Pivotal point in the president s work to ensure there are more smart, conservative jurists in the federal judiciary. Under the leadership of President Trump and leader mcconnell, the senate has prioritized confirming bright, wellqualified men and women who will serve our country for years to come. Im proud to support judge cory wilson and urge my colleagues to approve his nomination. Thank you, and i yield the floor. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the madam president. The presiding officer the senator from minnesota. Ms. Klobuchar i ask unanimous consent that the rules Committee Madam president. The presiding officer the senator from minnesota. Ms. Klobuchar we got ahead of ourselves here. Im going to begin. Madam president , i come to the floor today to urge the senate to address the threat the coronavirus poses to our elections and to take immediate action to pass my legislation to ensure voters do not have to choose between their right to vote and their own health. Today is election day, madam president , in kentucky and in new york and in virginia. There are runoff elections in North Carolina and in mississippi as well. As we speak, voters in these states are experiencing what it is to vote in the middle of a global pandemic. If the past few months are any indication, for many casting a ballot today will not be safe and it will not be easy. The coronavirus has caused unprecedented disruptions in the daily lives of americans. In order to protect voters and poll workers, this pandemic has forced us to make changes to how we vote. 16 states postponed their president ial primaries or transitioned their primaries to almost entirely voting by mail. Weve seen democratic and republican governors across the country issue waivers allowing all voters to cast their ballots by mail during the pandemic, that includes in states like New Hampshire, republican governor, in states like in states like ohio where a republican governor that has focused on vote by mail, in states like maryland where the governor has been devoted to vote by mail and including in states like missouri. While it is important that individual states are taking action to protect voters during this pandemic, we must remember that in the end this is a national pandemic. Its not just a pandemic in vermont or in utah, it is national. It is the responsibility of this nation, of this nations government, of this congress to ensure that states have the funds they need to make our elections more resilient and to make sure that voters dont have to risk their vote to cast their ballots. When we have a national threat, whether it be international conflict, we do not expect an individual state to be able to respond. In world war ii when pearl harbor was bombed, we didnt say, oh, hawaii, you go deal with that yourself. We in this congress has acknowledged that this pandemic has National Consequences in how we responded with the cares act, with how the house has responded with the heroes act that i hope we consider very soon in this congress, with the fact that even when it comes to voting that this congress, with bipartisan support, this u. S. Senate, voted to give over 400 million originally to the states. There was some issues with how that money was given out that we are trying to fix, but nevertheless it was a down payment that the pandemic based on what weve seen in wisconsin we anticipated that there would be problems for voting, that there would be a massive change in how elections would vote. You have a place like new york state where only 5 have voted by mail. States like my state, despite having the highest voter turnout, minnesota, only 25 of people, on average voted by mail, and now youre seeing switchovers to 50 , 60 of the people of every single state in the nation asking to vote from home or in the alternative asking for safe voting places by keeping voting places open longer. By training poll workers so we do not need to depend on our Senior Citizen to staff the polling locations when they are the most vulnerable to the kroin coronavirus the coronavirus. This is common sense, thats why governors from republican states and democratic states all across the nation are asking for help from from washington. Today in kentucky and new york Election Officials are putting more than 36 million of federal funding to good use to provide workers with protective equipment an sanitizing supplies, funding for postage, purchase additional equipment and to cover the cost of moving poll locations to accommodate more people. I am proud to have fought to secure that funding and i appreciate senator blunt, my colleague who i know is going to be here shortly who is chair of the rules committee for assisting and making sure that that funding was designated as well as senator shelby and senator leahy and senator coons and so many others that have worked on this important issue. Its a good first step, but let us remember this is simply still the primaries in pa few states in a few states. If you talk to Election Officials across the country, they will tell you it wasnt enough that they desperately need more resources for the general election when so many more people vote. Support from the federal government is vital because we have seen states struggle when it comes to administering elections during the pandemic. We also know it is not like they have a reservoir of funding right now to deal with, which is one of the reasons that we want to pass the heroes act. So many of our states and local governments are struggling right now, and thats why its so important to designate funding as we move forward, and i hope we will soon, to discuss the heroes act to be able to help pay for elections. Support from the federal government is vital because we have seen states struggle when it comes to administering elections, with fewer than six months left before the general election, Congress Must act now to ensure that states have the resources and funding that they need. A lot of times you hear, well, its only six months, so why would we do funding now . Look at the fact that we were able to assure the states that the money was going to be out there for them a few months ago for the primaries that they were able to either spend their own money because they knew that money was coming or spend designated money. Thats how this works. Were no longer in a normal situation. Were in a situation where states are having to rearrange how they do elections all over the country to make it safe and to allow people to vote from home. Weve seen the chaos and disenfranchisement that will happen if we dont act soon. The wisconsin primary will forever with etched in the memory of our nation, voters stood for hours in the cold and rain wearing garbage bags and home made masks to exercise their right to vote. In milwaukee there were five polling locations open instead of the 180. The closure of so many polling places made it even heard for people with harder for people without easy access for transportation to get to a polling location and caused unnecessary lines wrapping around blocks. As a result voters were disenfranchised and some even contracted the coronavirus. According to local Health Officials nearly 70 people in wisconsin who either voted in person or served as poll workers contracted the virus as a result of that election. And then earlier this month in georgia, thousands of people went to the polls and were also met with long lines and confusion. Reports from atlanta indicate that voters faced malfunctioning machines and some voters never received the mailin ballots they requested. So instead of being able to safely vote from home many were forced to show up on election day. I was struck by an 80yearold woman from atlanta who actually marched with dr. King, and she was the first person in line at her polling location at 6 00 a. M. Waiting to vote this year. Anita called the long lines and waits unfair and ridiculous. She is right. In fulton count country, one voter, a mom, sat on an lawn chair holding her infant son in one hand and umbrella in another. She waited three hours to vote. She said she wont leaving because it was important to her and her son the one day she would be able to tell him he would vote for him. We dont foe if Voting Machines are operational. Jose andres, the remarkable chef who helps feed people in areas of Natural Disaster and will provide resources for people standing in line on election day. He is doing his part to address this issue as are so many people across the country, including as i mentioned democrat an republican secretaries of state an governors, and i appreciate senator blunt, the chairman of the rules committee is here. And as i said he worked to help us get that initial funding, experts have warned that today in kentucky we may see a repeat of the chaos that we have seen in early primaries. Reports indicate that fewer than 200 polling places are open in the entire state down than the 3,700 in a typical election year. We are glad kentucky has voting by mail. We also know based on what weve seen in these other states, and this is just based on facts, not on partisanship, its based on facts, we know that 200 polling locations in a state of that size will not be enough. Not in the primary, but it certainly wont be enough in a general election. In order to protect the right to vote, we have to learn from states who are taking steps to make voting safe and easy. Primary turnout this year has broken records in many states, especially when it comes to voting by mail, states like nebraska, iowa, south dakota, new mexico, idaho, West Virginia, have held elections by mail. Again thats a primary where some of these states have less voters, not all of them, because they are smaller population states, and many of them are not dealing with a qenl election. General election. In West Virginia mailin ballots increased to over 200,000 this year. In pennsylvania, the number of mailin ballots increased from 80,000 in 2018 to oarch 1. 