schumer, senator shaheen, senator coons, senator rosen, and senator collins. i also want to acknowledge that this is bipartisan. i have talked to senator rubio. he has informed me that this has cleared the hotline. so we are hopeful that we'll get this u.c. done today. but as we're waiting for the paperwork to get to us, let me just explain what the u.c. does before i make the u.c. request. the authority of the small business administration to approve any more paycheck protection program loans expires at midnight tonight. that was the deadline we established when we passed the cares act in march. that was a reasonable assumption in march. we thought by the end of june that our economy would be back on track and we would not need to have additional applications after that date. well, a lot has changed since march of this year, and we recognized that when we passed the partisan flexibility act. it changed the time period for use of p.p.p. funds from eight weeks to up to 24 weeks and changed the allocation that treasury had established of using 75% of the funds f

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate previous order, the senate >> the senate taking a break now to allow lawmakers to attend the weekly party caucus lunch meetings. they are expected back at 2:15 p.m. eastern for more debate on the nomination of cori wilson to be a judge on the fifth circuit court of appeals. a final vote is expected tomorrow. we expect tomorrow the senate to begin work on senator scott police reform bill known as the justice act. president trump former national security adviser john bolton sits down with the "washington post" today to talk about his book "the room where it happened." that's like one p.m. eastern here on c-span2, at c-span.org or listen live on the free c-span radio app.

and i thank the senator from maryland, ert senator from -- and the senator from pennsylvania for their work on their bill which will give the administration important new tools to address and to counter the actions of beijing. i want to say to the people of hoirng who i've had -- hong kong who i've had the privilege to meet who have stood up to this violent and authoritarian regime, i hope today's actions will give you an added measure of hope. that the free people of this nation and the free people of the world are with you and that we will not sit idly by, that we will stand up, that we will take action and your cause for your basic rights, your cause for your basic liberties is our cause as well. it's a privilege to stand with you as an american and as a missourian and it's a privilege to see this work accomplished today on the floor of the senate. i thank my colleagues. thank you, madam president. and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. van hollen: i want to thank the senator from missouri for bringing this to the floor last week, bringing this

-- floor of the senate. with that agile before. >> what. >> what effect my colleague from oklahoma for his dedication to this issue, his very substantive input. i was privileged to serve on the sort of mini group put a lot of work into this, under senator tim scott's very able leadership and of want to thank the way senator lankford always approaches issues, not disparaging motives but always looking at ways to improve and make this world a better place that's what this is about. i've been listening to loud arguments, a lot of discussion and i'm saying to myself if i am somebody watching this from afar, from oklahoma or from west virginia or vermont, i'm thinking to myself what is all this talk about 60 votes and culture and all this? they are not focus on that. all they know isd. we failed. this failed. and this was an opportunity that we should have grasped. we had a chance to discuss the need for police reform and to look at the very serious issues of racial inequalities. i am exceedingly exceedingly disa

feature of the senate predicting mine the senate floor. it is now commonly said it takes 60 votes to pass anything in the senate. this is new and obstructionist. that is the senate according to mitch mcconnell. what he offered us was not a bipartisan bill constructed in a committee, which incidentally, he appoints a majority to, brought to the floor then debated for amendment. no. for him, it was a take it or leave it motion to proceed vote with no promises as to what would follow from that. we know what would follow. little progress. i've been involved in some efforts to make a difference and every single one, there's been a bipartisan beginning. whether we are talking about immigration reform, criminal justice reform, it starts with bipartisanship and why? because if you need 60 votes, you need both parties. that means both parties have to buy into it from the beginning. that's the part that mcconnell left out. perhaps intentionally, but the need is still there. the only solace i take from the fact this delay has taken place in our effor

senate by senators booker and harris. instead, leader mcconnell is asking us to consider a bill that was drafted in their caucus, yes, but without the input of so many of us that have seen firsthand the damage that has been done here. he is then moving that bill directly to the floor instead of letting the judiciary committee consider it. i think that fails to make the kind of meaningful change we need in our system. this is a moment for urgent action, but it is also a moment for fundamental change. if we respond to all those people out there and the family of george floyd, who i got to meet and sat across the pews from at that memorial service, if we respond with silence, then we are complicit. if we respond as the president has suggested with dominance and by waving a bible in front of a church for a photo op, then we are monsters. but if we respond with action, meaningful action, colleagues, then we are lawmakers, and that is what the people of our states sent us to do. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a se

