's nominee for secretary of education. indeed, it is one of the proudest and most exciting of my days in the united states senate. i've known doctor cardona and his family for many years, watched him rise. his rise has been indeed the stuff of legend, almost mythical except it's based on real hard work and solid values gained from his parents, as he told me just moments ago when one member of his family does well, all of them do well. and i think that kind of ethic is one he will bring to his job as secretary of education. he's the proud son of connecticut, our public education and merit of higher education, public education and to institutions of higher learning, central connecticut state university and the university of connecticut. and he is a passionate advocate of english language learner. his entire career is living proof that there are no limits to what anyone can achieve regardless of what their language is as a first language. i'm absolutely certain that he will be as di

you madam chair and thank you ranking member burr for the opportunity to introduce our friend miguel cardona. if you're from meriden you know the cardona family. the cardona family are in some ways a typical in some ways extraordinary american family that eats sleeps and breathes to make itss community better and today the whole country is learning about miguel cardona it frankly a gregarious police officer father with his trademark handlebar mustache hector that draws the most attention in meriden. i can't remember where i first met miguel but i would guess it was at the city's festival. connecticut has one of the largest proudest puerto rican communities in america and is home to thousands of families but the cultural festival had hit hard times. there were years where there were only a couple hundred people showing up until the cardona family took the festival over. each summer now you can find miguel and his family around the festival in their golf carts organizing children's activities taking on vendors organizing -- bus transportation and 8000 people a year come to this festival becaus

the secretary of education, or the nominee for that position, miguel cardona knows the importance of online working. he has championed it in connecticut. yesterday he testified about it to the health, education, labor and pension committee, and he is going to be a very steadfast advocate, a trusted champion for online learning. but he too needs the tool and the resources. think of it not as a spending item, not as a funding measure, it's an investment. it's an investment in the basics of devices and connectivity. it's an investment in our young people. connecticut has made that investment and we should not be skimping or cutting corners on our young people. we should not be, in effect, shortchanging them at this critical time when connectivity, broadband, online learning are really the lifeline for them. let's put them online with this lifeline, give them the ability to continue their education even as the pandemic locks them out of classrooms. it may be -- they may be physically no longer in person, but online they can connect and if they are denied that online access, they are trul

. >>> education secretary nominee miguel cardona was on capitol hill for his confirmation hearing.e was asked about the pandemic's impact on students, getting teachers vaccinated, the cost of higher education, and the participation of transgender students in school sports. mr. cardona began his career as an elementary school teacher and has been serving as education commissioner of connecticut since august of 2019. [inaudible conversations]

importance of getting the -- our nominee, the president's nominee to lead the department of education miguel cardonaobviously at a time where the american people are focused on the reopening of schools, focused on doing that safely. this is a step that congress could take. he's obviously a key partner in ensuring we can get that done swiftly and safely. alex, let's kick it off. >> reporter: i wanted to ask you about the hacking of the florida water supply. does the white house have any details on the hacking and is there any plan for water supply stations across the nation or an effort to shore up those -- the cybersecurity measure bs at those stations. >> the fbi are undergoing an investigation. that's certainly we would defer to them on. broadly speaking, the president, the vice president, members of our national security team are focused on elevating cybersecurity as a threat is that has only increased over the past several years. that's why they've made it an across-government focus and why he's elevated positions in the white house and other parts of our government. >> and then can you share an

reiterate the importance of getting the president's nominee to lead the department of education, miguel cardona, confirmed. obviously at a time where the american people are focused on the reopening of schools, focused on doing that safely. this is a step that congress could take. he is obviously a pivotal and key partner in ensuring we can get that done swiftly and safely. with that alex, let's kick it , off. >> i wanted to ask off the top about the attempted hacking of the florida water supply. does the white house have any details on who committed the hacking and is there any plan for water supply stations across the nation or an effort to shore up those cybersecurity measures at those stations? >> as was announced earlier today, the fbi and secret service are undergoing an investigation. that's certainly we would defer to them on any specific details of their findings of that investigation. i will say, broadly speaking, the president, the vice president, members of our national security team are focused on elevating cybersecurity as a threat that has only increased over the past several yea