5 million this year. Voters and Election Officials across the country in red states and blue states are turning to casting a ballot from home. In addition to the five states that already hold their elections mostly by mail, utah, oregon, colorado, hawaii and washington, and i note those states are not all blue states, including particularly utah, and colorado which is known as a purple state, three states, california, nevada, new jersey and the District Of Columbia have decided to send all voters absentee ballots and 13 states have decided to send all voters be absentee ballots. Both republican and democrats officials have decided to implement these policies to protect their voters. None of the five states that held their election primarily by mail this year had major voter fraud scandals. As the New York TimesEditorial Board notes, states that use vote by mail have encountered essentially zero fraud, oregon, the pioneer in this area, has sent out more than 100 million mailin ballots since 000 2000 and only a dozen of fraud. That is 0. 00001 of all votes cast. Weve all seen the president s tweets on this. We know these tweets are meant to hurt our democracy and people shouldnt fall for it because i just gave you the facts. 0. 00001 of all votes cast in the states that have been using this forever involving any frawld. We must set fraud. We must set the record straight. Senator remove any noted that rome any that almost everyone in his state votes by mail. In his words it works very, very well. Now is the time to reject any attempts to undermine our Voting System. What are you going to tell a veteran who has a preexisting condition like the guy who wrote me who served in vietnam who said what are we supposed to do now . We have to allow them to vote from home. In the midst of this pandemic, we need to make sure no voter has to choose between their health and exercising their right to vote. Thats why im urging my colleagues to support my legislation with senator ron wyden which is cosponsored by 35 other senators, the Natural Disaster and emergency ballot act to help state Election Officials meet this pandemic head on. Our legislation doesnt require us to reinvent how we vote. Instead, our bill would overcome the challenges posed by the coronavirus by expanding existing election practices like voting by mail and early voting. It starts with guaranteeing every american the option to vote by mail. 16 states require voters to provide an excuse if they want to cast a ballot by mail. But during the pandemic, 13 of these states are allowing all voters to cast a ballot by mail without needing to provide an excuse. Democratic and republican governors, that is progress. I would say while we still have three states that are still denying all voters the option to vote by mail, forcing them to choose between their health and their constitutional right and go through these hoops to do it, so why not put a standard in place on the federal level . Thats what our bill does. Our legislation would also get help to the states. Again, my friend, senator blunt, is here. I appreciate while he hasnt put a dollar amount on it, but his interest in looking at funding for this beyond this bill, i think is very helpful. Our bill called for 3. 6 billion, which is what is in the heroes act funding to safely administer elections, and it would knock down barriers, this bill, to safely vote, like the requirement to have your ballot signed by a witness or a notary. These are requirements that disproportionately hurt minority voters, people without as much money. Theres one story of someone sitting in a hospital room trying to get someone to notarize a primary ballot through a glass window, someone who has coronavirus. Are we really going to require them to do that . Thats what you have to ask yourself colleagues. The bottom line is it shouldnt be this hard to vote. Im proud this bill has been endorsed by more than a dozen organizations including the group founded by former first Lady Michelle obama, including vote latino, including the Lawyers Committee for civil rights, National Urban league, common cause, the Leadership Conference for civil and human rights. As i noted, the cares act included funding. It didnt include the standards that i think are necessary but included the funding, and thats just the beginning. That was a down payment negotiated in the middle of the night. I know that because i was talking to my colleagues back then. This is the real deal to be able to help states in the general election. This money was included in the heroes act. Public Health Experts have warned over and over again of the possibility of a new wave of this virus in the fall. We have to be ready. States are having this happen anyway. We should make sure that they have the funding to do it. I know were going to be discussing the National Defense authorization act in the next few weeks at some point, and i think about that. Our defense is important, but remember this is about the defense of our r democracy. The simple idea that this was a democracy, that its not a dictatorship, that people should be able to go out there and exercise their right to vote no matter how theyre going to vote, no matter what party theyre going to vote for. Because of this pandemic we need do t. Last thing, three polls released in the last couple of months showing overwhelming majority of voters, over 80 favor measures to make voting safe and easy. One of the polls conducted in six battleground states showed that 74 of voters wanted their senators to support legislation in congress to implement voting reforms, including a majority of republican voters. Think about that. Voters across party lines Want Congress to pass legislation that would guarantee the right to vote by mail and provide funding to states and make sure its safe to vote. Thats what this is about. And again, i thank my colleague, senator blunt, for all he has done and the fact that he was able to work with us when we did negotiate the cares act to make sure there was some funding clud as well includes well as i mentioned senator shelby, senator coons, senator shelby and others. Now is the time to prepare for what we have ahead and that is making sure everyone can vote safely. Mr. President , as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the rules committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 4033, the Natural Disaster and emergency ballot act of 2020, and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. That the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer is there objection . A senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from missouri. Mr. Blunt reserving the right to object, and with great consideration for senator klobuchars dedication on these issues, many of which, as she has pointed out, we have worked together on and i think well continue to, i just dont think this is the time to make this kind of fundamental change. I will admit that the very first legislation after the 2018 elections, the house passed a bill, but again it was a bill that would provide the federal government with unprecedented control over elections in this country. Despite the fact that for almost 250 years now, the states have been responsible for this particular government responsibility and to, quote, yet another time senator and then president obama in october of 2016 pointed out that the very strength of our system was the diversity of the system. I think one of the strengths of the system is the amount of local responsibility and local answerability, frankly, for how the system works on election day. Senator klobuchar pointed out that were fewer than six months none of the election. As a matter of fact, in our committee, i intend to hold a hearing next month on the problems that weve seen develop with this move toward more people wanting to vote not at the polling place on election day and how some states have dealt with those problems effectively and how others havent. And ill also say, to follow up on one of senator klobuchars points, i think funding is one thing. Helping the states help themselves is something that i think we can still do. We have done a considerable amount of that up until now since the 2016 elections with a big commitment in the cares act to make money available for states to regulate their elections and be able to afford to do that. I think we can, will, and should take another look at that. But six months before an election is a dangerous time to change responsibility. Now i think to be absolutely clear that any time this is a responsibility thats better done at the local level. But when you implement a new Voting System with a big first election, thats a problem. We saw that in georgia recently. By the way, georgia was complying with the request that both senator klobuchar and i and others have made to have, get a system