a senator: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the senator for california. ms. harris: the idea that we would not be taking the issue of lynching seriously is an insult, an insult to senator booker, to senator tim scott, and myself, and all of the senators past and present who have understood this is part of the great stain of america's history. to suggest that anything short of pulverizing someone so much that the casket would otherwise be closed except for the heroism and courage of emmett till's mother. to suggest that lynching would only be a lynching if someone's heart was pulled out and produced and displayed to someone else is ridiculous. and on this day, the day of george floyd's funeral, on this day, a day that should be a day of national mourning, mr. president, in 2018, the senate unanimously passed bipartisan antilynching legislation which i proudly introduced with the only other black members of this body, senator cory booker and senator tim scott. it was a historic moment. it marked the first time in the history of our country that federal antilync

bill to the senate floor. the justice act. but my problem with ithe is despiteds the name and a lot of the words we are hearing on the other side, it does not get us to where we need to be. in this moment is people are still marching and demanding more from change, we cannot confront these urgent issues with half measures or equivocation. i haveat serious concerns this bill does not respond to the nationwide call for justice. on like the justice and policing act that is going to pass the house, the bill we are considering here in the senate lacks critical reforms topr strengthen pattern and practice investigation reform that's urgently needed after we all saw the video of the police officers standing right next toh whether george floyd pinned down, pinned to the ground. i call on the department of justice with 26 other senators to conduct a full-scale investigation into the patterns and practices of the minneapolis police department and any bill which could sitter has the authority and the resources they need

senate by senators booker and harris. instead, leader mcconnell is asking us to consider a bill that was drafted in their caucus, yes, but without the input of so many of us that have seen firsthand the damage that has been done here. he is then moving that bill directly to the floor instead of letting the judiciary committee consider it. i think that fails to make the kind of meaningful change we need in our system. this is a moment for urgent action, but it is also a moment for fundamental change. if we respond to all those people out there and the family of george floyd, who i got to meet and sat across the pews from at that memorial service, if we respond with silence, then we are complicit. if we respond as the president has suggested with dominance and by waving a bible in front of a church for a photo op, then we are monsters. but if we respond with action, meaningful action, colleagues, then we are lawmakers, and that is what the people of our states sent us to do. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a se

will senate republican senators ever say enough? finally today, leader mcconnell will move forward with the nomination of mr. cory wilson to serve as a lifetime appointment on the fifth circuit court of appeals. mr. wilson is an avowed opponent of the nation's health care law, calling it illegitimate and perverse. even worse, wilson has a record, a lengthy record of support for policies that suppress voting rights. in the state legislature and the mississippi secretary of state's office, he pushed for restrictive voter i.d. laws, criticized the voting rights act, pedaled on proven claims about voting fraud. in 2011, he said that the naacp's concerns about voter suppression in mississippi were, quote, poppycock. we are in the middle of a national conversation about police reform and systematic racial justice leader mcconnell talks about it on the floor, and at the same time he has the temerity to push a judge with demonstrated hostility to voting rights. a man who criticized the greatest advance in civil rights legislation in the pas

and i thank the senator from maryland, ert senator from -- and the senator from pennsylvania for their work on their bill which will give the administration important new tools to address and to counter the actions of beijing. i want to say to the people of hoirng who i've had -- hong kong who i've had the privilege to meet who have stood up to this violent and authoritarian regime, i hope today's actions will give you an added measure of hope. that the free people of this nation and the free people of the world are with you and that we will not sit idly by, that we will stand up, that we will take action and your cause for your basic rights, your cause for your basic liberties is our cause as well. it's a privilege to stand with you as an american and as a missourian and it's a privilege to see this work accomplished today on the floor of the senate. i thank my colleagues. thank you, madam president. and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. van hollen: i want to thank the senator from missouri for bringing this to the floor last week, bringing this