senator rand paul pressing president biden's pick to lead the board of education asking miguel cardona president biden has come out in support of it signing an executive order calling for equal transgender participation in school sports. it is an issue that threatens women's sports. >> the top 20% of boys running and track meets, all the controls in the state, completely destroy girls athletics, the girls are being pushed out. >> cardona only said he believes in every student absurd to participate. cardona from connecticut which has been on the forefront of the transgender controversy. todd: a high school track star who lost a spot in the finals to two biological males and an attorney spoke to tucker carlson last night about the frustration and how difficult it is to speak about it. >> there a biological difference between a man and female's body and that is why sports of always been segregated and that is why it should continue to be segregated to protect women and give them a fair chance. the retaliation, the death threats, the name-calling that occurs and what this is about is wheth

. >>> the senate education committee today considered the nomination of miguel cardona to become educationin this next portion, kentucky republican rand paul questions the

modell -- miguel cardona. >> is it fair? >> legal responsibility of schools to provide opportunities for students to participate in activities and this includes those who are transgender. >> interesting conversation with rand paul. the white house was pressured about whether mister biden have already broken a campaign promise by pushing for $1,400 stimulus checks when he said in january that $2,000 checks, quote, would go out the door immediately if john ossoff and rafael warnock won the election. jen psaki says the current proposal was in addition to the $600 relief checks handed out during the trump administration which to be clear is not what mister biden promised. shannon: you never make mistakes, you said we all do. as to why. great to see you. the cdc director is ramping up the pressure on teachers unions tonight to get back their membership into classrooms with and without the vaccine. >> i want to be clear there is increasing data to suggest schools can safely reopening the safe reopening does not suggest teachers ne

president biden's nominee to be education secretary, miguel cardona, says he is okay with the idea ofiological males competing in female sports. senator rand paul challenged his thinking yesterday at cardona's confirmation hearing. >> what do you think in general about boys running in girls' track meets like they've been doing this connecticut? >> i think that it's critically important to education systems and educators respect the rights of all students including students who are transgender. >> does it bother you that like the top 20% of boys running in track meets beat all of the girls in the state? do you think it's fair to have boys running in the girls' track meet? >> i think it's appropriate -- i think it's the legal responsibility of schools to provide opportunities for students to participate in activities, and this includes students who are transgender. >> you're okay then with boys competing with girls. >> respectfully, senator, i think i answered the question. >> the vast majority of america is just wondering who are these people who think it's okay. from what planet are y

connecticut public schools commissioner miguel cardona told a senate committee he favors reopening schools during the pandemic with science-driven guidance from the cdc. he also pushed back at republican senator rand paul, saying transgender students should be allowed to parcipate in sports based on gender identity. >> so you don't have a problem with boys running in the girl track needs, split needs, you name it? you're ok with boys competing with girls? >> i believe i answer the question. i believe school should offer the opportunity for students to engage in extra curricular activities, even if they are transgender. i think that is their right. amy: meanwhile, president biden's nominee to lead the environmental protection agency told a senate panel wednesday he would restore science and transparency at the epa while working to address the urgent threat of climate change. if confirmed, michael regan would be the first black man to lead the epa. the senate has reached a power-sharing agreement that will see democrats in the evenly-divided chamber control senate committees and set their ag

. >> january 22, president biden reauthorized suspension of payments when introducing miguel cardona, president biden pushed to cut student loan payments. neil? >> neil: thank you, chad for that. i want to go to david bernstein, democratic strategist, what he makes of this latest push. kat timpf also joining us. welcome to all of you. david, i have to begin with you. this money has to come from somewhere. when joe biden said i could kick around a $10,000 student debt forgiveness plan but he hasn't gone as far as $50,000. this is getting a little extreme. who pays for it and who gets it? >> look, i think we have to look at how impactful this is on the economy. you heard the point there from senator warren in the intro. we paid for many, many things, republicans and democrats without getting a good answer to that question. so i think congress has to find an answer to that question and find some answers. there's plenty of places to do the offsets. the outcome in the pandemic, we're talking about a generation of people that had to go through the great recession and now this. so it's reall