in place that has a ballot trail, an absolutely worthy goal. And georgia followed up. But even then, it might have been better if they could have followed up on election that wasnt quite the same highprofile, highturnout election that their First Experience had. The responsibility for changing the system is hard enough in the best of times, and i think the states have had lots of time. My you state and my state and other states have changed their law to allow more access to absentee ballots. And some states as a matter of fact, not even absentee ballots. I got corrected by that with one of our Election Officials the other day. Now we call them mailin ballots, though in missouri up until now we always called them absentee ballots. Though one of the absentee excuses had always been unable to get to the polls because of health. But in the mailin ballotability to, in our state to eliminate for some ballots because of covid19 or health, eliminate the notary requirement, states have done this. They had a lot of time. They had a lot of notice. Most of them dealt with this, and more importantly, if it works, they get the credit. If it doesnt work, they dont have anybody else to blame. And they are working really hard because of that to make it work. The house bill was offered the first time in this body not long after it passed, in march of 2000 i objected to, again, the federalization of the election process. Not the assistance, not the help, but the federalization of the process. In may of 2020 the house passed yet another bill. Thats the bill were talking about today or Something Like it. This time it was a bill that democrats said would assist states with the pandemic. First we were going to assist states because of ballot security. Now were going to assist states because of the pandemic. There has been a real desire at the federal level to take over the election process. Again, i dont think thats a good idea. And if it was a good idea, it wouldnt be a good idea six months before the election. The provisions in the new bill are really about the same as the provisions in the old bill. They would provide the federal government with unprecedented control over elections in this country. This bill represents a onesizefitsall federal answer to a problem that i think the federal government is not the best place to answer. The estimated money needs of the states are something im willing to and think we should continue to talk about, but funding to accept the new situation they find themselves in is different than centralizing the process. Instead of providing states with flexibility to deal with emergency situations, for instance, this bill does just the opposite. This bill tells states how to run virtually every aspect of their election. It takes away authority of the states to determine their own process for voting registration. In fact, it requires all states to Institute OnlineVoter Registration at a time when were really more concerned than we used to be about what can happen to elections online. This bill tells states how many days of early voting they must have and where the voting locations, early voting locations need to be. It requires that all states accept online absentee ballot requests. Youve got online Voter Registration. Then you have online absentee ballot requests, and offers the requirement for no excuse absent ee ballots, which i guess according to my friend the election administrator will be mail ballots. Im going to get better at explaining that phrase. It tells states how and when their ballots must be delivered. It they also them when they have to be counted. It requires states to permit ballot harvesting. Ballot harvesting is the only thing i think in a decade that a candidate elected to the house of representatives was not seated because the house, this house, the current house of representatives decided that ballot harvesting was the reason that person shouldnt be seated. That people went around, collected ballots, apparently decided which ballots they were going to mail in and which ballots they were not going to mail in. If you look at the house determination that this person wasnt lawfully elected. But this bill actually requires states to allow individuals to go and collect ballots and turn them in in groups rather than some other way. If states want to do that, they can do that, but apparently it wasnt good enough to seat a member of the house of representatives from my party. It tells states how they must authenticate their ballots. It prohibits them, however, from using any form of voter identification to authenticate who the person is. It tells states what kind of envelopes they have to use to put their ballots in. But what doesnt it do . It doesnt recognize, again, that for almost 250 years states have successfully run elections in this country. And if the returns were in question, the people who were the local Election Officials and the state Election Officials were the people who were questioned. There was no ability to say, well, thats out of our hands, or, well, we dont really have anything to say about that. Some person in washington tells us what we have to do about that. States have successfully run elections during national disasters. States have successfully run elections during pandemics. States have successfully run elections during wartime. March the 3rd, 2020 on super tuesday, early that morning, a tornado struck three counties in tennessee. Election officials were able to use the flexibility they had as a state official to one, adjust the polling locations, two, move election equipment, to carry out the primary election successfully, and without challenge. None of that in my view would be allowed if this bill would have been in effect. Similarly, in response to the pandemic, many states, as i suggested missouri has, have changed tear law, looked their laws, looked to make this work, tried in most cases already in the primary or some other elections. States have changed their primary dates. Theyve expanded absentee balloting. Theyve expanded early voting. Theyve altered polling place procedures to ensure cleaning and sanitizing. Theyve worked to recruit more workers. This bill, in my view, doesnt acknowledge the important responsibility and answerability that local and state officials have on election day. That was a job i had for about 20 years. Part of that is the chief election official of the state. And ill just tell you on election day, nothing is more important than voters feeling like their vote was cast in the right way and counted in the right way, and there was nobody but me to blame at the county level and then again at the state level if that didnt happen. So i think my friend senator klobuchars comments are well intended and well motivated. I just think we have a fundamental difference on who makes these decisions. And i would recommend to all of my colleagues that if we ever make these kinds of changes, we make them long before six months before a president ial election. If this bill were lost, state and local officials would not only lose the flexibility they now have but they would have a new place to pass the buck. This is one of the desks that harry truman used on the senate floor, and he didnt have the pass the buck symbol yet that he famously had behind his desk as president , the buck stops here. On these issues the buck stops with the person that you have chosen locally and statewide to run your elections. I think that continues to be the best course for us to follow. And, madam president , i object. Ms. Klobuchar madam president . The presiding officer the objection is heard. The senator from minnesota. Ms. Klobuchar i want to thank my colleague for his work and his friendship. We obviously dont agree on every aspect of this. By the way, i did enjoy hearing his desk story. I didnt know he had Harry Trumans desk. I actually when i got to the senate asked for Hubert Humphries desk, the happy war year. Eight months later the desk arrived and they accidentally had given me the desk of gordon humphrey, the former senator from New Hampshire which i had for quite a while. In a new senate i one day opened up the desk top and saw they had replaced it with the desk of hubert humphrey. So i will give these comments in the spirit of the happy warrior. While you and i disagree on setting these standards at this moment, i think we should. I think what if not now, when, when it comes to things like not having notaries for getting a ballot and things like that. I am heartened by the fact that one, were having the hearing. I think its really important. I appreciate that. On this election, upcoming election. And two, you continue to be open to discussing with me and with the Appropriations Committee the funding as we go into november. I think thats really going to be important for all voters, whether its red, blue, or purple states. We know that so many people vote by mail, including the president of the United States with a ballot from palm beach, florida. And we all want to have that ability and make sure that the people of our states have an ability to either vote by mail or vote safely at the polling places this fall. Thank you very much. I yield the floor, madam president. A senator madam president . The presiding officer the senator from wyoming. Mr. Barrasso thank you, madam president. Madam president , i come to the floor on the eve of what should be a routine vote in the