mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: mr. majority leader. mr. schumer: madam president, six months ago the democratic majority began this congress by aggressively won fronting the covid crisis. we passed the american rescue plan, one of the largest federal stimulus measures in history to help bring an end to the economic downturn and prime our economy to come roaring back. now millions of americans have come off the unemployment rolls and small businesses have reopened from coast to coast. more than 150 americans have been -- 150 million americans have been fully vaccinated. we need, of course, to keep up the effort to inoculate the rest of the country. but suffice it to say we are well on our way to bringing the country out of chaos, out of crisis, and back to normal. but the task is not done. as our country reopens and americans return to work, we must turn our attention to laying a foundation for the future. this upcoming work period will focus on exactly that, building a foundation for future american prosperity for years and decades to come

mr. schumer: not for fairness. not for bipartisanship. but to jaundiced elections, and if the consequences, americans of all parties feel that the elections are not fair, what is going to happen to this sacred and wonderful democracy? republicans are actively dismantling all the barriers that prevented donald trump from subverting our elections in 2020. imagine if they hadn't been in effect, imagine. all of these efforts have an orwellian logic. under the guise of, quote, election integrity, republican legislatures are sowing more doubt about our elections through phony audits and fact-free claims of voter fraud. they are lying. i just saw on tv this morning how the trump lawyers are being lambasted in court and even rudy giuliani has lost his license to practice because they lied about the election. that they perpetrated the big lie in legal documents. the same thing is happening everywhere. what is happening to this republican party? what is happening when donald trump, the biggest liar we have ever had as president, sets the tone and t

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. humer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 232. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. opposed, say nay. the ayes have it. the motion is greed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of homeland security, ur mendoza jaddou, of california, to be the director of the united states citizenship and immigration services. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: the clerk: , cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nominat

mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: [inaudible] the presiding officer: the motion is entered s. mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: at the end of the vote -- sorry. madam president, i just want to explain what happened on the floor very briefly. at the end of the vote, i changed my response to a no so that i may move to reconsider this vote at a future time. i yield the floor. mr. leahy: madam president? the presiding officer: the senior senator from vermontment. mr. leahy: madam president, i ask -- i have nine requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority leader and lean leader. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. leahy: i thank the chair. madam president -- i don't want to interrupt their conversation. madam president, i rise on the floor today to honor the legacy of one of the country's most cherished heroes, a very dear and close friend of mine, john lewis. this past saturday marked one year s

mr. schumer: now, mr. president, with respect to infrastructure, senators continue to make good progress on both tracks of legislation. members should be prepared to vote again on cloture on the motion to proceed to the bipartisan infrastructure bill as early as tonight. on another matter, yesterday, the senate appropriations chairman, senator leahy, announced a bipartisan agreement to provide $2.1 billion in emergency supplemental funding to support the capitol police, reimburse our national guard, and make sure all the critical functions of the capitol complex are properly funded. the toll of january 6 and the impact of covid had meant that funding for the capitol police, the capitol complex, and even for our national guard was running low. capitol police have been forced to cancel critical training and health services and have had to hold off on buying new potentially lifesaving gear like helmets and body armor and respirators. thankfully, the bipartisan agreement between the chair and ranking member of

mr. schumer, a previously served time during the struggle against apartheid. cutting it close to a midnight deadline. the convoy your vehicles carries foremost south african president, jacob xena on his way to hand himself over to authorities. ah, the 79 year old is now in custody in his home province, beginning his 15 month sentence for contempt of court. on sunday is in a stretch, he wasn't afraid of jail time referencing his previous incarceration for his role in fighting south africa's races apartheid regime to remind them. and i am not scared of doing of bowing to jail. for my beliefs it will not be. for the 1st time, i will be a prisoner of conscience. the former president, it was in office for 9 years, has been at the center of corruption allegations surrounding his time in public life. the contempt of court charge came as a result of him refusing to appear at a corruption commission. he's called the process a political conspiracy but authorities have accused him of misappropriating funds and fraud. some of the charges date back 20 years. the on monday, the constitutional court is du

what we so far between the floor, mr. schumer, they're you now to repeat myself, wrapping up what we know so far. we're in conversation with my kind of our correspondence. so mike, it looks like they've got the votes, but it might be a few late nights there for people inside the chamber. well, they've got the votes at this particular point, they got over that 60 threshold. that was needed on this particular motion to proceed to the debate. now, whether all of those who supporting that bill will continue to do so in the days ahead is very difficult to predict. now we heard the problem, the senate majority leader, chuck schumer, making very clear that he was seeing these 2 separate bills as operating in tandem . that bill that was passed in the house last month by earlier this month is a $3.00 trillion dollar development bill. he wants to see that broad intended with this book that was be debated in the last few minutes. now that is going to create to turn problems because many republicans in particular are deeply opposed to that bill. that was part of the house. many democrats are not

