Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate U.S. Senate 20240713

Mr. Schumer mr. President . The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer mr. President , are we in a quorum . No. The presiding officer we are not. Mr. Schumer mr. President , last night in california, an american was diagnosed with the first reported case of coronavirus unrelated to any travel to an infected area, a sign that coronavirus is here on our shores and we must act swiftly and strongly to contain its spread. Despite months of public warnings about the dangers of this disease, the president was caught completely flat footed by the coro that virus and rather than the resources to respond to the crisis, President Trump is intent on blaming everyone and everything instead of solving the problem. Instead of stepping up to the plate, hes belittling the urgency of this problem and telling people oh, its not very much. The experts say the opposite. As for blame, the president s the president is blaming the press for stoking concern about the virus. The president is blaming social media for magnifying those legitimate concerns. And the president typically is blaming democrats, too. But who fired the Global Health Security Team at the National Security council and department of home hd security and decided not to replace them . It wasnt the press. It wasnt the democrats. It was President Trump. Who cut 35 million from the Infectious Disease Rapid Response fund . President trump. Who cut 85 million from the emerging Infectious Disease account . President trump. Who cut 120 million from Public Health preparedness and response programs . President trump. And who just proposed cutting 16 of c. D. C. s budget, the agency in charge of fighting these kinds of viruses . Not the democrats, not the press. President trump did that. Of course democrats want to work quickly with the president to get a handle on this problem. Lives are at stake. But the president cannot belittle the danger. It is real. It is looming. It is serious. And to hear the president last night where most of his speech was not a sober speech calling america to unite and fight this virus, it was mainly name calling, politics, blaming, and in fact belittling the problem and the danger. The president must stop trying to minimize the nature of the coronavirus threat. His attempts at spinning the facts are just not credible and they are harmful to the federal response. In order to prevent overreaction by the public, its essential that the federal officials, especially the president and Vice President , level with the American People. Telling the American People the truth and then coming up with solutions to solve it is the way to calm people down, not simply saying oh, dont worry about it and then spend time blaming others. Thats not going to calm people down. Thats going to make them more worried. So lets let the science and the facts guide us. The American People do not need or want uninformed opinions or spin from its leaders. They want the truth. Now, the first step the Congress Must take to ensure the government is to is to ensure that the government has the resources to combat this deadly virus and keep americans safe. Ive made a request for 8. 5 billion for this purpose. Far more than the administrations request of 2. 5 billion, only half of which is new funding. The rest of the president s proposed funding is stolen from other accounts. Any emergency fundamental any emergency funding supplementing sorry. Any emergency funding supplemental the Congress Approves must be entirely new funding, not stolen from other accounts. And including minimum strong provisions that ensure, one, that the president cannot transfer these new funds to anything other than coronavirus and american and global preparedness to combat epidemics and Infectious Diseases. Two, vaccines that are affordable and available to all who need them, not just to those who have a good deal of money. Three, interestfree loans be made available for Small Business impacted by the outbreak and, four, state and local governments be reimbursed for costs incurred while assisting the federal response to the corona outbreak. Democrats in both chambers will work closely with republicans to pass a supplemental appropriations package with these criteria in mind. But in the meantime, President Trump must get his act together, stop blaming, stop belittling, roll up your sleeves, unite america and start proposing real solutions. After months of dithering, after towering dangerous incompetence, its time for President Trump to roll up his sleeves and dot right thing. On another matter the president yesterday returned to washington from india. The United States and india are national allies. Natural allies. If the u. S. And india are Close Friends and partners, the world will be a safer, more prosperous place. India has an amazing culture and great people. And so unifying america and india is a very good thing. But did the president do anything on his trip that substantively advanced that objective . No, he did not. Sadly, the president s trip to india was typical of Foreign Policy in the trump era. A big spectacle with handshakes and photo ops but without meaningful progress or accomplishment for the United States. There were real things for the president to accomplish in india. Were now indias largest trading partner, one of the largest markets for our agricultural product, medical device, even motor bikes. Did the president make any progress on a trade deal to reduce