United States senate. Tomorrow the senate is scheduled to vote on a motion to proceed to the Justice Reform legislation that we ought to be considering in the United States senate. Its important to point out to the American People what that means, that this isnt a vote yet on passage of the bill. Its not a vote to end debate. Its not a vote to amend the debate. Any senator can amend or vote no or offer different substitutes for the bill. This isnt any of those things. The motion to proceed is a simple and rather routine agreement to begin debate on a bill. And yet here we are. It has turned out to be anything but routine. Senators on the other side, the other side of the aisle in this very chamber, are threatening to filibuster the motion to proceed. Filibuster even allowing us to debate a bill of great importance to the nation. In terms to the American Public might recognize, the democrats are threatening to filibuster the very issue, the very issue that they claim to care about. Listen to them on television, you see them in the streets talking to groups. They claim to care about it. Welcome to the bizarre world, madam president , of partisan politics and bankrupt leadership on that side of the aisle. On the same day that the minority leader will come to the floor to urge the senate to pass Justice Reform legislation, he will also attempt to rally his democrat caucus to block even starting a debate and they seem to be following him. Refusing to even debate an issue which is so keen in the minds of the American People. He is telling his members to filibuster the bill. Madam president , the justice act deserves a debate. It deserves a debate for the American People to see and to hear and to watch on television. The American People deserve that. What they dont deserve is partisan obstruction. What they dont deserve is a filibuster. They need a debate. Amend the bill if necessary and then pass it. We want to try to stop what happened to george floyd, a murder that we all witnessed, stop that from ever happening again in america. The American People know that. They took to the streets and now they are turning their heads to washington, to the capitol, and saying what can you do to try to make sure Something Like this never happens again. And we have a bill, a bill that addresses all of these issues, a bill thats ready to come for a debate, and yet again the democrats are threatening and are likely tomorrow to vote one after another after another to go up and vote no to even beginning debate on the bill. Incredibly, they began knocking this bill authored by senator tim scott of South Carolina with many of us as original cosponsors, they began knocking this bill before they ever read it, before they knew what was in it, they attacked it before it was released while the bill was still in the process of being written, they were attacking it. Then senator tim scott unveiled the legislation. And almost immediately the democrats decided to agonize over whether to block it. Agonizing over allowing a debate on the floor of the United States senate. Agonizing over a debate. You hear them in the halls. I dont know, should we get on it . Shouldnt we get on it . What was the issue . Racial justice. We need to be focused on that and discussing it and passing meaningful legislation that will make measurable progress. Shouldnt be a tough call, madam president. Senator schumer came and he said hey, you should have a bill on the floor by july 4. Here we are. Its before july 4. Brought the bill. 70 overlap in agreement of what the house has to offer. Here we are and yet senator schumer is telling his democrats line up one by one by one and vote no. We dont want a debate or discuss your bill even though it has a 70 overlap in agreement with what the house of representatives is offering as a solution, a meaningful solution to a concern that all of us have. I dont say this often, madam president , but senator schumer ought to listen to nancy pelosi because the speaker knows were not that far apart. The pelosi and the scott bill share many of the same goals, much of the same underlying legislation. Senator scott says they agree 70 of the time on the issues. At one point Speaker Pelosi said she would love to ge to conference with what to go to conference with what we have going on in the senate. The wall street journal last wednesday, madam president , published a chart and it showed just how similar the two bills are. The justice act in the house, the bill that the house the justice act in the senate and the bill that the house is working on as well. The scott bill ensures both African American communities and the Law Enforcement communities are protected. This is pe sighsly why the precisely why the justice act can and should become law. Without a doubt, this is our nations best chance for change, best chance in 25 years, best chance to put the 1994 biden crime bill in the rear view mirror, chance to pass meaningful reforms, a chance to make a law that actually makes a difference, a difference in communities all across the country and lives of people all around america. So democrats will be asked to vote tomorrow and they have a choice to make. They can continue to filibuster to say no, no, no, we dont even want to get on the bill to debate it or to offer amendments to improve upon it, to look for Common Ground, or they can do what apparently they want to do which is continue the status quo which is not what we need in america today. They ought to be embracing bipartisan reform. The justice act is not as one democrat on this very senate floor sadly described as a tok token. Thats what he said on this senate floor. This reform bill is serious. This reform bill is significant. This reform bill is substantial. And we should pass it, madam president. At a minimum we should at least debate it on the floor of the United States senate. Democrats plan to filibuster simply debating the bill. They should be held accountable by the very American People that they claim they are looking to help, claim they are looking to help when they have an opportunity to help those American People, all the American People when we vote tomorrow. So i urge my Senate Democrat colleagues, do not filibuster this historic bill. This is a wonderful opportunity to move our country ahead. We can build on the progress of the last four years, opportunity zones, permanent funding for historically black colleges and universities, the First Step Act. Lets build on this record, madam president. Lets debate, lets amend as we see fit, and then let us pass the justice act and send it to that Conference Committee that Speaker Pelosi talks about and then send a bill to the president of the United States and have it signed into law and help our country move ahead. Thank you, madam president. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Alexander madam president , i ask the quorum call be vitiated. The presiding officer the senator from tennessee, without objection. Mr. Alexander i ask that i be allowed to speak for as much time as i may require. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Alexander thank you, madam president. Madam president , the late historian, Arthur Schlesinger jr. Said this, that selfrighteousness in retroexpect is easy and cheap. The late Samuel Huntington who was a professor at harvard of United States history and politics wrote in effect that most of our politics is about setting great goals for ourselves, we, the American People, and then the struggle we have with the disappointment we feel when we dont reach those high goals, like all men are created equal. Ben hooks, who was from memphis, and a wellknown citizen of our state and a good friend, and once president of the naacp, used to tell his students at the university of memphis, remember that our country, america, is a work in progress. We have come a long way, but we have a long way to go. Its in light of those three comments that i would like to discuss the effort that some people made last night to tear down president Andrew Jacksons statue in Lafayette Square across from the white house. Now, madam president , i believe its always appropriate to review the monuments and the places that we name to see if there is a more appropriate name in the context of todays times. For example, in this capitol, every state has two statues. From tennessee, its Andrew Jackson and john sevier. Senator blunt, who is chairman of our rules committee, tells us that at any given time, some of those statues are in rotation because the state of mississippi or tennessee or oregon or some state may have decided instead of those two individuals, wed like to send up another statue. We would like in the context of todays times to name somebody else and as we think about statues that are already named for generals in the confederacy or the union, a war that was fought a long time ago, its appropriate, i think, to keep in mind we have had a lot of wars since then. Two world wars, korea, vietnam. We have had a lot of very distinguished generals. We have had courageous congressional medal of honor winners. Maybe in the context of todays times, there is a place for a camp macarthur or camp eisenhower or ivan c. York, congressional medal of honor winner from tennessee. Its always appropriate to review the places that are named and the documents we put up to see if there should be a better name or a better place for a monument in the