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mer: i ask unanimous consent that a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the republican leader, the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 1652, which was received from the house and is at the desk and that the only amendment in order be the following: toomey 2121. further that there be two hours for debate equally divided between the leaders or their designees, that upon the use or yielding back of the time, the senate vote in relation to the toomey amendment. that upon the disposition of the toomey amendment the bill as amended, if amended, be considered read a third time. the senate vote on passage of the bill as amended if amended, with a 60 affirmative vote threshold required for passage, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. finally that there be two minutes of debate equally divided prior to each vote in this series. the presiding officer: is there objection?

mr. schumer's need to win the pennsylvania 17th this of conor lamb, a contested district outside of pittsburghnk their world and all of these enormous numbers we are talking about in the gazillions for houses in the hamptons, link that into conor lamb and the democratic party's reality. jack: you picked a good district because conor lamb is exactly the kind of member democrats are worried about losing in those moderate suburban areas in pennsylvania and elsewhere in 2022. the house margin is practically as slim as the senate margin, so that kind of thing is critical for democrats in congress. as it pertains to banking in particular, the banking regulations that the democrats want to do has not quite been as high a priority to get to the floor as the fiscal focus. in washington, the focus has been on the recovering economy and what washington can do in a fiscal sense in that regard, but really, conor lamb and other moderates are who you watch for when you see democrats raining in some of those progressive proposals on the economy. so banking in particular, i'm not sure exactly how to link all o

mr. schumer said thursday he is setting a hard deadline for next week of both deals so they can be presentedo the senate for consideration. the deadline adds pressure. the senators heckling over the bipartisan infrastructure deal and human infrastructure package, which includes health care, environmental spending as well. back to your phone calls as we are trying to talk to parents and guardians about this charlton tax credit. this is amin out of temple, texas, and come under $50,000 a year. caller: this is something important to me and my wife. we both have to work, and i have to work 2 jobs, and my wife have to give all the money she is working for to childcare. senator mcdonald has a lot of nerve -- for the last 40 years the sudde -- republicans have been giving corporations money. they have not given us nothing. this is a blessing. people ought to show the president how much they appreciate this. host: do you mind saying how much the check was yesterday? how much more a month is your family getting? caller: we have two children, and we got $300 for each one. $600. host: what is $600 in y

mr. schumer also imposed a wednesday deadline for all 50 members of the democratic caucus to coalesce around a separate $3.5 trillion framework for a budget resolution paving the way for a sweeping package of education, anti-poverty and climate programs, liberal democrats have said they won't support the bipartisan infrastructure bill unless they have assurances that they will have enough support among their own ranks to pass the separate budget package. democrats plan to pass the $3.5 trillion anti-poverty and education process through a process tied to the budget that enables them to pass legislation with just a simple majority rather than the 60 votes most bills need to advance in the senate. that means democrats can't afford a single defection in their own ranks since republicans are expected to unite against the budget package. back to calls and your thoughts. your grade for president biden in his first six months in office. to san diego, republican line, this is -- this is janice. good morning. >> caller: good morning. i can't believe that he stood up there and said 60,000 jobs a week,

mr. schumer: i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that savannah tingis, be granted floor privileges today, july 13, 2021. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cassidy: i am here to talk about two things. and, first, let me give a heart-felt congratulations to ziela, this incredible -- this incredible 14-year-old young lady who just won the national spelling bee. she is louisiana's first winner and the first african american winner of the spelling bee. she dominated, getting words that i don't think any of the rest of us would be able to spell. i should also note she holds the world record for dribbling. she has a video of dribbling and juggling basketballs at the same time. she shows that hard work and dedication brings success. senator kennedy and i i congratulate her. if she wants to do an internship in the united states senate, please give me a call. i'll remember you, and if you wish to do that internship, we are here to encourage you as you embark on the rest of your lif