>> on wednesday, the senate health education labor and pensio committee hold confirmation of miguel cardona, watch on c-span 3, listen on c-span.org or listen on the free radio app. >> president biden pick for agriculture secretary. he testified before the senate agriculture committee. live coverage begins this morning at 10:30 on c-span. >> you're watching c-span2, your unfiltered view of governor. c-span2 by america's cable television companies and today we're looking at these companies for viewers as a

sean: earlier today, capitol hill, senator rand paul questioned the education secretary nominee, miguel cardonansgender student athletes. take a look. >> what do you think come in general, both boys running in girls track meets in connecticut? >> i think that it is pretty -- educators respect the lights of all students, including students are transgender, so i understand that this is a challenge. i look forward to working with you and others to -- >> do you think it is fair to have boys running in girls track meet? >> i think it is appropriate -- i think at the legal responsibility of schools to provide opportunities for students to participate in activities, and this includes students who are transgender. >> sean: here with reaction, fox news contributor tammy bruce. you know, it's been interesting to watch the reaction, not only to that, but the whole issue, and a lot of people feeling it's unfair to -- we have, for example, title ix, but to women's sports, your reaction? >> well, that's true, and that is why i think he was hesitant at giving a direct answer, because he knows that it is, i th

and a vote on jennifer granholm to be energy secretary and after that moving on to miguel cardona to be education secretary. c-span 3 the senate holds a confirmation hearing to the u.s. surgeon general, a position he previously held during the obama administration. they'll also consider the nomination of dr. rachel levine to assist as hhs secretary. that's live at 10 a.m. eastern. >> there are several events streaming live today on our website. at 9:30 a.m. eastern defense department officials testify in front of the senate armed services committee about the pentagon's covid-19 response. at 10:00, katherine tai has confirmation hearing to be u.s. trade representative and also house appropriations subcommittee hears from the acting u.s. capitol police chief and acting house sergeant at arms about improving security at the capitol following last month's attack. again, you'll find that live at c-span.org. >> book tv on c-span2 has top nonfiction books and authors at 9 p.m. sunday evening after words, nationally syndicated radio host on his book "fish out of water" a search for the meani

precautions during his confirmation hearing today, the president's nominee for education secretary, miguel cardona, pledged to do everything in his power to safely reopen schools. but he did not give many specifics about how he plans to do it. the well-being of america's children hangs in the balance. so does the future of the economy, so which officials say can't get back to normal until parents have their kids back in school cnbc's kate rogers tracking the fight. >> reporter: from coast to coast, the battle over when and how to reopen schools is heating up as vaccines slowly roll out and covid cases continue to surge. in san francisco, the city sued its own school board to force it to develop a reopening plan. in chicago, one educator is teaching remotely from outside of his classroom to limit his family's exposure. and in wake county, north carolina, the school district calling forsubstitute teachers ahead of its planned reopening the american federation of teachers says widespread testing is key to reopening safely, as has been the case in places like colorado this as a new cdc report says it'

lead the education department is being tested by lawmakers at his confirmation hearing today, miguel cardonae questions about how he would lead the nation's schools. senators particularly focused on how to reopen claw. classrooms as some school systems say all students and teachers need to be vaccinated before returning to in person learning despite negotiations, some unions have refused to move away from remote learning. we certainly hope and encourage progress on that front, but the president's focuses on the school's re opening safely. we all want to make sure we can get our students back into school safely. republicans have accused democrats and president biden and bowing to pressure from teachers unions to keep schools closed until teachers are vaccinated for the coronavirus. in the south bay. the vita is temporarily suspending fare collection to minimize interactions between bus drivers and passengers starting february 8 passengers will be able to enter busses and light rail through the rear door without paying. it's something to be ta tried over the summer when there was a surge of co