the significant Market Access barriers that American Companies face . No. India is in the midst of fierce protests over a law that restricts religious freedom. Did the president stand up for religious freedom and Democratic Values . No. He didnt even bring up the issue with the prime minister. Mr. President , there are four million indian americans. Im proud to say many are in the new york area. Theyve done and continue to do so much for this great country. Their history, music, culture, literature are woven into the very fabric of american life. Indian American Families form the backbone of so many Strong Communities in new york city, in long island, in the suburbs. And all over the country. They deserve more than president ial photoops in their native land. They deserve a president who takes the friendship with the u. S. And india seriously and works to build a strategic alliance. But this president cannot seem to manage anything beyond realityshow diplomacy and thats why President Trump will likely end his first term bereft of any significant Foreign Policy achievement. Finally, on a different note and a very happy note, i want to conclude any remarks by noting the departure of a staffer who although she works for leader mcconnell is truly a resource for and a credit to the senate as a whole, laura dove. Its a happy note for her. Shes moving on to even bigger and better things. But a sad note for all of us, democrats and republicans in the senate, because shes done such a good job. Laura is the secretary for the majority. As with many job titles in washington, lauras title does not come close to capturing what she actually does. Nor does it remotely reflect her importance to this chamber. The two caucus secretaries, gary meric for the Senate Majority and laura dove for the majority literally make the senate function. Their negotiations determine when we come in and out of session which amendments will be considered and their parliamentary exert tease expertise guides senators of both parties. Lauras attention to detail is such that even the dress code of the senate does not escape her scrutiny. Laura has certainly been around this chamber for as long as the senators she advises. The senate is in her blood. Her father, bob dove, was the senate parliamentarian. Dinner conversations in the dove household must have included Senate Procedure particularly because some of those family dinners occurred here in the senate itself, as mr. Dove worked the sometimes late hours of the senate. Both of mr. Doves daughters went on to serve as pages and now both of lauras children have served as pages as well, a Family Tradition unique among Family Traditions. Few have done as much to support the page program as laura. She not only keeps a watchful and supportive eye over their time on the floor, she has invited them into her home, welcoming any page wishing to celebrate a jewish holiday with her family. I want to thank her especially for how much she has done for the senate pages. And from the Vantage Point of the lens of the cspan camera, the senate floor looks like a forum for disagreement and sometimes vociferous debate. Few beyond this chamber appreciate how important it is for our two parties to cooperate every day amidst those disagreements to make the work of the senate come to life. Though our parties have vastly different opinions on everything ranging from policy to procedure, laura has always represented the position of of her caucus honestly and treated our staff with civility and respect. She even takes a bit of that work home with her. Her husband, dan, worked for someone senator wofford, who was a good, strong liberal democrat if there ever was one. The republican leader this morning gave a very personal and emotional tribute to lauras service. You could see how much she means to him and the entire republican caucus. I echo those sentiments and would extend them to the senate as a whole. Few care more about this institution, its traditions, its history, and its future than laura dove, and few have worked harder to support the senate in their careers. Robert duncan, lauras assistant, will be taking her place today. He has big shoes to fill, but he is a really talented guy who knows how this place works and all i can tell you, robert, if you listen to gary mirik, you cant go wrong. Laura, we wish you nothing but the best for the next chapter of your life, and we thank you profoundly for your Great Service to the senate. I yield the floor. A senator plop . The presiding officer under the previous order, the question is on the nomination. Is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . If not, the yeas are 85, the nays are three. The nominations confirmed. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senates action. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell 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. Mcconnell i move to proceed to calendar number 357, s. 2657. The presiding officer the clerk will report the motion. The clerk motion to proceed to s. 2657, a bill to support geo Geothermal Research and development. Mr. Mcconnell i send a cloture motion to the desk for the motion to proceed. Mr. Mcconnell the clerk will report. The clerk cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22, do hereby bring to a close debate on to calendar number 357, s. 2657, a bill to support Geothermal Research and development. Mr. Mcconnell i ask that the reading of the names be waived. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent the mandatory quorum call be waived. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Lee mr. President. The presiding officer the senator for utah. Mr. Lee Abraham Lincoln in a message to congress on july 4, 1861, wrote that the leading object of government was to, quote, elevate the condition of men, to lift artificial weights from all shoulders, to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all, to afford all an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life. Its no coincidence, mr. President , that he save this message on the anniversary of our nations birth. Lincoln was echoing the profound legacy of our founding, a legacy that shaped our nation and thereafter rippled across not only the western hemisphere but the entire world. When the founders broke off from the yolk of british tyranny, they declared all men to be endowed with certain inalienable rights, rights that come not from the state or the church or any man or woman or even from a government but rather from god himself. And the first of these inalienable rights was life. Never was any nation in the history of human beings born of a higher principle or a deeper connection to Human Happiness and flourishing. Here the people would rule. Here government would serve the people and not the other way around. Here, for the first time yet ever, each person, no matter his or her station in life was endowed with these rights and entitled to their equal protection. Today some 159 years since lincolns message to congress and 244 years since the founders message to the world, here we stand sworn still to fulfill their promise. And as far as weve come during that time period, we still have so far to go. Today our government, founded to protect americans rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, threatens unborn americans on all three counts. The Supreme Court imposes, and congress subsidizes, the most radical abortion policy in the western world. Since 1973, more than 60 million little lives, innocent lives, have been lost. The children lost to abortion cannot be seen, they cannot be heard, but every single one of them is felt. Mothers have been robbed of their children. They are keeping holes across our nation in our communities and families, gaping holes that only unique unrepeatable souls could have or otherwise would have filled. For more than four decades weve failed american women and their unborn children. Today we have a chance to do better, to aspire for more, not to settle for mediocrity or tyranny, but to celebrate and embrace life and liberty. We have a chance ton stand up for the very weakest and most vulnerable among us, the ones still being knit together in their mothers wombs. The ones that we know respond to human touch by the age of eight weeks and who feel pain by the age of 20 weeks, who recognize the sound of their mothers voice before they are even born. Now, science and medicine are only confirming that we know deep down, that unborn human beings are, in fact, just like us. Every day more Scientific Evidence confirms our moral intuition that a persons a person no matter how small that person happens to be. And the socalled paincapable unborn Child Protection act that was before us earlier this week would have banned abortions for babies more than 20 weeks of age, upholding in law what science already confirms. That is that these babies feel every bit of their life as its being ended. This should not have been a controversial bill, but still less controversial should have been the bornalive abortion survivors protection act. The bornalive abortion survivors protection act takes no position on abortion, and it takes no position even on the rights of the unborn. It simply says that in this country in the United States of america when a child is born, even if by accident, even the most dangerous place in the world for an infant, that is a planned parenthood clinic, he or she becomes a citizen of the United States under our constitution entitled to the full and protection of our laws. It says that when a child intended to be aborted is, in fact, instead born alive, he or she cannot simply be quote, unquote, disposed of in the back room of a clinic or a hospital as if it were nothing more than medical waste. This bill merely outlaws the murder of the innocent in the first moments of life, that is the first moments of life outside the womb. It is a tragedy and its a blight and a poor commentary, a frightening reflection, not only upon this country but on this very legislative body that these measures failed this week. I might a minority of this body chose to reject both the scientific facts of human biology and the essential moral principle of human dignity. So when someone talks about not accepting science, i hope they will remember what happened this week. I hope they will remember that as against all medical and Scientific Evidence to say nothing of what people who know morally, intuitively, within their own hearts, this body failed to protect the most vulnerable among us. Unfortunately, this is not the first time in our nations history that we have sometimes looked at people according to a really evil logic of utility and power. Its not the first time that weve tried to dehumanize human beings, its not the first time we have tried to pick and choose who is wanted and who is valuable in society. Doling out rights to exist and to be free on the basis of that arbitrary and unjustifiable determination. Nonetheless, thankfully if there is one thing that we know about our