mr. schumer: thank you, madam president.he presiding officer: the senate stands in recess subject to the call of the chair. and such, thicker armor, higher up off the road. >> successful? >> yeah. the difference in afghanistan is the terrain. pretty easy to roll them over too and roll them down a hill and into a river where everybody drowns. >> yeah. >> you know, in iraq we were in humvees. in afghanistan we were in humvees. the acronym escapes me right now, but it is the big -- >> it wasn't a striker vehicle, was it? >> no. >> i know what you are talking about. i can see it, but -- >> i was just talking about them yesterday. that's the way it is; right? [laughter] so, you know, we have a lot of protection, but some of those ieds were just -- they're just powerful things. >> do you know where they were getting the explosives from? the components from? was it -- >> there was always rumors that they were coming from different countries. you know, when we were in iraq, iran supposedly was supplying a lot of that stuff. but it's

mr. schumer: are we in a quorum? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. schumer: mr.resident, for decades, both parties have shared a desire to invest in our nation's infrastructure. it's one of the few issues here in washington where our two parties can consistently work together. and it's been years since congress passed a significant stand-alone investment. we're hoping to change that this year. nearly a month ago, a month ago, a bipartisan group of senators came together, along with the white house, and agreed on a framework for a bipartisan infrastructure bill. so last night, i moved to set up a process for the senate to consider that bipartisan framework. on wednesday, the senate will take the first procedural vote on a

mr. schumer said thursday he is setting a hard deadline for next week of both deals so they can be presentedo the senate for consideration. the deadline adds pressure. the senators heckling over the bipartisan infrastructure deal and human infrastructure package, which includes health care, environmental spending as well. back to your phone calls as we are trying to talk to parents and guardians about this charlton tax credit. this is amin out of temple, texas, and come under $50,000 a year. caller: this is something important to me and my wife. we both have to work, and i have to work 2 jobs, and my wife have to give all the money she is working for to childcare. senator mcdonald has a lot of nerve -- for the last 40 years the sudde -- republicans have been giving corporations money. they have not given us nothing. this is a blessing. people ought to show the president how much they appreciate this. host: do you mind saying how much the check was yesterday? how much more a month is your family getting? caller: we have two children, and we got $300 for each one. $600. host: what is $600 in y

mr. schumer: madam president, six months ago the democratic majority began this congress by aggressivelyon fronting the covid crisis. we passed the american rescue plan, one of the largest federal stimulus measures in history to help bring an end

mr. schumer has imposed a wednesday deadline for all 50 members of the democratic caucus to coalesce around separate three point $5 trillion framework for a budget resolution, paving the way for a sweeping package of education, anti-poverty and climate programs. liberal democrats have said they won't support the bipartisan infrastructure bill unless they have assurances that they will have enough support among their own ranks to pass a separate budget package. democrats plan to pass the anti-poverty education package through a process tied to the budget that enables them to pass legislation with just a simple majority rather than the 60 votes that most bills need to advance in the senate, meaning democrats cannot afford a single infection within their own ranks as republicans are expected to unite against the budget package. back to your calls, your thoughts, your grade for president biden in his first six months in office. san diego, republican line, janice, good morning. caller: good morning. i can't believe that he stood up there and said 60,000 jobs a week. most jobs in 40 years. where?

mr. schumer talking about the climate corps and how the federal government wants to hire you didn't people union people to run the climate corps. that does not make sense. host: to illinois, we hear from the democrats line. top story of the week. caller: hi. my top story of the week would be the january 6 commission that is being created by nancy pelosi and the democrats. that wanted to be bipartisan but leader mccarthy -- i would not want to say bottom of the barrel, the democrats refused it. you cannot call that a partisan effort. host: this week, house speaker nancy pelosi refusing to seat jim on the panel. the five republicans in total were pulled out the panel by the republican leader kevin mccarthy. the wine republican remaining on the panel is liz cheney and she was appointed by house speaker nancy pelosi. there have been news reports that the speaker is interested in appointing adam kinzinger of illinois on that panel as well. we know that they will meet in their procession coming up -- i want to tell you about our program coming up sunday on c-span, sunday night, january 6 news fr