they want the senate to discuss police reform while they block the senate from discussing police reform. they declared that senator scott's bill, which contains many bipartisan components, which literally contain entire bills written by democrats, was beyond the pale. senator scott offered a wide-open bipartisan amendment process, and they walked away. over in the house, when democrats shoot down every republican amendment in committee and allow zero amendments on the floor, you can bet it will be anointed a big, big success. now, as an aside, madam president, i could not help but notice that in the democratic leader's lengthy remarks yesterday morning, he did not once address or acknowledge the junior senator for south carolina as the author of the justice act. not one time. not one time did the democratic leader address senator tim scott as the author of the legislation he was trashing. i didn't see why the democratic leader talks right past senator scott as if he were not leading this discussion, as if he were barely here. all i can say is that it was jarring to witness. especially i

as well as senator shelby and senator lea leahy. we know that is not everything we need. election officials are using the money from the $805 million in elegislation security funding that i already mentioned which is supposed to do things like replace old election equipment, produce a paper record. but now we know that election officials in states that are already strapped for cash and states that are facing enormous debt are having to buy which they should, mass cleaning supplies, trying to figure out how to keep polling locations open and paid postage and envelopes. last week i was glad to appear here with my friend senator blunt and he has said that he is open to working with us on funding as well as making some corrections from the last bit of money that was sent out. he's also going to be holding a hearing in our committee on elections which i truly appreciate during this time of pandemic. as i said, elections are a matter of national security and during a global pandemic, they are a matter of public health and safety. contrary

this morning in the senate republicans have put forward a separate proposal led by the senator from south carolina. we've only had the bill for a few hours and are reviewing it but what is clear is that the senate republican proposal on policing does not rise to the moment. b the democratic bill has a bent on no-knock warrants in federal drug cases, while thell republin bill only requires data on no-knock warrants. the democratic bill has a a publicly available nationwide database on misconduct so that abusive police officers who were fired can't simply go to another department summer else in the country and get hired. the republican bill would keep such information almost entirely shielded from public view. the democratic bill bans choke holds and other tactics that have killed like americans. the republican bill purports to rancho dan choke holds but only those that restrict airflow and not blood flow,d and provides exceptions when deadly force is needed. who determines when deadly force is needed? usually the police themselves and the courts defer to their judgment. the republican bill

all 100 senators know how the senate works when leader mcconnell wants to make a law rather than score partisan points. you start out with a bipartisan process, drafting a partisan bill, jumping on the for and say take it or leave it with getting the burden of tough issues offer republican shoulders without doing anything. democrats, we are serious about getting something meaningful. we believe there is a path to get something done as a bipartisan bill a base bill, that has a good chance of passing from the get-go and you have an amendment process but you are not starting off so deep in the hole you can never dig yourself out. so we plead with leader mcconnell, do it in a bipartisan way, that is how anything passes, the covid bill needed a partisan support. the land and water conservation fund needed bipartisan support, the great outdoors act. probably the most analogous situation, the immigration bill, a few years ago, very contentious, deep down in the american psyche and we put a bipartisan group together, it went through committee and we got 69 votes. even on issues like policing r

senator enzi: thank you, senator brown. >> thank you, senator chairman. -- mr. chairman. i think that when we have just done people essential in dollars, it could be more, that we make sure it is working. with bernieree sanders on the issue of health care. i think it is a broken system. i came from a place where i had to deal with it as a business owner. every year, grappling with issues of costs going up, people not being covered rightly. i started a plan that covered pre-existing conditions and no caps on coverage and have made it sustainable. i believe some of the lowest hanging fruit that we could all agree with, 80 senators weighed in on ids to fix the health care system. once we get all these outlier issues behind us, i think we will come back to it. senator whitehouse mentioned climate. i think that is an issue that we've got to consider on our side of the aisle because there is a big external cost to it that we currently dismiss. let's go back to health care. i noticed, in terms of any individual in government, that tried to put more reforms out there, hitting the

