mr. schumer: thank you. the presiding officer: the presiding officer: we're in roll call. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i'll be very brief. a number of us have clinics that serve our veterans' population. i have one in rochester. the senator from virginia has one, i think in newport beach. hampton roads. and there are others on both sides of the aisle where there was a potential -- where there's a potential problem because of the way c.b.o. scored it. we agreed rather than piggyback on the mccain amendment, that we would figure out a way to solve this problem bipartisan in the ndaa bill and i very pruch appreciate my friend from arizona's commitment to help us solve that problem. i know we'll have the complete cooperation of our ranking member, senator reed, and i look forward to trying to solve the problem for the benefit of veterans throughout the country who don't get the services that we need and we can move forward, at least in 17 areas where they will. i yield the floor. a senator:

mr. schumer: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. the presiding officer: the senate's in a quorum call. mr. blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. i ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. blumenthal: mr. president, i hope very strongly that my colleague and friend, the senator from new york and senator mccain will succeed in resolving this potential roadblock to amendment number 4039 because i very fervently support it. it would extend the temporary veterans choice program for an additional three years and provide funding to do so. the extension of this program is vital, and the current authorization is coming to an end. and at this point we lack a path forward on any of the proposals to overhaul v.a.'s care in the community program. while the veterans choice program has been far from perfect, requiring multiple legislative and administrative changes to make it function for veterans, extending it for an additional three years will allow us to address these necessary changes

mr. schumer: thank you.i thank my good friend from texas from yielding and for the great job he has done. this is another example of bipartisan legislation, and in fact another example of a cornyn-schumer collaboration which works pretty well around here. we've introduced this bill, senator cornyn and i, for the last three congresses. and first under the leadership of senator leahy, then under senator grassley. it has twice passed without objection through the senate judiciary committee, once by the full senate, and so i want to thank both senators leahy and grassley for their help as well. the bill is very near and dear to my heart as a new yorker because it would allow the victims of 9/11 to pursue some small measure of justice by giving them a legal avenue to hold foreign sponsors of terrorism accountable for their actions. the courts in new york have dismissed the 9/11 victims' claims against certain foreign entities alleged to have helped fund the 9/11 attacks. these courts are following what we believe

mr. chairman. >> thank you. senator schumer? >> thank you. i want to thank the witnesses. what you're doing is allowing the public to see what we senators, who have had a chance to meet merrick garland, what a fine judge he is and what a fine individual he is. it's extremely important. and each of your testimonies really was powerful in regard to that. it's a shame my republican colleagues, especially those who did not sit down with judge garland, aren't here to hear that. there's only one benefit. i can go after senator feinstein. but i'd trade that away in a minute for hearing them being here and having a real hearing. one of the things i'd like to focus on is what i have learned about judge garland. his ability to bring different sides together and unify an opinion. he has the reputation at least you all would know better than me of being a great listener. he's a really brilliant man, but he listens. he doesn't make up his own mind and then try to push people in that direction. and this is particularly important this week to think of being a unifier because we're celebr

mr. chairman. >> thank you. senator schumer, are you -- please go ahead. >> thank you. at a want to thank the witnesses. i mean, what you were doing is allowing the public to see what we senators who have had a chance to meet merrick garland, and seeing just what a fine jurist he is. we find judge he is, and what a fine individual years. and the fact that now the public ensure some of the i think is extremely important. each other testimonies really was powerful. in regard to that. it's a shame my republican colleagues, especially those who did not sit down with judge garland are not here to hear that. there's only one benefit. i can go immediately after senator feinstein. we don't have to alternate with the other side, but i would say that the weight in a minute for hearing, for them of being here and having a real hearing. one of the things i'd like to focus on is what i've learned about judge garland. his ability to bring different sites together and unify an opinion. he has the reputation at least you all would do better than me, of being a great listener. he's a re