country, its that the American People have a way of bending the arc of history toward life, or as Winston Churchill is credited for saying, the American People will always do the right thing after they have exhausted every other alternative. We have a long, proud history as americans of standing up for the weak, for the innocent, and especially for the vulnerable. We have made mistakes, grave, grave mistakes. But the right thing to do is always the right thing to do, and we come around in the end. Its one of the things that differentiates us from other societies. We aspire toward that which is good, and today there is reason to hope. Abortions in my home state of utah have been steadily declining over the past four decades, with fewer than 3,000 happening in 2017. Six states are now down to just one Abortion Clinic kentucky, west virginia, north dakota, south dakota, mississippi, and missouri. This past year, alabama passed a law banning elective abortions in most circumstances. And just last month, hundreds of thousands of americans marched joyfully once again through washington as they have year after year after year for those who cannot, for those who were rendered absent by this barbaric practice. The tide is turning, mr. President , and today we have another chance to right these same wrongs. Through my bill, the abortion is not health care act, we have the chance to stop the tax deductibility of abortions which are currently categorized as medical care by the i. R. S. The purpose of health care is to heal, is to cure. It is not to kill. Let us be serious, mr. President. Whatever else abortion may be, of course elective abortion is not health care. Thats why physicians literally take an oath to do no harm. Picture government should not offer tax benefits for a procedure that kills hundreds of thousands of unborn children each year, nor should taxpayers have to subsidize it. This bill would end this preferential tax treatment and clarify that this gruesome practice is not health care. And we also have the chance to permanently stop the use of our foreign aid money from funding or promoting abortions overseas. The protecting life and foreign assistance act will save countless lives across the globe and affirm the truths that the lives of all unborn children, regardless of where they might happen to be from, have dignity, and worth. Today, we can stand to allow all human beings, no matter what their age, their appearance, or their abilities a fair chance in the race of life. We have only to remain loyal to that bedrock principle we claim to defend in the declaration of independence, the inalienable fundamental right to life, the unequal dignity, the immeasurable worth of all human life. Now, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that the finance committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 3173 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer is there objection . Mr. Wyden mr. President , reserving the right to object. The presiding officer the senator for oregon. Mr. Wyden mr. President , the majority partys antiwomen Health Care Agenda has certainly been on display in the last few days here in the United States senate. Two votes on tuesday. More votes and debate today. Every time, its the same basic proposition on offers. Legislation that squeezes republican politicians in between women and their doctors. I have said the old g. O. P. Slogan used to be a chicken in every pot. These days, its a republican in every exam room. Not only does this legislation discount the fact that Reproductive Health care, including abortion, is health care, it would make Womens Health Care Services more expensive. This would head this country back to the days when the Health Care System was just for the healthy and the wealthy. My view is decisions about the health care of women, especially Reproductive Health care, including abortions, are enormously personal. They ought to be decisions made between women and their physicians. Politicians ought to stay away. They ought to stay out of it all. That is what the roe v. Wade case is all about, and its the law of the land. So, mr. President , because i believe in keeping politicians out of the medical exam room, i object. Mr. Lee mr. President. The presiding officer objection is heard. The senator for utah. Mr. Lee mr. President , i appreciate the opportunity to address these important issues today. I thank my friend and colleague from oregon for outlining his reasons for objecting to this legislation. I feel the need to respond to a few things that he said because they call for an immediate response. First he noted that there were two votes cast earlier this week, that he described as part of an ongoing pattern, an Ongoing Campaign among senate republicans, that according to my colleague are antiwoman. This is offensive on a variety of levels. First when you consider that abortion is no respecter of persons. Not just male babies aborted, but its also female babies. There are parts of the world where abortion of female babies occurs in much higher numbers. In many cases because they are female babies. Abortion is itself, elective abortion is itself an act of violence against a human form, against a human life, albeit a life in utero. Remember a few months ago, we were holding a hearing of all things addressing issues relating to wild horses and burros in the United States. Certain wild horse populations have grown out of control, they have devastated range lands, they have depleted Resources Available