the senate. i want to thank him and senator mcconnell for their commitment to taking action and for senator mcconnell's willingness to do precisely what senator schumer requested to get the police reform on the floor of the senate before july 4. so, tomorrow we will have the opportunity to begin debating the act. i can only hope that our democratic colleagues will make the right decision and committed to working with us to deliver real reforms. mr. president, i yield the floor. >> the senator from wyoming. >> on the eve ofd what should be a routine go to the senate tomorrow the senate is scheduled to vote on the motion to proceed to the justice reform legislation that we ought to be considering in the united states senate. it's important to point out to the american people what that means. this isn't a vote yes on the passage of the bill and it's not to v end a debate or amend the debate. many senators both know or offer different substitutes foris the build. the motion to proceed is a rather rou

senate about to gavel back in. we take you to the senate floor live on c-span2

you compiled the senate, live on cspan2 and members return. >> senate majority leader mitch mcconnell analyses asking south carolina senators tim scott to lead a group of lawmakers on crafting a proposal to combat racial discrimination following nationwide protests over the death of george floyd. he made the announcement while senate republicans spoke to reporters for their legislative agenda. >> good afternoon everyone. a couple of observations and then i'm going to call on senator gardner and senator daines to talk about the great america outdoors build which is on the floor of the senate this week. first, we are all encouraged by the jobs report last friday. by virtually all analysis it indicates the cares act is working, ppp is working and it is encouraging to see is the very states open up, americans are engaging the economy opening up. secondly a best center tim scott to lead a group that is working on a proposal to allow us to respond to the obvious racial discrimination we have seen on full display on her television screens over the last two weeks and what is the appropriate r

senator.his then began a bout of negotiations that resulted in the hold of presidential nominees and eventually a bicameral congressional investigation. in that case, i pushed for compliance with the statute, held up a nominee's to obtain information and disagreed with the stated reason for mr. walpon's removal. now, mr. walpon was never reinstated. in mr. walpon's case, the court found the law doesn't require more than what president obama gave us. any other greater detail beyond its quote, unquote minimal statutory mandate to justify the removal of mr. walpon. now fast forward to the last several months when the current president followed the court's incorrect ruling and the obama precedent by removing two senate-confirmed i.g.'s, placing them on administrative leave and telling congress only, as obama once did before, that he had lost confidence in them. in response i did exactly what i had done before in the obama administration. i and several colleagues wrote asking for a better explanati

chairman. >> thanks senator feinstein.. senator grassley. >> mr.wilson, i kind of ask noh questions just to you different from other judges. so, i traditionally ask along this line.e. for the last four or five years at least.is but one exception that i've been asking about more recently is ic because there's been such an explosion of nationwide injunctions by some of our judges, particularly district courtto iss judges. is it never appropriate for a federal judge to issue a nationwide injunction blocking , the implementation of federal law, administrative agency ? decision, executive order or and similar federal policy? and why and if so, when and why? >> senator, i want to caveat my answer, if i could by stating gt clearly that i wouldn't want i forecast how i might rule on particular cases that may be coming before the court. i know this issue is also subject to litigation and has been litigated in our courts. having said that, i would answer your question this way if i might, and that's to point back to my judicial philosophy. i think court's ju

chairman graham: senator whitehouse. senator cruz. senator cruz: thank you, mr. chairman. >> may i ask a q.f.r. depoip yes. >> as to what the heck is going on with our nonresponse to q.f.r.'s? that one may go into the bin of the department of justice as well with all the others that never get answered. but the day will come when there is a democrat department of justice and attorney general. the day will come when there is a democrat sitting in that chair . and a policy that you don't ever get q.f.r.'s answered by the department that we oversee is not a good policy. it is someone's policy and i want it stopped. chairman graham: thank you very much. as to the hearing yesterday there were a lot of questions asked about covid-19 and prisons and i expect, hopefully those will get answered, particularly senator blumenthal's questions about the court case. point well made. senator cruz. senator cruz: thank you, mr. chairman. prior to 2016 and 2017 the worst known instance of abuse of power by an administration was richard nixon's abuse of his administration to target h