context of todays times. But what about Andrew Jackson . Whose statue is one that the state of tennessee has sent here, whose statue is on a horse is outside of the white house in Lafayette Square. The similar statue is in Jackson Square in new orleans. What about Andrew Jackson . Well, lets make the case for Andrew Jackson. President ial historians, almost without exception, put him in the top ten of americas president s. They see him as a sophisticated, often subtle political actor that he really was. What they realize and unfortunately what only dedicated students of the american presidency often realize is that jackson was arguably the most important american president between Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln because much like lincoln, he preserved the union. If not for jacksons devotion to the union against his own local political interests, the union might well have fallen apart in 1832 or 1833. Jackson risked everything to keep our union together instead of siding with South Carolinas United States senator John Calhouns doctrine of nullification. When a serious constitutional crisis arose, when South Carolina decided following calhouns doctrine of nullification that it could decide which federal laws it would follow, it was jackson who stood up and said our federal union must be preserved. And jackson who had the political will and the skill to make sure it was preserved. Jacksons decision as president gave us an additional three decades to form what lincoln eventually called the mystic cords of memory in his first inaugural address. Surely that is worth recognition. Andrew jackson was our first nonaristocratic president. When he was born in 1767, it was not possible possible or plausible that the young boy, orphaned at 14, could some day rise in an enmerging republic. Emerging republics. He wasnt born rich, he wasnt born to privilege. He fought for everything he had and he rose to our governments highest office through the sheer force of personality and political courage. That is the case for Andrew Jackson. Now, let us also recognize that Andrew Jackson was not perfect. In fact, he was at the center of the two original since of this country, slavery and the treatment of native americans. But if were looking for perfection, were not likely to find it in American History or the history of almost any country or in human nature. The historian john mecham who won a Pulitzer Prize of jackson and wrote a biography of jefferson, said when he wrote all men are created equal, he was most certainly writing about all white men the those were the context for the times of jefferson. What do we do about jefferson if he was writing all white men are created equal in the context of those times . What do we do about jefferson who the only slaves that he that he freed, apparently, were those that he fathered with his slave mistress Sally Hemings . What do we do about George Washington and mount vernon and the slaves that he owned . What do we do about Abraham Lincoln who some say was slow to act on emancipation . What about franklin d. Roosevelt and his internment of american citizens who were japanese in camps during world war ii, or more recently, what do we do about bill clinton who signed the defense of marriage act which would not be in the context of todays times if two recent Supreme Court decisions are to be followed, as they will be. Or lets not just pick on our president s. What are we going to do about the congress, the senators, the members of the house . They approved the trail of tears, Andrew Jacksons removal of the cherokees to oklahoma and they approved the laws requiring segregation, the congress did. And what about the people who elected congress . They approved those members of congress who approved of segregation who approved of internment of japanese in camps. What are we going to do about us, the people of the United States . Do we pretend we didnt exist when we made decisions that we wouldnt approve today . Some of which would be abhorrent today. Do we burn down the monuments, burn down mount vernon, the jefferson memorial, hyde park. Do we erase all of that from our history . Thats not what we should do. We should not try to erase our history. We should not pretend it doesnt exist. We shouldnt ignore our history. Heres what i think we should do. Number one, as i said earlier, recognize that its always appropriate to review the places that we have named or the monuments that we put up, just like the monuments the states send here, to see if theres a more appropriate monument or name place that is appropriate in the context of todays times. Remember, as ben hook said, america is a work in progress. Its always changing and our monuments and the places that we name can change with that. Thats an appropriate, healthy exercise to go through. Thats number one. But number two, madam president , with the history that includes things we today abhor, we should try to learn from those things and build a Better Future. And let me give an example. Each year i bring on to the floor of the Senate Teachers of American History who have been selected to attend academy for teachers of American History that i helped to create when i first came to senate. I thought it was important to learn American History so children could grow up knowing what it means to be an american. When they come to the floor, they look for the various desks because the desks of the senate are what best describes it. Theyll go to find daniel websters desk, which is still there. Theyll go back to the there and find the desk that the three kennedy brothers used, where they sit. The ones from tennessee would come here because howard baker had my desk and so did fred thomas. They are interested in the desk of senator mcconnell and senator schumer because they are the leaders and they go to Jefferson Davis desk. Jefferson davis was a United States senator who had a great deal with the building of this capitol. But he, like many other United States senators from the south, resigned from the senate and joined the confederate army. Jefferson davis became president of the confederacy. When i take them to Jefferson Davis desk, these teachers of American History, this is what i tell them. That there is on that desk a what looks like a chop mark. The story that is told is it was created by a Union Soldier who came into this chamber when the Union Soldiers occupied washington, d. C. , and began to destroy the desk of the man who was who was the president of the confederacy, Jefferson Davis, until he was stopped by his Commanding Officer who told him, stop that, were here to save the union, not to destroy it. What do we do with Jefferson Davis desk . I say keep it there. I say to learn from it. To learn from the fact that there was a civil war, that there was a confederacy, that senators left this body, that Union Soldiers were here and one wanted to chop it up and his Commanding Officer said lets build a Better Future. Stop that. Were not here to destroy the union, but to save it. There are lessons in American History, there are lessons we should learn. The lesson of ben hooks, were a work in progress, weve come a long way, we have a long way to go. The lesson of samuel huntlington that most of our politics is about setting high goals for ourselves, all men are created equal. And then dealing with the disappointments struggling with the disappointments of not reaching those goals, deciding what to do about it. Do we dishonor Andrew Jacksons effort to keep our country together between jefferson and lincoln . Do we dishonor Thomas Jeffersons eloquence . Do we dishonor George Washingtons probity and character or f. D. R. s grand leadership during world war ii all because they werent perfect, all because they did things and lived things and said things that today we wouldnt say . I think not. Doing any of this would be a terrible misunderstanding of American History and of human nature. It would be an historical. In his first inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln appealed to the better angels of our nature. If there will better angels of our nature, i guess that means there must be worse angels in us as well. Not just in washington and jefferson and jackson and roosevelt and great men or great women, but in all of us. They are the better angels, they are the worst angels. And in this country, our goal is to bring out the best in us, which does not mean ignore the worst. We need to be honest about our weaknesses. We need to be proud of our strengths. We need to learn from both to create a Better Future for the United States of america. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Scott madam president. The presiding officer the senator from South Carolina. Mr. Scott thank you, madam president. The presiding officer were in a quorum call. Mr. Scott i move to vitiate the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Scott thank you, madam president. Madam president , i come to the floor today to continue a conversation, a dialogue about the importance of moving forward on the motion to proceed on the justice act. Madam president , it was just an hour and a half ago when speaker when leader mcconnell, in front of the entire press corps, myself and the Leadership Team on the republican side, had a very open conversation with the press about the fact that voting for this motion to proceed is voting for an open process. He said, and i agree, that this process must be open. Ive asked that we have amendments and, speaker, the leader said yes. So to my friends on the other side who believe somehow, some way this process does not include an actual open process where you have a chance over several days in the sight of the public to talk about and offer your amendments, that is wrong. If you want to want a process where you have an opportunity to persuade those in this body and the American People about the value of your amendments, this motion to proceed is a motion you should vote for. But more important than persuading the American People that this is a motion to proceed that you should vote for if you really want to get into Police Reform, we need a vehicle to get there, the justice act is that vehicle. Speaker pelosi, herself, and im not often quoting Speaker Pelosi or even paraphrasing Speaker Pelosi about something she and i might agree here, that it would be important for us to have a conference that requires this body to pass legislation that goes to a conference with the house. The only way we pass legislation in this body is is for there to be a Bipartisan Coalition of republicans and democrats working together because a majority in the senate is not 51 out of 100. From a legislative purpose, the majority of the senate is 60 votes. And that means we require 60 votes for us to even start the process of saying to little boys and girls in communities of color around this country, we see you. We hear you. I grew up in some impoverished communities in a singleparent household, mired in poverty. I understand how it feels to leave your home and get in a car and be afraid of getting stopped. I get that. Ive spoken about that too many times already. But what i will say is that this body has a chance to say to those, we see you, we hear your concerns. And a motion to proceed is simply a procedural motion that simply says lets debate the underlying bill. Lets have a conversation in front of all of the American People about the importance of doing Police Reform the right way. If you dont trust the republicans or if you dont trust democrats, you get to watch the process play out right here within the worlds greatest deliberative body. Right here, you can watch it play out live on cspan and come to your own conclusions about the seriousness of this issue. But if we miss that golden opportunity, if we miss the opportunity to debate the underlying issues, all you wind up with is talking points and campaigns. You see, some believe that one side would rather campaign on Police Reform than solve police issues. I believe that both sides of the aisle have a vast majority of people who are willing to come to the table to have a serious debate on the underlying issues that have brought combustion into this chamber and solve it, not have it explode because those of us on this sacred ground, were all here now. All of us do not have to tackle the issues like i did when i was 16 and 17 and 18 and 25 and 26 and 30. We have the ability to say to that young man and to that young lady, we dont just see you, we didnt just hear you. We acted on it. And by doing so, i believe, madam president , that we can make a difference in the lives of americans that we actually save. Theres been some criticism. Ive sat in my office and listened to some of the criticisms about our justice act from my friends on the other side. And one of the criticisms was that the justice act does not require new reporting measures on use of force. What . I sat in my office speechless because, madam president , our legislation absolutely, positively, unequivocally requires more information. And the house bill has a 10 penalty. Our legislation has a 20 penalty, or twice the penalty. I heard that our legislation does not ban noknock warrants, and this is critically important because in louisville, kentucky, the conversation on noknock warrants took a drastic turn in the wrong direction that led to the killing of Breonna Taylor. My friends were talking about how the house bill, their bill, bans, bans noknock warrants in drug cases. But when you open the legislation and read the pages, what it does is it bans noknock warrants for federal agents. Louisville, kentucky, those were not federal agents. So the complaint and the concerns about what actually helps situations in places like louisville, kentucky, isnt answered by the house bill. This is a chance for these two bodies and ill be honest, our legislation, we want to get the data around noknock warrants so that we can actually direct the resources and the decisions in the right way. So, yes, you can say ours take a more deliberative process. Well, lets debate that. Lets come to an agreement. Next, youve heard and i heard that the justice act would not end choke holds, and their legislation actually bans choke holds. Well, lets take a closer look, madam president. Thats false. With strict penalties facing local Police Departments, they go after choke holds by holding off on grant dollars for a local agencies and state agencies. Our legislation does the exact same thing. We go after local departments and state agencies by withdrawing some grant dollars. What theirs says about the ban on choke holds only applies to federal agents. Thats really important. Why is that important . Well because if youre watching at home, you hear a ban on choke holds, but you dont necessarily have the correlation, the information to reach the conclusion that theyre only talking about federal agents. Why is that important . Because eric garner was not an incident with a federal agent. It was not. So the conversation around banning choke holds for federal agents is let me say it differently. For 700,000 of the 800,000 Law Enforcement officers, the ban would not apply. Thats really Important Information to share with the American People. Why is this so, why is this so . Its called the constitution. Its a pesky little thing sometimes, but its a fact. The constitution does not allow for the federal government to dictate to local Law Enforcement what they can and cannot do, so they use the inducement of resources on the federal level. I told my friends earlier today, i talked to ten democrat senators today. I told them all the same. Lets get on the floor. Take money away as a penalties for federal democratic. We an the same. Heres what may be just as important as the distinctions that i hope i cleared up on the differences that are not necessarily the biggest differences on the important issues of what they said this morning was not what we were doing. I think selling something is important, but you can sell by manipulating or you can sell by motivating. I the want to be clear that our legislation says what it says, not what others say it doesnt say. So what does why am i so passionate about this issue beyond my 18 stops as a person of color, beyond my issues near the senate, beyond the fact that im the one that grew up in poverty in a singleparent household, beyond that point . In my legislation and the Republican Senate legislation and the house legislation, there is so much Common Ground of and to lose this moment to lose this moment for the kids and the young adults watching this process would be terrible. Let me give you a couple of examples of what i mean of things we have in common. Both sides agree on more deescalation training and the duty to intervene training. Both sides agree on ending choke holds. Both sides agree on passing the antilynching legislation. Oh, by the way, that myself and senator grassley, the chairman then of the Judiciary Committee worked with senator harris and senator booker to get it passed not once in this chamber, but twice. It stalled in the house before, before it stalled over here. We got it done twice, another area of agreement. Both sides agree on the importance of more minority hiring in Law Enforcement. Both sides agree that more bodyworn cameras are a good thing. We actually go further and have penalties for not having your body cameras on. But both sides agree. Both sides agree on the creation of a National CriminalJustice Commission which, by the way, was the numberone recommendation of president obamas 21st Century Policing task force. So why . Why cant both sides agree on a motion to proceed . If theres that much commonality in the underlying legislation, if were all watching the same pictures that we have all found disgusting and unbelievable, why cant we agree to tackle the issues in a substantive way here on the floor of the worlds greatest deliberative body . Because thats what were supposed to do here. We debate the issues. I want the nation to see. I want the public to see. I want the world to see. I want all of america to see us debating this issue. Thank you, madam president. Mr. Wyden madam president. The presiding officer the senator from oregon. Mr. Wyden madam president , across the country there has been a National Outcry for justice, for real changes in law to address Police Brutality and reflect the undeniable truth that black lives matter. This week should be our opportunity in the United States senate to come together, republicans and democrats, to begin to fix our broken policing system. That is what so many people in big cities and small towns in oregon and every state across america are demanding of us. But instead of allowing that kind of bipartisan discussion, leader mcconnell is plowing ahead with the partisan business