schumer: mr.resident, i want to commend the senators who worked with president biden to reach an agreement on a bipartisan infrastructure deal. the senate has come together and in a strong bipartisan fashion, voted to begin the legislative process here on the senate floor. amy: democrats are also hoping to pass a separate $3.5 trillion bill through the reconciliation process, but that effort may be doomed after democratic senator krysten sinema of arizoncame out against it on wednesday. congressmember alexandria ocasio-cortez criticized sinema on twitter writing quote, "good luck tanking your own party's investment on child care, climate action, and infrastructure." the world trade organization has failed again to agree on a proposal to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for coronavirus vaccines. key opponents to the proposal include the european union, japan, and south korea. this comes as a new study by the people's vaccine alliance finds the cost of vaccinating the world would be fi

mr. president, senator schumer, speaker pelosi, we love you. show us the detail. we're tired of less than. we must fully protect this democracy. come talk to the people on the ground. put those legislators on air force one. data constables to come on that plane and arrest them. fly them back and go to the well of the congress and say we've got to do all of this, not just some of it, and i guarantee you the people will stand up for you. the moral consciousness of the nation will change, and you will go down in history because you did not separate injustice, but you stood with justice. >> and real quickly, that was an impassioned argument to the speaker, the senate majority leader. what would your message be to senators manchin, sinema, and the other ones who are hiding behind them when it comes to not supporting even carving out an exemption for voting rights for the filibuster? >> manchin ought to be ashamed of himself. 79%over west virginianesses want what the people are wanting. he's wrong, he's been controlled by the u.s. chamber of commerce. 39 of us were arre

mr. trump would not use nuclear weapons. senate majority leader chuck schumer dodged -- did you express those concerns? >> i'm going to keep my conversations between myself and general milley private. >> reporter: milley himself was criticized for appearing with trump on june 1st after protesters were cleared from lafayette square. he later apologized. the book says milley and other top military leaders discussed the possibility of resigning one after another if it became necessary. these accounts come as the house select committee investigating the causes of january 6th have scheduled its first hearing for later this month. kris van cleave, cbs news, >>> a police standoff in texas has left one officer dead and levelland near lubbock. the suspect was taken into custody before midnight, more than ten hours after the police responded after a neighbor reported the suspect was acting strange and walking around with a gun. the suspect had barricaded himself inside his house before he allegedly opened fire on the officers, killing one. a motive has not been released.

mr. president, whether senator schumer will honor requests for people who were not part of the negotiating group -- the gang or -- i don't guess they call themselves g-10, g-20 or g-21, whatever they are called. but it is a subsection of senators that have been negotiate being the bill. but the question is whether the majority will permit other senators who are not part of that negotiating group to offer amendments to the bill and whether they will permit us to have debate and votes on those amendments. because i didn't delegate the responsibilities i have as a senator representing 29 million americans to them to negotiate a bill for my state. that's my responsibility. and i insist on having a chance to read the bill, to consult with them, and to see what the impact is going to be on my state. and to consult with my governor and the head of the texas department of transportation and others to see whether this is something they believe i -- that earns my support and that texas should support. now, none of this is mysterious. this is the normal way of doing business around here; moving bills

mr. trump would not use nuclear weapons. senate majority leader chuck schumer today dodged.did you express concerns? >> i am going to keep conversations private. >> reporter: milley was criticized for appearing with president trump june 1 last year after protestors were cleared from lafayette square. he later apologized. the book says milley and other top military leaders discussed resigning one after another as if it became necessary. these new counts coming as the house select committee investigating as the causes of january 6th scheduled its first hearing for later this month. norah. >> o'donnell: kris van cleave, thank you. tonight, firefighters across the west are on the highest level of alert for wildfires, and it's the earliest that's happened in more than a decade. more than 70 large fires are burning in a dozen states. here's cbs's lilia luciano. >> reporter: the brutal summer continues, plagued by drought, scorched by record heat. the fire danger remains extreme. one burning now in california is near the town of paradise, rebuilt after being completely destroyed ne