senator, tim scott. but the chamber failed to get the needed 50 votes to officially start debate. members now turn to the national defense authorization bill which provides defense programs and policies for 2021. follow the senate live on "c-span2" when members gamble back in. during the summer months, reach out to your elected officials with cspan's congressional directory and contains all the contact information you need to stay in touch with members of congress, federal agencies and state governors, real your copy on one today as he spends sort .org. here's a look at our prime time schedule on the cspan networks. thirty and 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, the house judiciary committee holds a hearing on oversight issues at the justice department. and 9:00 p.m., on "c-span2", a confirmation hearing on the nomination of peter thompson to the be the the next cia inspector general. and at 8:00 p.m. eastern, on c-span three, it is american history tv with a look at life the first lady's caroline caroline harr

mcconnell: yesterday opening the senate passed a few targeted changes so that senator collins and senator rubio's historic paycheck protection program will continue to protect american workers and small businesses through this pandemic. back in march, the senate leaders hand-designed this plan to push unprecedented assistance to working families and main street businesses. once again in april they led the charge to refill their popular and successful program with more money so it could help even more americans. and in the weeks since, our colleagues have continued to track the program's operation and recommend further tweaks where necessary. in recent days, both senator collins and senator rubio helped strengthen and improve the house-proposed p.p.p. modifications before they actually passed the bill and sent it over to us. and i know the senators from maine and florida have identified other technical changes that i hope congress will address. talk about legislation making a difference, thanks to senator collins, chairman rubio, and our other colleagues who help make this program a succes

as a senator aware of those options that she has pretty. >> unite both serve on the senate judiciary committee. the two senate offers of this bill, because women present together during the hearings prettyin good as there would bea meaningful discussion of the justice and policing act and the committee. none have occurred. several going to talk about the process must look at all of the tools there are available to well-intentioned and well meaning legislators. if the goal is actually to solve and address the issue at hand. i've seen no evidence of that sprint have seen no evidence. in fact what i have seen, read some of the newspaper summa sometimes get things wrong but if they got it right, the senate leader says he has no interest in engaging in that kind of discussion or debate before putting the bill the floor for a vote tomorrow. >> one last question place. >> what i'm trying to fathom is why the senator would rather have these negotiations are behind closed doors as opposed to here in the floor of the senate for the american people to see broadcast on television. and to think t

senator scott is the leader of the justice act. i'm a cosponsor it encouraging states to address police reform is state and local police departments don't comply with the provisions of the justiceac act such as de-escalation and use of force with body cameras they will not receive federal funding for police action. iowa has made significant changes already and a number of other states has followed i was example the iowa legislature unanimously passed police reform issues very much like senator scottsville working with leaders of color to accomplish this goal it went very smoothly through the iowa legislature i got a first-hand report from my grandson who is speaker at the iowa house it is divided 53 / 47 both houses of the iowa legislature passed of these reforms unanimously why can't senate democrats let us go forward with the scott bill we just need for more democratic votes if they can happen in it shouldegislature happen here. we have a role to play in theat senate the let's not forget we also are encouraging our state partners

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: here on the floor this evening to talk about china and to talk about how we can have a better relationship with china, one that's fair and equitable. i'm going to talk specifically about some of the investigations and reports that we have worked on here in the united states congress over the past couple of years. i'm going to be talking about four specific reports that came out of what's called the permanent subcommittee on investigations. i chair that subcommittee. it's under the homeland security governmental affairs committee, and it's a committee that takes these investigations seriously. we do a fair, objective, thorough job. all of our investigations are bipartisan. i'm going to talk a little about why these investigations that we have done have led me to the conclusion that we need to do much more here in this country to be able to respond to china and to be able to have the kind of fair and equitable relationship that we should all desire. a lot of china critics talk

i know my colleague senator crapo, senator merkley, and senator risch are going to continue to do so as well. and with that, mr. president, i yield the floor and i would the note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: mr. whitehouse: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. whitehouse: first let me ask unanimous consent that the pending quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: and, send, unanimous consent to speak -- it's not going to be 20 minutes, but up to 20 minutes as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: this week we consider permanent funding for the land and water conservation fund and for our national parks. i would support this measure joyously if there were a similar program for america's coasts and bays and oceans. as it is, i support this measure but with a heavy and frustrated heart, as once again the urgent need