what about president biden's nominee for education secretary, miguel cardona?his week. let's take a listen to some of his statements, geoffrey. >> our nation's educational challenges didn't begin with the pandemic. but it has exacerbated inequities in our educational system. so much change has happened, we're going to need moreem counselors in our schools. we're going to i need to make se we have summer programming. we're going to need to make sure we have extended day. if we really want to recover, we really need to invest now or we're going to pay later. >> will his plan work to get the kids caught up? >> if you asked me what we need to do, that would have been what i would have said. >> good. >> and here we are in the midst of fighting with teachers, teachers unions, we need to be sitting down and crafting the strategy to get our kids caught up. and by the way, it's not going to be aay two-month thing or les do just a summertime. this is going to take us literally years, and we've got to reimagine education so that we're thinking about how we use summertime,

right now miguel cardona is sitting down with senators for his confirmation hearing and the energy committee is about to hold a vote to advance jennifer granholm's nomination to the full senate for final confirmation. in about 20 minutes from now you have isabelle guzman joe biden's pick to head the small business administration facing senators in her own confirmation. it is a busy morning on capitol hill. all of that even before we get to what is set to happen in just about ten minutes from now, the start of the congressional tribute ceremony for fallen capitol hill police officer brian sicknick. >>> also ahead, we have new nbc news reporting on what hundreds of democratic hill staffers did to try to persuade senators to convict former president trump. >>> plus new comments just out this morning from president biden, his most substantial yet, about his predecessor's upcoming impeachment trial. >>> plus a major stakeup in the state with one of the worst records for covid vaccinations in the country. we're live on the ground with what they're trying to do to thurn things around. all of it com

miguel cardona to serve as secretary of education. both nominees have been advanced by the respective committees with bipartisan votes, a pattern this week and at a time when our nation is gripped by a once in a century crisis, the president deserves to have his nominees approved quickly by this chamber so they can immediately get to work healing our great country. on another matter entirely, today, madam president, the united states will surpass more than 500,000 deaths from covid-19. half a million souls, half a million souls. how as a nation do we grapple with this enormous tragedy? how do we even comp mend a number that big or a loss that great? do we imagine five of our largest football stadiums filled to the max, wiped out in an instant. the city of atlanta or sacramento erased overnight. a 9/11 attack every single day for 169 days in a row? they say a single death is a tragedy but a million deaths is a statistic. we must not let this tragic milestone wash over us like just another awful statistic stacked on top of a year's wort

schools able to get kids back in school when others are not but first of all news of the deus miguel cardonaconfirmation hills on capitol hill. it seems that the biden goal to get schools kids back in school at 100 days is wobbling a little bit. >> right, and fairness to president biden, you know the schools are controlled locally. it is not really the federal government. the federal government can do things as it has tried to do with resources for covid and so forth, but look, the science is very clear here. the teachers unions are in charge of the big city school districts and a lot of them don't want to open. you know, the cdc is now saying it is safer schools to reopen. they can do it. dr. fauci says this. all of these people that love the science when it comes to closing. they are not so thrilled with the science when it comes to reopening. >> john: on the subject the centers for disease control, you have the big teachers unions saying, we will not go back to the classroom until all of the teachers have been vaccinated. here is what the cdc director said about that a little while ago. >

confirmed and the truth is we need them confirmed now so whether it's neera tanden, whether it's miguel cardonanominees and right now, this country's in crisis. the last thing we should be doing is still talking about nominees. what we should be doing is working with those secretaries to improve the lives and the situations that we're dealing with all across the country. so, we applaud the senate for the hard work that they're doing, but we want to push them a little bit more to get our nominees confirmed so that we can do more for more people. >> cedric, i know how busy it is in that building, and i know that because of our breaking news, you had to leave whatever meetings you were in and stand there on the north lawn and wait for us, and i apologize for the delay and i thank you for being patient with us on a day like today. it's great to spend some time with you. >> no problem. thanks for having me. >> thank you very much. >>> when we come back, the latest developments and the breaking story we've been covering all afternoon. golf superstar tiger woods involved in a car crash in southern cal

the clerk: nomination, department of education, miguel a. cardona of connecticut to be secretary. mr. schumer: madam president, i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance of the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of miguel a. cardona of cth to be secretary of -- of connecticut to be secretary of education signed by senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: thank you, madam president. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: my extended family and generations of ancestors who have sacrificed so much to be here today. i acknowledge on the and accosted has getaway people. as many of you know, my story is unique. today i serve as member of congress and vice chair of the house natural resources committee i