to them,nd many of them are starving, malnourished and suffering. There have been programs that have set not only to help them in one way or another but also to sterilize them. I never thought i would be part of a significant hearing addressing the nonsexy topic of equine contraception, but in this instance we had one. One of our witnesses was from an organization devoted to preventing cruelty to animals explains that one of the most effective techniques of horse Birth Control involves a sterilization procedure. I asked why that was not the preferred method. She said because if many instances, it can result in the loss of the unborn horse. And i asked her why that mattered, and she said well, because its a life, notwithstanding the fact that it hasnt been born, its cruel to the unborn baby horse. Its cruel to the foal. If its cruel to the foal, why isnt it cruel to the baby, whether its a male baby or a female baby . This is not antiwoman. There is also the suggestion that the campaign somehow involves a republican in every exam room, and that according to those who advocate prolife positions, it would relegate health care to the healthy and wealthy. Well, this gets back to the very point i was just making, mr. President. An exam room, Actual Health care involves protecting and preserving human life, and elective abortion by contrast has one object. That is the determination of a human life. An unborn in utero human life, but a human life just the same. You can say whatever you want about it, but to call it health care to me is counterintuitive. Not just to me but to many, Many Americans who find the practice abhorrent and are shocked by the thought that the u. S. Government would be subsidizing it, whether its through its tax policy or through more direct forms or as we see today both. As to the suggestion that politicians ought to stay out of this issue, let me ask you this. What about the idea that politicians, therefore lawmakers ought to stay out of other issues involving violence to a human being . There was a day and age in this country where people say would say that lawmakers ought to stay out of other issues involving violence, of domestic violence. Thats a family matter, after all. Politicians ought to stay out. The law should have nothing to do with that. No, it involves violence to another human being. To say simply that politicians and therefore lawmakers and therefore the law ought to stay out of a topic means to suggest that its somehow beyond the reach of the law. If we have reached, if we ever do reach the point where we cant say no human being can kill another human being, weve got really, really big problems. We are not talking here about an exam room. We are not talking about procedures designed to promote, to heal, to prolong life. Were talking about a procedure to end life. This is itself not a bill that talks about the appropriateness or lack thereof of elective abortion. This simply says that given how Many Americans feel about this, as many of us in this very room feel about abortion, we shouldnt be subsidizing it and we shouldnt be pretending that its something that it is not. Finally, let me remind this body and maybe anybody watching from outside this body that of the legislation we voted on this week, one of those pieces of legislation didnt even involve abortion at all. It didnt regulate any facet of abortion. It dealt only indirectly with the topic of abortion but had nothing to do with the performance or availability of an abortion itself. It simply said that when a baby is born following or in the middle of a failed attempt at an abortion, if that baby is born alive, the presiding officer can the senate be in order, please. The senator for utah. Mr. Lee if an abortion is attempted and that baby is born alive, notwithstanding the attempt by the abortionist to kill the baby, if that baby shouldnt simply be that that baby shouldnt simply be neglected. In any other circumstance, a human being, particularly a vulnerable brandnew, newborn baby, an infant, could neglect a baby and allow that baby to die of exposure, to not administer lifesaving care or nutrition or sustenance to that baby, to neglect the baby and allow that baby to die of exposure would be a crime. In some circumstances, it may well be murder. In others, it would be a serious criminal form of deliberate child neglect. So to suggest that a baby is somehow different as a result of the subjective intent of the abortionist to kill the baby and that we shouldnt make sure that that baby is properly cared for following its birth is barbaric. Look, i get it. Not everybody shares my viewpoint with regard to when human life begins. I get it. Not everybody shares my view with regard to abortion policy. Now, i will defend to my dying day my views on these issues, and i will not shrink from them, but regardless of whether you agree with me on that, i seriously question how anyone could credibly maintain that a human being born alive following a failed abortion attempt shouldnt be given the same protection under the law as any other human being. In other words, the humanness of a baby shouldnt depend on that babys wantedness. The fact that anyone wanted to kill that baby before the baby was born doesnt give anyone the right to kill the baby with impunity. Thats what they voted down this week. So lets not pretend that this is about exam rooms. Lets not pretend that this is about Actual Health care. Lets not pretend that this is somehow an antiwoman strategy. By the way, many women i know, most i would say twawl find quite actually find quite offensive the suggestion that to be in favor of protecting babies is somehow antiwoman. This is offensive. And its sad to me more than anything. It was a lost opportunity that we had this week to protect the dignity of human life, not just unborn human life but human beings that have been born. Mr. President , one day well look back and see this week through sad eyes in much the same way we now look back on other episodes in American History where we have failed to accord the full dignity to a human life that each human life truly deserves. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator for mississippi. A senator thank you, mr. President. As black History Month comes to a close in our land, i rise this afternoon to draw attention to the fact that the first African American United States senator in our republics history was hyram rhodes rebels of my state of mississippi. Mr. Wicker as a matter of fact, 150 years ago this week, history was made in this very room when hyram rhodes rebels took the oath of office and broke the color barrier in the United States senate. There was celebration. There was congratulations on both sides of the aisle but it was not unanimous. As a matter of fact, eight senators objected to the seating of hiram revels simply because he was a black man. But thank goodness it was only eight and that position did not prevail in hiram rhodes revels entered the history books of the United States of america as being our first African American senator. In a moment, mr. President , i will ask unanimous consent for the consideration of a resolution commemorating this momentous occasion, some 150 years ago this week, but just for the moment i will not read the entire resolution that i have, but i would point out that i have a resolution here cosponsored on a very bipartisan basis by 71 of my fellow senators. Pointing out a few things about the history of this extraordinary public servant, this giant of American History. Hiram rhodes revels was born a free African American in 1927 in fayettville, cumberland county, north carolina. He was well educated in a number of state, including north carolina, indiana, ohio, and illinois and then he entered the ministry where he served in maryland and in missouri, eventually of course coming to the state of mississippi. By 1868 reverend hiram rhodes revels was also alderman hiram rhodes revels in mississippi and went on to a career of public service. And then the legislature which made those decisions back in that time under our United States constitution chose mr. Revels, reverend revels to come here to washington, d. C. To serve as a senator. He served capably. He was well received and well admired and he brought a degree of conciliation and togetherness to this senate that we had not had before. He only served a little over a year. Chose instead to return to mississippi to become a College President , continue in education and continue in the ministry there in mississippi having served as president of what is now Alcorn University and served in holy spring, mississippi in what is now russ college. He was in the minutery in ministry in aberdeen, mississippi at the time of his death and is buried in holy spring, mississippi. I very much appreciate the help of democrats and republicans in getting this resolution right. You know, there have only been ten African Americans in the history of our republic to serve in the United States senate, one of them, the first one was hiram rhodes revels. Three of them are serving today in the United States senate. And i will acknowledge the help that i received from a number of my colleagues in adding information to this resolution to make it better and fuller and more complete. So i appreciate the bipartisan cosponsorship of this but also the bipartisan suggestions that i received that are incorporated in the resolution to make it better. But im just im honored to represent the same state that this pioneer represented and began to represent some 150 years ago this week. And so with that, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent to for the senate to proceed to the consideration of s. Res. 508 submitted earlier today. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk Senate Resolution 508 commemorating the 150th anniversary of the historic seating of hiram rhodes revels as the first African American United States senator. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Wicker then, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Wicker thank you, mr. President. Mr. Brown mr. President . The presiding officer the senator for ohio. Mr. Brown thank you, mr. President. Over and over we see the president , we see republicans in congress trying to take Health Care Away from people, particularly women. We see it with the president s lawsuits trying to take away the Consumer Protections for preexisting conditions. We see the vote in the senate defeated by one vote but a vote in the senate which would have scaled back the bipartisan Medicaid Expansion in ohio that my republican governor im a democrat that we did bipartisanly in ohio. Weve seen attempts by republicans to take away health care then. And now were especially just this week saw that with Womens Health care. Thats what the bills we voted down this week were all about. They were about politicians putting themselves in the middle of the sacred doctorpatient relationship. It intimidated women. It intimidates medical professionals. Doctors arent sure