to senator boxer and senator tim scott and myself and all of the senator's past and present who have understood this as part of the greatest pain of america's history, to suggest anything short of pulverizing someone so much that the casket would otherwise be closed except for the header when heroism and courage of the mattel's mother, and that it would only be a lynching of someone's d heart ws pulled out and produced it displayed for someone else is ridiculous. and on this day, the day of george floyd funeral, on this day that should be a day of nationall mourning. mr. president, in 2018, the senate unanimously passed bipartisan anti-lynching legislation which i probably introduced with the only other black members of the body, senator cory booker and tim scott. it was a historic moment in for the firsand forthe first time if our country the federal anti-lynching legislation had been passed by the united states senate. it passed again by unanimous consent in 2019. senator paul is now trying to weaken a bill that was already past. there is no reason for this. there is no reason for

, senator kaine and senator durbin from illinois. we're here because like the americans taking to the streets around the country, we understand this is a moment when we must turn the pain into progress. we must transform the pain of george floyd's death and the unjust deaths of so much other black americans, into deep and lasting change. we must bring the passionate pleas of the protesters across the nation to the floor of the senate to root out systemic racism in all its ugly forms. this is a deep ingrained problem and it is clear that tinkering around the edges is not enough. systems embedded with racisoverhauled. the states in the form of the police cannot be allowed to continue unjustly taking the lives and liberty of black men and women. we must change the nature of policing. we need to change the culture, here in the senate we must change laws that compel changes in culture, but let us remember that the police as an institution, are a reflection of the greater society and would he have an obligation to change all of those insti

senator manchin, senator heinrich, senator cantwell, senator king, senator warner, senator portman and alexander, senator danes, all have been working very, very diligently to make sure that we can pass this. i'm sure i have missed a few people as we have talked about them tonight. and we will be talking about this work with our colleagues over the next several days. the land and water conservation fund has benefited every state in the country. there are a few things that have been said on the floor today that i thought i would clear up and address because they need to be. i'm going to show a chart here that talks about the states that have received benefit from -- or will receive benefit under the great american outdoors act and the states that do not benefit from the great american outdoors act. so the states that do not benefit from the great american outdoors act are highlighted in orange, and the states that benefit from the great american outdoors act are highlighted in green. now, as you can see from this map, there are no orange states. this is an entire country, alaska, hawaii

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i have six requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. alexander: mr. president, i want to thank the senator from alaska for her eloquent remarks, and i'm glad i was here to have chance to listen to them, both of equal rights for all americans. it's not possible for us to make -- speak on any subject today without recognizing what's going on in the country. a couple of comments come to my mind as i think about what's happened as a result of the incident with george floyd in minneapolis where first the comment of the leader of the peaceful protests in nashville. there were more than 1,000 there. she said the next day she was disappointed by the rioters and looters because they dishonored the memory of george floyd and dishonored the peaceful protests against racial discrimination. i thought she said that well and

river, senator kaine and senator durbin from illinois.we are here, because like those millions of americans taking to the streets around the country, we understand that this is a moment when we must turn the pain into progress. we must transform the pain of george floyd's death and the unjustice deaths of so many other black americans -- unjustice death of so many black americans into deep and lasting change. we must bring the passionate pleas of the protesters across the nation to the floor of the senate to take action to root out systematic racism in all of its ugly forms. this is a deep ingrained problem and it is clear that tinkering around the edges is not enough. systems embedded with racism need to be overhauled. the state in the form of the police cannot be allowed to continue unjustly taking t lives and liberty of black men and women. we must change the nature of>h policing. we need to change the culture. here in the senate we must compel laws to change. the police, as an institution, are a reflection of the greater society, and