the secretary of education, or the nominee for that position, miguel cardona knows the importance of online working. he has championed it in connecticut. yesterday he testified about it to the health, education, labor and pension committee, and he is going to be a very steadfast advocate, a trusted champion for online learning. but he too needs the tool and the resources. think of it not as a spending item, not as a funding measure, it's an investment. it's an investment in the basics of devices and connectivity. it's an investment in our young people. connecticut has made that investment and we should not be skimping or cutting corners on our young people. we should not be, in effect, shortchanging them at this critical time when connectivity, broadband, online learning are really the lifeline for them. let's put them online with this lifeline, give them the ability to continue their education even as the pandemic locks them out of classrooms. it may be -- they may be physically no longer in person, but online they can connect and if they are denied that online access, they are trul

miguel cardona who is currently the, i believe the secretary of education for the state of connecticutil rights told the state of connecticut that allowing lining call males to participate in girls sports violated the rights of female students under title 9. and the reason this is such an important issue to senator paul and others is because the first day of his administration, president biden signed an executive order calling on schools to allow transathletes to participate in sports corresponding to how they now identify. so now biologically born boys can compete against girls. selena seoul was on a connecticut track team and has sued said that is simply not fairletlet. >> biological differences between a female's body and that's why sports have always been segregated and that's why it should continue to be segregated to protect women and to give them a fair chance at sports. you want to love everybody and identify how people want to identify. you definitely see both sides. i live in new york. some of my friends, we have open conversations about this because new york is such an open-

on c-span3 at 10 a.m., miguel cardona, the nominee for education secretary testifies before the senate health education and labor pensions committee and at two p.m., environmental protection agency administrator nominee testifies before the senate environment and public works committee. ♪ >> you are watching c-span, your unfiltered view of government. c-span was created by america's cable television companies in 1979. today, we are brought to you by these television companies who provide c-span to viewers as a public service. >> u.s. capitol police officers brian sick nick died after being attacked at the capital on january 6. his remains were brought to the capital tuesday night july in honor. present biden and first lady jill biden paid their respects along with members of congress. a congressional memorial service will be held this morning at 10 a.m. before the officer is buried at arlington national cemetery.

morning, the senate health education labor and pensions committee holds a confirmation hearing for miguel cardona to serve as education secretary, watch on c-span three. ♪ >> you are watching c-span, your unfiltered view of government. c-span was created by america's cable television companies in 1979. today, we are brought to you by these television companies who provide c-span to viewers as a public service. utah senator mike lee talked about the se

miguel cardona to serve as secretary of education. both nominees have been advanced by the respective committees with bipartisan votes, a pattern this week and at a time when our nation is gripped by a once in a century crisis, the president deserves to have his nominees approved quickly by this chamber so they can immediately get to work healing our great country. on another matter entirely, today, madam president, the united states will surpass more than 500,000 deaths from covid-19. half a million souls, half a million souls. how as a nation do we grapple with this enormous tragedy? how do we even comp mend a number that big or a loss that great? do we imagine five of our largest football stadiums filled to the max, wiped out in an instant. the city of atlanta or sacramento erased overnight. a 9/11 attack every single day for 169 days in a row? they say a single death is a tragedy but a million deaths is a statistic. we must not let this tragic milestone wash over us like just another awful statistic stacked on top of a year's wort

president, i rise to support the nomination of miguel cardona to be the next secretary of education. he has the background, qualifications, and the temperament to serve in this position. dr. cardona as a rise from a classroom teacher to a school principal to a commissioner of education for the state of connecticut. i'm glad the president's nominated him to lead the education department. it's such a challenging time for our nation's schools. covid-19-related school closures have led to significant learning losses with millions of children stuck at home trying to learn. parents are at their wit's end because many of the adults running public schools aacross our country are failing to actually follow the science. we should be seriously talking about reopening schools as quickly as possible. that's what the science tells us. that's what students need. dr. cardona testified before the senate help committee. he stressed the need for students to get back to school. and i'm glad that's now finally a bipartisan mission. at the same time each school district, college, university, state and loca