as usual on a bill that falls very short of what the senate ought to accomplish. I see my friend, senator scott, the distinguished senator from South Carolina, on the floor. I want to make it clear that i have Great Respect for senator scott. He is an important member of the Senate Finance committee, on which both of us serve. I appreciate every opportunity to work with him, and in fact i think a fair number of people around the country note the work weve just done in the last few weeks. On nonprofit organizations. So we will be working together, i know, in the days ahead. Unfortunately, the majority leader is giving short shrift to this debate on ending systemic racism by putting forward an inadequate bill and essentially daring the other side to oppose it. Thats not the way you bring together both sides to address big, Important National challenges. And let me take just a few minutes to talk about some of the specific shortcomings of the legislation that senator mcconnell wants to bring to the floor. For example, mr. President and colleagues, how can 100 senators not agree that choke holds are wrong and ought to be banned . Thats what my democratic colleagues and i have called for. A nationwide ban on choke holds, period. Full stop. The republican bill does not take that same strong, Firm Position and in my view you cant equivocate when it comes to a reform as basic as banning the choke hold. Anything short of a ban creates loopholes for the use of choke holds and that is the wrong way to go for our country. Second, this bill doesnt create any real accountability for Police Misconduct. It doesnt set up independent investigations or prosecutions of police abuses. It doesnt create National Standards for Law Enforcement. It does not end qualified immunity. Those issues are right at the center of the challenge of reforming policing in america, and they are the wishes the American People want to see addressed headon. A lot of what the majoritys bill, senator mcconnells bill does with respect to Police Conduct is essentially collecting data. Nobody is protesting collecting data. What people are protesting on is they want to save lives. The senate ought to do better and make those real changes that improve Public Safety. Third, the extreme militarization of our Police Forces in recent years. Its actually an issue that goes back more than a few years, but the danger of a military mind set in domestic Law Enforcement was never more clear than when Trump Officials started talking, and i quote here, about dominating the battle space. Mr. President , our communities are not war zones. Our citizens are not enemy combatants. And our Police Officers should not be occupying forces. So why has the United States undergone this years long military mobilization on its own streets against its own people . Its long past time for this to end. And for all our communities to institute 21st Century Community policing policies. But the republican bill does not do that either. The truth is senator scotts bill does take a few good steps, like establishing the duty to intervene and making lynching a federal crime. Those are issues that i and other democrats would like to work on with senator scott on a comprehensive bill. But that is not what senator mcconnell has put on offer this week. My concern is if the senate takes up the mcconnell bill, it is going to just be business as usual under the republican leader. A short debate cut off arbitrarily, not enough votes and not enough improvements to the actual bill. I just dont believe when millions and millions of americans are demanding more, that business as usual is somehow acceptable. That video of the murder of george floyd at the hands of police stirred a part of Americas National consciousness. There had been peaceful protests in all 50 states over the last few weeks calling for us to stamp out racial injustice. People of all ethnicities, of all ages, all genders. Its been a rare display of common purpose and common engagement in america. As senators we have an obligation to respond to that call with something significantly better than business as usual. I know that senator scott wants to get there. I know that my democratic colleagues and i want to get there. Im proud to support senators booker and harris who have been doing outstanding work on this issue. And i know that regardless of the outcome of tomorrows vote, were going to keep working. But as for this week, the senate would be wrong to just rush this process and just check the box with a partisan process, a partisan approach before shrugging its shoulders and moving on to the task of dealing with more farright judges. So i am going to vote against cloture, mr. President. I urge my colleagues to do the same. And i yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from minnesota. Ms. Klobuchar mr. President , i rise today and thank my colleague from oregon and also thank him for his work on the voting bill. We just had a discussion with senator blunt about that. And while we didnt agree on the bill, there is discussion thats ongoing about as we head into another covid package possibly which we really believe we need to on working on some funding issues for the states as we look at more and more balloting from home and how important that is. And i want to thank senator wyden for his leadership for so long on that issue. I brought up your home state in a speech about an hour or so ago. And the work that oregon has done with ballot by home. I think ballot from home. Actually i think i used the number of percentage of fraud as point 0000001 or Something Like that to show what the president said is not true, that weve had actually in many states across the country, including utah, big success with voting from home. Mr. President , i rise today on another matter, and that is to urge the senate to consider meaningful comprehensive legislation to make systemic changes to our Justice System that will save lives, save lives in the black community, save lives in all communities of color that have experienced injustice for far too long. Im deeply concerned that the bill on the floor this week fails to meet this moment. It has been nearly one month since george floyd was murdered in my state. We all watched as his life evaporated before our eyes. It was a horrible thing. People who watched it, whether they were in Law Enforcement, whether they were just regular citizens that saw this and it hit home to many of them for the first time. And many of them sadly in the African American community for many, many times before that, how truly unjust this is and how immoral this is. His death was horrifying and inhumane and it galvanized a nationwide movement for justice. As members of the United States senate, we have a responsibility to respond to that call with action. And that means when you have systemic racism, that you must address it with systemic change. Some of that is happening in our state and local governments. Thats ap good thing. Thats a good thing. But some of that must also happen here. This is not just an issue for one city or one state. My home state. Or is it an issue just at the local level. Theres a lot of work that needs to be done at the local level. And that has been acknowledged by mayors and Police Chiefs across the country but theres also really important work that we must do here. I was proud to join my colleagues in introducing the justice in policing act led by senators booker and harris which makes comprehensive changes to our Justice System that are long overdue. These reforms including Police Officers being held accountable for misconduct, reforming Police Practices, and improving transparency will be good for our nation. The justice in policing act will help prevent more tragedies like those we have seen to prevent murders. It is why its supported by groups like the naacp, the Leadership Conference for human rights and National Urban league. The house is expected to pass the bill this thursday. And then it comes over here. But instead of taking up that bill, the justice in policing act, leader mcconnell has brought a different bill to the senate floor. The justice act. But my problem with it is despite the name and despite a lot of the words that were hearing on the other side, it doesnt get us to where we need to be. In this moment as people are still marching and deman demandg change, we cannot confront these urgent issues with half measures or qirve indication equivocation. I have serious concerns that this bill does not respond to the nationwide call for justice. Unlike the justice in policing act that is going to pass the house, the bill we are considering here on the senate lacks Critical Reforms to strengthen federal pattern and practice investigations. A reform that is urgently needed after we all saw the video of the Police Officer standing Police Officers standing right next to each other with george floyd pinned down, pinned to the ground. I have called on the department of justice with 26 other senators to conduct a fullscale investigation into the patterns and practices of the Minneapolis Police department and any bill that we consider should make sure the Civil Rights Division has the authority and what the resources they need to conduct a thorough investigation. By the way, our calls have still gone unheeded. During the Obama JusticeDepartment Time period, 25 of these cases pattern and practice investigations were