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. lankford: we just finished up a vote on the senate floor where we fell four votes short of opening debate on a bill to deal with police reform. four votes short. we are four votes short of opening debate to discussing every -- to discussing. every single republican voted for this and a handful of democrats, but the vast majority of democrats actually said no, we don't want to debate this bill. we will only debate the pelosi bill when it comes out of the house. well, that's absurd. that didn't happen, i can assure you, when speaker boehner was the leader of the house that the senate said i tell you what, we're going to wait and see whatever speaker boehner sends over to harry reid and harry reid would say oh, yes, please, we'll take up whatever the boehner bill is. that was never done, and they know that. it's such an odd -- an odd, peculiar season in our country politically and a painful season in our country culturally and practically. our hope was to be able to have a real debate on

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate previous order, the senate >> the senate taking a break now to allow lawmakers to attend the weekly party caucus lunch meetings. they are expected back at 2:15 p.m. eastern for more debate on the nomination of cori wilson to be a judge on the fifth circuit court of appeals. a final vote is expected tomorrow. we expect tomorrow the senate to begin work on senator scott police reform bill known as the justice act. president trump former national security adviser john bolton sits down with the "washington post" today to talk about his book "the room where it happened." that's like one p.m. eastern here on c-span2, at c-span.org or listen live on the free c-span radio app. >> and that will go back to the start of the senate today with remarks and i was chuck grassley majority leader mitch mcconnell both of them talked about police reform efforts. this is just shy of 15 minutes. >> we are taking a very important vote tomorrow on a bill called the justice act. i'm proud to cosponsor this police reform bill and also applaud senator

senator. let me just -- >> will you provide the interview subjects behind your -- would co-you repeat the question? senator rubio spks if you notify us of a complaint will you notify us of the methodology behind your reports? >> we'll follow standards and provide the committee with everything we are allowed to provide you with. senator rubio: we have historically viewed the role you're nominated for as a partner, not an adversary. do we have your total commitment that if you're confirmed you'll keep this committee fully and currently informed? >> absolutely. senator rubio: how do you envision realizing the commit. you just made? >> first, senator, we start with the law. we start with the statute. and the i.g. has a number of duties an responsibilities with regards to reporting to this committee under the statute. if confirmed i would take that very, very seriously. i would follow the statute. i would look forward to working with -- working transparently with this committee. cooperatively with

because the bill introduced by senator scott was senator booker and supported by many democrats included those provisions we have a nonpartisan and the quotes from their report "both bill seek to establish for law enforcement officers with the use of force. both bill seek to increase with body cameras one by state and local law enforcement. those bills contain provisions designed to enhance transparency with the record of misconduct by a law enforcement officers. both bills include provisions to limit the use of choke holds by federal, state, and although they do differ in the approach. and then not to have that chance today. that should be easy to come together and pass that motion to begin the debate on the floor. there are major differences. where people really would have tunedw into the debate. let's have a debate. moving forward we could have ended up with a bipartisan bill to pass both the house and the senate passing into law but as we have a right now? nothing. we have nothing. people on the streets of every town of america and to help the situation and crickets. nothing.fi we co

senator gardner and senator daines. for their leadership, to senators alexander, and worn for their efforts as well, to have this strong bipartisan product toward the finish line. i look forward to continue to advance us legislation today. and passing it this week. >> mr. president. this morning, the long march for equality for lgbtq americans took a step forward. the supreme court handed down a landmark decision that federal employment discrimination protections do in fact extend to lgbtq americans. believe it or not, before today, it was allowed, the federal government did not say you could prevent let me say that in a different way. believe it or not before today, it was not a settled legal matter that you could sue your employer for firing you solely on the basis of sexual orientation or sexual identity. in 2020 in america, it was still okay to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation or identity. is that unbelievable? twenty-first century, still alone. well, now it isn't. because of the supre

senator lighthouse? >> i'm about to speak so i'm good. >> okay will start speaking. >> okay first chairman, thank you for the way you are handling this discussion. i think that is actually consistent with the best traditions of the committee and i appreciate it. i think you know when i think everybody in the room knows of my affection and admiration for you and i have considerable affection and admiration for both, for a considerable number of my colleagues on the republican side of this committee. i do think that there are legitimate questions that need to be asked and answered. i also think that we are on the precipice of falling into a political errant. which way we choose to go in this committee is going to have huge ramifications in the future. as we go forward it is impossible for me to consider this unique exercise of committee oversight without considering the background of no committee oversight on many otherr important questions. i went through yesterday, 17 department of justice witnesses unde

