mrs. murray: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: i thank my colleague from connecticut, and i rise today as well to urge my colleagues to vote against this dangerous resolution which would pull the rug out from under our covid response efforts at a really critical moment. we are fighting an unprecedented pandemic, and we all know just how painful this fight has been. everyone remembers the way it upended our economy as small businesses shuttered, workers got sent home, the way it upended our health care system as emergency rooms filled and supplies dwindled and health care professionals started working really long hours in dangerous conditions, the way it upended our lives when schools and child care providers were forced to close to keep people safe. we all know people who have been twucted by this will deadly -- infected by this deadly virus, we know people who are fighting the effects of long covid which we are still trying to work to understand. and we all know people who have been killed by this virus. we have lost famil

mrs. murray: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: mr.resident, i rise to move qualified nominees from the help committee. notwithstanding rule 22, the senate move to executive session to consider executive calendar numbers 300, 348, 349, 416, 17, 18, 419, 422, 423, 425, 427, 484, 485, 569, 570, 571, 589l9, 591, 592, 593 and 594, the nominations be confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, no further motions be in order, any related statements be printed in the record, the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. lee: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lee: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mrs. murray: right now the help committee has more than 30 nominees who are waiting on us to confirm them. these are qualified nominees and they should be on the job and working, overseeing critical parts of the department of labor and department of education, leading independent agencies and serving in

mrs. murray: mr. president, covid-19 has killed over 780,000 people in our country. this pandemic has a higher body count than any war we have ever fought in, and it's not over. we should be doing everything we can to stop this virus. we should be using every tool to keep america safe. we all know the damage this virus can do to our communities and to our economy. that is why the biden administration has taken steps to urge employers to make sure their employees are fully vaccinated or test negative for covid-19 before they come to the workplace. that's a move that's widely popular with the american people. no one wants to go to work and be worried they might come home to their family with a deadly virus. even businesses support this step. the chamber of commerce is hurnlging -- urging businesses to comply with the administration's emergency temporary standard. and perhaps more importantly it's a move that will save lives. we've seen these requirements have a huge impact. in fact, many businesses with vaccination requirements have seen havings rates rise well above 9

mrs. murray: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: i thank my colleague from connecticut, and i rise today as well to urge my colleagues to vote against this dangerous resolution which would pull the rug out from under our covid response efforts at a really critical moment. we are fighting an unprecedented pandemic, and we all know just how painful this fight has been. everyone remembers the way it upended our economy as small businesses shuttered, workers got sent home, the way it upended our health care system as emergency rooms filled and supplies dwindled and health care professionals started working really long hours in dangerous conditions, the way it upended our lives when schools and child care providers were forced to close to keep people safe. we all know people who have been twucted by this will deadly -- infected by this deadly virus, we know people who are fighting the effects of long covid which we are still trying to work to understand. and we all know people who have been killed by this virus. we have lost famil

shouldn't work but it does work because you have bill murray and dan aykroyd and rick moranis and they are flawless. >> we have been going about this wrong. mrll's always explored what it means to escape sort of the constraints of convention. you feel in some way that you want to be as liberated as he is. ♪ ghostbusters ♪ >> instead of worshipping musicians, now we're worshipping stand-up comedians and skit comedians and there's this idea that comedy in the '80s is going to be the new rock and roll. >> listen up. i don't like white people. i hate rednecks. you people are rednecks. it means i'm enjoying this shit. >> you got to remember when eddie murphy first started with "48 hours," he was 20 years old. then he does "trading places" and then he does the blockbuster "beverly hills cop." eddie murphy in the '80s was comedy. he is a perfect every man and so likeable even though he is kind of a shit. >> it wasn't about necessarily being the put upon guy. it's being the guy smarter than the room. he is bugs bunny. >> this is the cleanest and nicest police car i have ever been in in my life. it's nicer than my apartment. >> up until that point, h

quorum call: quorum call: mrs. murray: mr. president?he presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the quorum be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, today abortion rights are hanging in the balance at the supreme court and the threat to roe is very real. why? because for decades extreme republicans have attacked abortion rights from every an angle, and they are continuing their nonstop efforts to build a country where patients are forced to remain pregnant and carry their pregnancies to term against their will. but i want to make it clear. that is absolutely unacceptable because the majority of americans don't agree with extreme republicans. the majority of americans want a country where everyone can choose if and when to start a family, free from political interference. so i will not sit silently wh

mrs. murray: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from washington. already already thank you, mr. president. i rise today, as i have done too many times before and as my colleague senator murphy did just last week, to reiterate what people across my home state and the entire country have been calling for for years now. mrs. murray: calling for us to take action here in the senate to end the crisis of gun violence that we are seeing in our schools, in our neighborhoods, and across our country. last week we mourned the deaths of four high school students following the tragic shooting at oxford high school in michigan. my heart goes out to those four students' families and friends, and my heart goes out to every student at oxford high who is now carrying the trauma of that experience. my heart breaks for everyone who grows up thing this will eventually happen to them at their heart and my heart hurts for every parent who worries every time they send their kid off to school because, let'

mrs. murray: mr. president, covid-19 has killed over 780,000 people in our country. this pandemic has a higher body count than any war we have ever fought in, and it's not over. we should be doing everything we can to stop this virus. we should be using every tool to keep america safe. we all know the damage this virus can do to our communities and to our economy. that is why the biden administration has taken steps to urge employers to make sure their employees are fully vaccinated or test negative for covid-19 before they come to the workplace. that's a move that's widely popular with the american people. no one wants to go to work and be worried they might come home to their family with a deadly virus. even businesses support this step. the chamber of commerce is hurnlging -- urging businesses to comply with the administration's emergency temporary standard. and perhaps more importantly it's a move that will save lives. we've seen these requirements have a huge impact. in fact, many businesses with vaccination requirements have seen havings rates rise well above 9

mrs. murray: i can say with confidence to the senior senator from kentucky who spoke this morning on child care, as a former teacher, we can rest assured we're not at risk of a toddler takeover in the senate. i have never heard so much misinformation in such a short time from one person. it's not at all clear to me that the senior senator from kentucky read the bill. the build back better bill. so i want to set some facts straight. under our bill, working parents will have way more options and pay way less to send their child to a high-quality child care provider they choose. same with pre-k. parents of 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds will have more options to send their kids to quality preschool for free. we're talking about parents saving thousands of dollars a year on child care and pre-k, which are huge financial burdens to families right now. it's also, by the way, a great deal for our states, who, by the way, are already working with the federal government on child care. and 44 states already h