schumer came to the floor to discuss the democrats agreement on infrastructure. he also announced draft legislation to end the federal prohibition on marijuana. >> mr. president. late last night after a very amazing meeting, several hour meeting of the budget committee -- budget committee where people spoke their lines, we recently my agreement on a $3.5 trillion legislation. it will pave the way for historic legislation later on this year called the american jobs and family plan. very simply, this budget resolution will allow us to pass the most significant legislation to expand support and help american families since the new deal. since the new deal. this is generational transformational change to help american families. they need to help in this rapidly changing world. every major program that president biden has asked for is funded in a robust way. the president will be attending the democratic caucus lunch later this day to talk about not only agreement but the next steps along the way. when you consider the american jobs and families plan in conjunction with the bipartisan infrastructure bill which is close to $600 billion, you get $4.1 trillion. that i

mr. warner and senator manchin and others and, of course, leader schumer, i'm optimistic they'll be automobileo bring together strong package. >> i don't know anybody traveling that doesn't want better roads and bridges and a lot of this stuff. what i do hear concern about including among democrats, senator, is the pricetag. you no he that. some of your moderate colleagues in the senate are a lull concerned about that. i certainly hear it out there in middle america. so make your case. make your case with this? >> this is where we stand with donald trump tax scam cha cost the american people $2 trillion to give a tax cut to the most wealthy in america. if anyone was listening to senator warner who also spoke about the importance of not just having the strong package that we can move forward, but having it fully paid for. and included in the negotiations we'll working on in the budget committee as well as the work that is being done with the bipartisan package is coming up with pay for the initiatives and doing it such that people making less than $400,000 across america will not see a tax incr

mr. pruden about continuing cyberattacks on u.s. businesses and infrastructure originating in russia. in a letter to senators, majority leader chuck schumerk long nights and weekends and to cut short their planned august recess. leader schumer is looking to pass both a bipartisan infrastructure package and a budget blueprint that will pave the way for a larger democrat only tax and spending bill. he says committee staff have been working during the current two-week fourth of july break. the centers for disease control is looking to give schools more flexibility when it comes to reopening during the pandemic. in new guidance, the cdc says schools should use

mr. pruden about continuing cyberattacks on u.s. businesses and infrastructure originating in russia. in a letter to senators, majority leader chuck schumer says they should be prepared to work long nights and weekends and to cut short their planned august recess. leader schumer is looking to pass both a bipartisan infrastructure package and a budget blueprint that will pave the way for a larger democrat only tax and spending bill. he says committee staff have been working during the current two-week fourth of july break. the centers for disease control is looking to give schools more flexibility when it comes to reopening during the pandemic. in new guidance, the cdc says schools should use local health data when looking to tighten or relax strategies liked insisting, ventilation, and handwashing. a fast spreading delta variant has raised concerns about a possible surge in covid cases in areas that are under vaccinated. mexico is racing to get covid-19 vaccines to border states, trying to inoculate all adults, as part of the president's plan to revise his battered economy. the president is hoping that getting all adults along the border

mr. president -- >> all right. well, there's your sound bite. they're heading around the corner to the mansfield room. senator mccaskill, let's pick it up right there. schumer course, ran the committee. he is a political guy. he knows what he's up against and what you were talking about and so does president biden for that matter. how has biden balanced that job of making sure progressives stay in the camp, while also underscoring, hey, if we want to keep running this town, we got to do what those other guys want? >> exactly. and this is where biden i think will, frankly, address those people that only have to worry about primaries in saying, hey, everybody, let's listen to all of us here. and get as much as we can done. and make no mistake about this, this stuff in this package is going to be wildly popular with the american people. i mean, when you expand medicare to include dental and vision and hearing. those are big deals to people on medicare. and when you do something meaningful on child care, that has a dramatic impact on the workforce. and in many ways could in fact bolster this economy until a in a positive way. but still you're talking about $4 t

debate on an infrastructure package, more on that now from senate majority leader chuck schumer from earlier today. quest mr. president, for decades both parties have shared a desire to invest in our nation's infrastructure. it is one of the few issues here in washington where our two parties can consistently work together. and it has been years since congress passed a significant standalone investment. we are hoping to change that this year. nearly a month ago, a month ago a bipartisan group of senators came together along bwith the white house and agreed on a framework for bipartisan infrastructure bill. so, las