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. scott: madam president, reserving the right to object. i appreciate my colleague's focus on higher education. we both have the same opportunity as governors to do what we could to drive the cost of tuition down and help make sure all of our students had the opportunity to get jobs. my goal as governor of florida and now as a u.s. senator is to keep education affordable and attainable and make sure students are able to get a job when they graduate. i know we all are focused on giving our students every opportunity to succeed. my colleague has not shown how giving a blank check bailout to higher education studentses helps our students. students that are burdened with mountains of debt from these same four-year colleges and universities. the solution is not to give more money to support the bloated bureaucracies of our public and private colleges and universities. and these very institutions continue to raise tuition year after year on our students and their families. that's why i'm inst

let's remember, these are the same senators who insisted that the senate consider a police reform bill before the july recess, which starts next week, but now that they're getting what they asked for, they say they don't want it anymore. at least that's what their vote tells me today. so my question is, what are they afraid of? are they afraid of losing control of the process if it goes to a vote? well then they're afraid of democracy. afraid of the american people who elected each senator this this body and trusted each senator to represent them by voting on legislation. are they afraid that their ideas won't be adopted? the justice act has many similarities to the justice and policing act. we want to find a way forward on a bipartisan basis. if ideas have merit, they will have to be voted on and be included. are they somehow afraid that if we make progress it will be perceived as given giving the president and his party a win? i've been around here long enough to know that in an election year, it gets harder and harder to get things done because neither party wants the other to get a

the senate. we know the leader mcconnell is voted in turn motivated. he says a bipartisan 40 groups pretty since the through committees. and with democrats and republicans and sponsors. are the senate republicans interested in passing legislation or are they only interested in saying they tried. so they can throw up their hands. in one of the things that constrain our republican friends is obedience to donald trump. yesterday donald trump issued racist statements . yesterday he said we should venerate the statute of confederate for soldiers who fought against the union fought for slavery. how can we pass a bill when they want to please donald trump. we cannot. but we are serious. not only are we serious, millions who march in the streets are serious. they will continue to emerge. we will continue to fight. my prediction is that sooner than you think, you will find it a better bill on the floor with a better procedure that is a decent chance of passing in the house. we think the pressure from the

after house and senate democrats released the draft legislation on monday, yesterday, senate republicans announced they would put together a working group to prepare their own set of proposals working groups are all fine and well. but it is critical that we pursue comprehensive reforms. not seek the lowest common denominator. and it is critical that we get a real commitments to consider strong legislation on the floor. unfortunately, in the aftermath of other recent moments of national strife, jiggly the mass shootings, president trump and leader mcconnell and senate republicans made the right noises, the study is. let's consider it. butmi never follow through. leader mcconnell once promised that a debate on expanding background checks would be front and center on the senate floor after shootings in dayton and el paso. we cannot, we cannot fail to pass something he said. and yes, there was no debate on expanding background checks in the republican majority in the senate did exactly what leader mcconnell said that he couldot t . and failed to pass anything on gun safety. so i welcome idea

senator harris? committee has a responsibility to concern itself with the system of justice in america. today, a man of the name of george floyd will be honored, his memory will be honored at a funeral. he died because the knee of a police officer was on his back for over eight minutes -- on his neck for over eight minutes ,hile he pled for his life called for his late mother, and said he can't breathe. america is wrong right now. --raw right now. i would dare say the conversation we are having today is irrelevant to what we are -- what is happening on the streets of america today. at people ing pain. people by the thousands of every race, age, and geographic location shouting for justice in america. yet this committee. protest too much as shakespeare might say. on an issue that is not relevant to the people and the pain that america is feeling today. feelingn's that we are are deepened by a president of the united states who has fanned the flames of hurt and pain. civil rights and matters involving