what they what might happen to them in some cases, and it takes away the freedom of women to make their own decisions. We defeated them earlier this week, but theyre not letting up. They tried again to pass yet another bill that has only one purpose stigmaizing Womens Health care. Support certificates of this bill, including the spurters of this bill, including the president of the United States, spread lies and disinformation. Its disspeckable. When you think about these groups, the American College of nurse midwives, the American College of obstetricians and gynecologists, the american Public Health association on whom we rely so much now on the coronavirus, the American Society for reproductive medicine, the association of physician assistants and obstetrics and gynecology all of these organizations oppose this bill because they see it for what it is. It is a compromise of Womens Health. It is politicians, its elected officials in this body, its leader mcconnell from his office down the hall always playing to his interest groups, always playing politics, its senator mcconnell and allies getting between the patient, the woman and her doctor, as if mostly male i guess mr. S should be making these mail politicians should be making these decisions about womens lives and about the relationship between a woman and her doctor. All of these groups that i mentioned again, the college of nurse midwives, the college of obstetricians and gynecologists, the mettle womens association, the Public Health association, all of these groups have written in to oppose politicians interfering in the patientprovider relationship and the criminalizing of patient care. We want a bunch of male politicians, we want people like President Trump and Vice President pence from the presiding officers home state, and we want a bunch of politicians like Mitch Mcconnell, we want them to be able to criminalize a doctor, get in the middle of a patientdoctor relationship and criminalize that . I mean, there is no question thats what this is about. They act like they know better than you and you, a worth and your doctor. Its nothing new. Weve seen it over and over. Weve seen washington politicians, weve seen columbus politicians in my state, most of them men, obsessed with trying to insert themselves into Womens Health care decisions. They cant help themselves. They just keep doing it. Those decisions should be and are between a woman and her doctor, period. Its time for if i can say this old men in washington and in courtrooms and in state legislatures to stop trying to take away Womens Health care, particularly when we have so much work to do in Womens Health care. We could be working instead on a budge of voteds i know, senator mcconnell in his office down the hall. We know what he z we know that he brings forward legislation to get his base excited, to make sure that the most conservative voters in the country come out to vote, we know he does legislation all the time to help his big financial contributors, to help the drug companies, to help the insurance companies, to help the gun lobby, we in thats what Mitch Mcconnell does. But instead instead of trying to compromise Womens Health, take health away, instead of eliminating the Consumer Protections for preexisting conditions, he could actually do something about drug prices. We could be working to protect the millions of americans with preexisting conditions. You know in this country, deny years ago we passed ten years ago we passed a bill that said if youre sick and youre really sick and you spend a lot of money on health care, your Health Insurance company in the past just would cut your insurance off and youre out of luck. You then choose between going to the doctor or not and all that can happen, or you go bankrupt. We changed that. The Affordable Care act said, no, you cant an insurance company, just because youre sick and its expensive, they cant take your insurance away and cancel it. Well, President Trump has tried for three years to change that, to take away those Consumer Protections. Hes gotten support from Mitch Mcconnell, from virtually almost every except for john mccain and a couple other senators on their side from almost every senator in this senate to take away preexisting conditions. Instead, we could work to keep drug prices down. We could give tax credits to help afford insurance. We could protect the ability to stay on your Parents Health care. If youre 25 years old, you can be on your parents Health Insurance. Theyre trying to take that away. Theyre trying to take away the limits for how much you pay out of pocket each year. The prepreventive screens if youre in medicare, being get free screening for osteoporosis. You can get free screening for diabetes. The president and this congress tried to take those services away. Five million ohioans under 65 have a preexisting condition. If youre over 50 in this country, over the chances are overwhelming that you have a preexisting condition. Do you want to lose those Consumer Protections . Of course not. So instead of making it harder for ohio women to get the care they need, instead of tearing down the Affordable Care act, lets protect it of the lets make it stronger. Lets get drug prices under control. Lets tell american women we trust them, we trust them to make their own decisions. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call the presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of executive calendar 573 through 582, 584 through 585, and all nominations on the secretarys desk, that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, that no further motions be in order. That any statements related to the nomination be printed in the record. The president be immediately notified of the senates action, the senate then resume legislative session. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the committee on energy and Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of s. Res. 315 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk s. Res. 315, memorializing the discovery of the clotilda. The presiding officer without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Mcconnell i further ask the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of s. Res. 480 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk s. Res. 480 raising awareness and encouraging the prevention. Stalking about i designating january 2020 as National Stalking Awareness month. The presiding officer without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Mcconnell i further ask the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate Resolutions which was submitted earlier today, s. Res. 512 through 521. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed to the resolutions en bloc. Mr. Mcconnell i know of no further debate on the resolutions. The presiding officer if theres no further debate, the question is on the resolutions en bloc. All in favor say aye. Opposed no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The resolutions are agreed to en bloc. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the preambles be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table all en bloc. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h. R. 4998 which was received from the house. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk h. R. 4998, an act to prohibit certain federal subsidies from being used to Purchase Communications equipment and so forth and for other purposes. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the bill be considered read a third time. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i know of no further debate on the bill. The presiding officer if theres no further debate, the question is on the passage of the bill. All in favor say aye. Opposed say no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. And the bill is passed. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. Res. 522 submitted earlier today. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk Senate Resolution 522 electing robert m. Duncan of the district of columbia as secretary for the majority of the senate. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell now, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business did, it adjourn until 3 00 p. M. Monday, march 2. Further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. Further, following leader remarks, the senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 2657. Finally, notwithstanding the provisions of rule 22, the cloture motion filed during todays session ripen at 5 30 p. M. Monday. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell so if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order. The presiding officer the Senate Stands adjourned until Senate Stands adjourned until lets talk about personalization. Not about privatization. The issue, thats not the goal. We have spent over a trillion dollars at the federal level to close the achievement gap in the last 40 years. The achievement gap has not closed one little bit. For many poor students, its only grown wiser. You look at statebystate results, the Overall Results and they are minimal. Eighthgraders cannot read or do math at their grade level. Would want to know where this goes are, what the circuit students are from a whole kind of resources are going into those course are training of teachers and the lives of the family who lives there and making sure the youngsters have that experience. The trained people they need, if you deny their resources to the schools who need to be helped most, yes, theyll fail. Free up the resources for people at the most local level, you see results. You can see it in florida, mississippi where the focus solely on improving district of columbia was the demonstrating is not the case. Educated testifying today on the 2021 budget request before the House Appropriations subcommittee. Watch the entire hearing tonight beginning 9 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Also online at cspan. Org. Listen live on the free cspan radio app. South carolina primary is saturday, join us to hear the candidates reaction for results. Live coverage saturday evening starting at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan, on demand at cspan. Org or listen live on the free cspan radio app. This weekend on lectures in history, we visit the campus of Utah State University as history professor Maria Angela Diaz leads her class through the civil war conflict. Its extremely violent, personal, bloody wharton away you dont see on the big fancy battlefields. These are communities against each other and sometimes even evolved into people, individual people against each other. Watched lectures in history saturday 8 00 p. M. Eastern on American History tv on cspan three and listen to our lectures in history podcast. Find it now where you listen to podcasts. Next, defense attorney Alan Dershowitz and bob trial. They included impeachment, the me too movement and antisemitism. Beverly hills temple of the arts posted hour and 815 affect