mr. president, you must act and act now. get in the room. make those democrats come together. and pass these things, now. we need action from the president and senator schumer democratic caucus. >> congressman o'rourke, you -- you've heard, of course, that the senate -- you talked about this. they are working on a narrower bill. another voting rights bill. joe manchin's involved in that and activists would like to see that brought up and -- and dealt with, quickly, not because they want a narrower bill on voting rights but they think it won't pass, either. and then, it will increase the pressure on the president and kyrsten sinema and joe manchin to -- to do something, now, along the lines of what you were talking about. carve out voting rights from the filibuster. so if y'all want to keep your filibuster because you think it's all bipartisan and -- and great, knock yourselves out. but you can't let states abridge people's legitimate, constitutional right to vote. >> that's absolutely right. and i am very grateful for senator raphael warnock of georgia, who, i think, has been instrumental in bringing the party together, including senator manchin. and it's r

mr. trump fearing he may use nuclear weapons to execute his strategy. >> thank you -- >> reporter: thursday, senate majority leader chuck schumer dodged questions. did you express those concerns? >> i'm going to keep my conversations between myself and general milley private. ♪ >> reporter: the trump-appointed joint chiefs chair seemed to joke about the potential fallout from the book. >> i won't be at his retirement unfortunately. i may be at my own before that, but who knows? >> reporter: milley also reportedly saw parallels between former president trump's election fraud comments and the rhetoric.i y.yo >>> this morning, former seattle seahawks cornerback richard sherman is scheduled to appear in court. this is new footage showing him forcefully trying to break into his in-laws' house in suburban seattle. this happened on wednesday as we reported before. inside, panicked family members called 911 fearing what could happen next. >> my sister's husband is trying to break in the house. he's literally crazy. i've got a house full of kids -- >> tell me exactly -- where exactly is he trying to -- >> he tried to break in the front door. he had the d

schumer and speaker pelosi about the nature of the mayor's request. secretary of the army explains acting secretary of defense already approved full dcng mobilization. without be right as of 3:19? mr. salesses: that would be accurate. if i could clarify. sen. blunt: at 15: 26, phone call with mayor -- the mayor and the metropolitan police chief relays there is no denial of their request and convenes -- conveys the acrid -- the activation of full national guard. on your timeline, within seven minutes, one is mobilization. the other is activation. go ahead and explain what those two things mean. the mr. salesses: those words are used interchangeably. what the secretary did at 15:04 on six january was authorize the mobilization of the national guard. the d.c. national guard. all that does is provide for the national guard to be called in from wherever their homes are to come to the armory. that is what the mobilization activation order was. sen. blunt: i wonder if that is what senator schumer and speaker pelosi thought it meant. only they could. answer that. i wonder if that is what the mayor thought it meant when they were told at 3:19 and 3:26 that the guard was being mobilized and

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: are we in a quorum? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. schumer: madam president, before i close the senate, i want to inform the senators where we are today. first, i want to thank all of the senators who voted to proceed to today. the bipartisan group is still finalizing the text of the agreement which will be a substitute amendment with the nonpartisan legislative counsel. once they are finished, the text will be reviewed and then i will immediately offer the text of the bipartisan infrastructure as the substitute amendment, making it the base bill, as i have promised. as soon as the bipartisan group finalizes the text of the amendment and becomes the base bill we can start voting on the amendments. the senate will resume session tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. this is a really important bill and i know all the parties want to make sure it's done right. now, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative business and be in a period of morning business with senators per

mr. schumer: mr. president, i move to proceed to the motion to reconsider the vote by which the cloture vote failed on the motion to proceed to h.r. 3684. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. those opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: mr. president, i move to reconsider the vote by which the cloture failed on the motion to proceed to h.r. 3684. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion to reconsider. all those in favor say aye. those opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 100, h.r. 3684, an act to authorize funds for federal aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: now for years republicans and democrats have spoken about the need to invest invest -- let me start from the top. for years, madam president, republicans and democrats have spoken about the need to invest more in our nation's infrastructure. we are a country the size of a continent. every state has critical infrastructure demands. bridges that need repair, railways that need maintains, sewer systems that desperately need expansion and renovation. over a month ago now a bipartisan group of senators announced a deal with the white house on a framework for a bipartisan infrastructure bill, a breakthrough moment. ever since, i have committed both publicly and privately to put that bill on the senate floor. unfortunately, last week our republican colleagues prevented the senate from taking a procedural step to begin the debate, but i want to be very clear. i'm fully committed to passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill. as majority leader, i have the ability to move to reconsider t

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: now, madam president, for the past several months, both democrats and republicans have been hard at work putting together two major infrastructure bills to meet the challenges of the 21st century. we have proceeded along two tracks. the first track is a bipartisan infrastructure framework that has been agreed to by a group of democrats and republican senators and the white house. the second track is a budget resolution with reconciliation instructions that will allow the senate to take up the american jobs and families plan and make historic investments in jobs, family support policies, and initiatives to fight climate change. this week, the senate aims to make even more progress on these tracks. tonight, in a few minutes, i will file cloture on a shell bill which will act as a legislative vehicle for the bipartisan infrastructure framework. that vote on cloture will take place on wednesday. again, that vote on wednesday will be a vote on cloture simply to the motion to procee

mr. schumer: are we in a quorum? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. schumer: mr. president, for decades, both parties have shared a desire to invest in our nation's infrastructure. it's one of the few issues here in washington where our two parties can consistently work together. and it's been years since congress passed a significant stand-alone investment. we're hoping to change that this year. nearly a month ago, a month ago, a bipartisan group of senators came together, along with the white house, and agreed on a framework for a bipartisan infrastructure bill. so last night, i moved to set up a process for the senate to consider that bipartisan framework. on wednesday, the senate will take the first procedural vote on a shell bill. merely a vehicle to get the whole process started. it is not a final deadline for legislative text. it is not a cynical ploy. it is not a fish or cut bait moment. it's not an attempt to jam anyone. it's only a signal that the senate is ready to get the process started, something the senate has routinely done on other bipartisan bill

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: are we in a quorum? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. schumer: mr. president, yesterday, a substantial bipartisan majority of senators agreed to move forward with the debate on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. senators from the bipartisan group continue to finalize the text of the agreement. once the bipartisan group completes the legislative text, i will offer it as a substitute amendment, making it the base of the bill on the floor. and then we can proceed to the consideration of additional amendments. look, i understand that writing the text of a bill of this size is a difficult project. i have been part of many such efforts in the past. but i urge the bipartisan group to finish their work so we can begin the amendment process here on the floor. i have said for weeks that the senate is going to move forward on both tracks of infrastructure before the beginning of the august recess. the longer it takes to finish, the longer we'll be here, but we're going to get the j

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: are we in a quorum? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. schumer: mr. president, for decades, both parties have shared a desire to invest in our nation's infrastructure. it's one of the few issues here in washington where our two parties can consistently work together. and it's been years since congress passed a significant stand-alone investment. we're hoping to change that this year. nearly a month ago, a month ago, a bipartisan group of senators came together, along with the white house, and agreed on a framework for a bipartisan infrastructure bill. so last night, i moved to set up a process for the senate to consider that bipartisan framework. on wednesday, the senate will take the first procedural vote on a shell bill. merely a vehicle to get the whole process started. it is not a final deadline for legislative text. it is not a cynical ploy. it is not a fish or cut bait moment. it's not an attem

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 195. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. colombia nomination, department of justice, kenneth allen polite jr. to be assistant jurn. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: do here by move -- cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22, do hereby bring to a close debate on it kenneth allen polite, jr., signed by 17 senators as follows: mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with and i be allowed to speak for a few minutes, do my unanimous consent and then go right to senator shelby. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. and first, i want to just give my great thanks to senator leahy and senator shelby for bringing this vote here right now. the bottom line is very simple. this wasn't easy to get done. a u.c. on these kinds of issues should be easy but it's not. senator leahy persisted and persisted and persisted and i want to thank him as well. senator shelby persuaded the members on his side that we had to move and they have come up with a good compromise. it's not something -- not everything we wanted. i want to thank senator klobuchar and senator blunt, their work on the help committee. the rules committee helped pave the way for this and they deserve a lot of credit. now, look, to keep the capitol complex safe and secure, we're lucky to have the bes

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. chumer: pursuant to senate res. 27, the committee on energy and natural resources being tied on the question of reporting, i move to discharge the senate committee on energy and natural resources from further consideration of the nomination of tracy stone manning of montana to be director of the bureau of left-hand management. the presiding officer: the presiding officer -- i apologize here, mr. schumer. let me get back on track. under the provisions of s. res. 27, there will now be up to four hours of debate on the motion equally divided between the two leaders or their designees, with no motions, points of order or amendments in order. mr. schumer: as a reminder to all members, the official photograph of the 117th congress will be at 2:15 p.m. senators are asked to be on the floor at that time. following the photograph, the senate will reconvene and resume consideration of the motion to discharge the stone-managing nomination. -- stone-manning nomination. they could expect the vote t

mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: last night, madam president, the senate took a vote on whether to proceed to a debate on infrastructure. unfortunately, our republican colleagues blocked the senate from taking this first entirely procedural step. i understand that the effort to finish the text of the bipartisan bill has progressed since i announced this vote last week. the negotiators have made significant progress but there is still some outstanding issues. therefore, at the end of the vote yesterday, i changed my response to a no so that i may move to reconsider the vote at a future time. my colleagues on both sides should be assured as majority leader i have every intention of passing both major -- my colleagues on both sides of the aisle should be assured as majority leader i have every intention of passing both major infrastructure packages. the bipartisan infrastructure framework and a budget resolution with reconciliation instructions before we leave for the august recess. i laid out that precise sched

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. i have my remarks but first i will do a little bit of housekeeping here. the presiding officer: the senate's in a quorum call. the presiding officer: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum shall dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. now, mr. president, i understand there are two bills at the desk due for a second reading en bloc. the presiding officer: the senator is correct. the clerk will read the titles of the bills for the second time en bloc. the clerk: s. 2311, a bill making emergency supplemental appropriations for 2021 and for other purposes. h.r. 3684, an act for funds for highway safety programs an transit programs and for other purposes. mr. schumer: in order to place the bills on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceeding en bloc. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bills will be placed on the calendar. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. now, mr. president, in a democracy, no right is more

mr. schumer: madam president, six months ago the democratic majority began this congress by aggressively won fronting the covid crisis. we passed the american rescue plan, one of the largest federal stimulus measures in history to help bring an end to the economic downturn and prime our economy to come roaring back. now millions of americans have come off the unemployment rolls and small businesses have reopened from coast to coast. more than 150 americans have been -- 150 million americans have been fully vaccinated. we need, of course, to keep up the effort to inoculate the rest of the country. but suffice it to say we are well on our way to bringing the country out of chaos, out of crisis, and back to normal. but the task is not done. as our country reopens and americans return to work, we must turn our attention to laying a foundation for the future. this upcoming work period will focus on exactly that, building a foundation for future american prosperity for years and decades to come through smart and bold investments in our nation's infrastructure. as i've said for weeks, the discu

mr. schumer: mr. president, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the assistant majority leader is recognized. mr. durbin: are we in a quorum call? yes we are. the presiding officer: i ask it- yes we are. mr. durbin: this has been a sad week in the united states senate. first we lost senator enzi of wyoming and last night braws the news of the loss of senator carl levin of michigan. carl was an extraordinary person. i remember after i had been in the senate a few years, my friends back home said who are the real stars in the united states senate? and there were many who were just as obvious who could be, ted kennedy, for example. but i said there are two you probably don't know much about that i would turn to time and again if i had to make an important decision, either policy or politics, and i know i would get a thoughtful, intelligent response. one was paul sarbanes of maryland and the other was carl levin from michiga

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: first, before i get into the substance of my remarks, i just heard leader mcconnell's statements on debt ceiling. the leader's statements on debt ceiling are shameless, cynical, and totally political. this debt is trump debt. it's covid debt. democrats joined three times during the trump administration to do the responsible thing. and the bottom line is is that leader mcconnell should not be playing political games with the full faith and credit of the united states. americans pay their debts. now, let's get into what's happening here in the senate this afternoon. the senate will hold a procedural vote to get the legislative process started on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. i have been very clear about what this vote is. this vote is only the first step in the legislative process on the senate floor. it is merely a vote about whether the senate is ready to begin debating a bipartisan infrastructure bill. i have also been very clear about what this vote is not. this vote is