brought. During the trump Justice Department time period, just one unit of the springfield, massachusetts, department went through a pattern and practice investigation. I dont know what more proof you need than the fact of the video and the fact that there were other officers standing nearby, the fact that we have called for this with 26 senators but still we await any final word from the Justice Department. They have informed us that they are still looking at this, but in the meantime, our Human Rights Department in the state of minnesota is stepping in to fill the void. I dont think thats the ideal way to do it. You would like a Justice Department that has experience doing this in other jurisdictions but our state Human Rights Department is now stepping in and conducting its own pattern and practice investigation. The bill on the floor fails to help states conduct their own investigations, as i just mentioned, to address systemic problems and culture training and accountability of Police Departments like what the Minnesota Department of human rights is now conducting. And by the way, with the proper resources and the proper experience, they are gleaning from former Justice Department officials and the like, this is one way to handle some of this in addition to the Justice Department. At a time our Justice Department has failed to take up these investigations, this provision that is in the justice in policing act is even more critical. We must also take action to put an end to practices that unnecessarily put peoples lives at risk. I worked with senators gillibrand and senator myth of my state on provisions in the justice in policing act to ban federal Law Enforcement officers from using choke holds and other neck restraints and to prohibit states from receiving federal funding unless they have passed laws to ban these practices, to receive certain federal funding. We have used this method in the past, and if there is significant funding attached to it, states will react. The bill on the floor this week from our republican counterparts only ban certain types of choke holds, those that restrict air flow but not blood flow, and only in certain situations. This does not go to the point that we needed to go to, to get the kind of systematic change we need in our criminal Justice System. And critically, the republican proposal does not include necessary changes to hold individual officers accountable for misconduct like making records of Police Misconduct public. Real change comes with accountability, and as drafted, the republican bill does not provide it. Thats why it is opposed by civil rights and criminal justice groups, and it is why the attorney for George Floyds family and i had the honor of speaking with George Floyds family he has said that this bill is, quote, in direct contrast to the demands of the people, end quote. So where do we go from here . Well, we can start by calling up the bill that will be coming over from the house. We can start by agreeing to Work Together. Lets have a bipartisan process to develop the consensus bill that we need based off the bill were going that will be coming over to the house. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, i have seen what happens when we Work Together to get something done. Thats how we passed the First Step Act which passed the senate with a vote of 8712 by reaching across the aisle but actually doing something. Not just a bill full of platitudes or studies but actually doing something, which is what the people are calling out for now. And by the way, there are a lot of good Police Officers out there, including ones that work around us. And when you put strong standards in place, they meet those standards. But to allow that conduct that we saw on that video, to go without national changes to our policing would be just to say well, its just this incident in minnesota, which, of course, is being prosecuted by our attorney general keith ellison. Thats how you could resolve it if you thought it just happened once and it just happened in one state, but we know thats not true, my colleagues, we know thats not true. That is why this is so important to take action and pass an actual bill. We already started this process in the senate Judiciary Committee. Last week, we held a hearing on these issues. We heard testimony from local leaders like st. Paul mayor Melvin Carter and Law Enforcement officers from across the country. And i heard a lot of agreement among many of those who testified. Not all of them, but many of them. Support for banning choke holds, establishing a national use of force policy. These are Police Chiefs. Creating a public database of public misconduct. And ensuring independent investigations of policeinvolved death, something that i pushed for in my former job. You cannot have the Police Department that the officer works for investigating this conduct. That is wrong, as i said so publicly years ago. There are areas where we can find agreement, but we have to mean it. Chairman graham said at the hearing that he hopes the Judiciary Committee could consider what has been proposed and, quote, come up with something in common, end quote. Well, we start with a bill thats going to be coming over from the house, the bill that has been sponsored in the u. S. 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 senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from michigan. Ms. Stabenow first i want to thank my friend from minnesota for her ongoing leadership on so many issues, and certainly this is one of them. We greatly appreciate and need your voice. Mr. President , for the past month, americans in all parts of our country and from all walks of life have once again been marching for the cause of justice. They are raising their voices and raising the names of those killed by Police Violence. Eric garner, Michael Brown, freddie gray, Breonna Taylor, george floyd, rayshard brooks. Americans arent marching because of politics. They are not marching because they want the senate to pretend to address this issue and hope it goes away. Americans arent marching because they want more studies and reports. No. Americans from all walks of life, young and old, people of all backgrounds, religions, and nationalities are marching because they are sick and tired of learning about more names. They want the people who represent them here in this chamber to finally confront this deadly serious issue with the seriousness it deserves. And its time we meet their expectations in this historic moment. This really is, mr. President , an historic moment. Its a historic opportunity for all of us to come together. Its past time to do something to stop the violence. Its time to come together and to do Something Big and consequential, and thats going to take all of us to be able to do that. Just think about the big things we have been able to get done in the past decade or so. And im not trying to equate this current moment in the seriousness, but i know we know how to do big things, mr. President. You and i know that. We do big things across the aisle. We work across the aisle when we want to get things done. When i think about passing a farm bill, a fiveyear farm bill, a lot of people said we couldnt get it done. All of the different interests, the interests of families and food assistance, the interest of families for farms and ranchers and so on. I had my doubts at some of those times. But we kept on working in a bipartisan way, and in the end, we got a bipartisan bill that was good for farmers and our families, good for our environment, good for our economy. And in fact, we passed it with an 8713 vote which is the most votes we have gotten ever in the United States senate for a farm bill. Police violence and systemic racism that is behind it deserve at least, at least the same bipartisan effort that we gave the farm bill. In much the same way, the senate came together across the aisle and got comprehensive Immigration Reform done. That only happened because people sat down together, different views, republicans, democrats, and worked through the complicated issues that were standing in our way. And got it done in the United States senate. Police violence and the systemic racism behind it deserve at least that same bipartisan effort. More recently, there was the cares act. Democrats and republicans worked day and night to come together in agreement on the most effective way to meet the needs of americans during an Unprecedented Health and economic crisis, which, by the way, we need to do again because were not done. Police violence and the systemic racism behind it deserve at least that kind of effort. This is a huge, huge crisis that pulls at the very soul of america. And this issue certainly deserves the best of all of us right now, the best of what we can do. Systemic racism, related Police Violence certainly deserve at minimum the same kind of bipartisan effort we have focused on on other issues that have not had the lifeanddeath consequences of this issue. The people who are marching and who are crying out for justice deserve a serious response at a serious moment. Leader mcconnell needs to take this issue seriously and support a bipartisan process instead of just moving to a weak, flawed republican bill just to pretend that he tried to do something. The house of representatives is serious. They are passing a bill this week, sending it over to us, a serious bill. Im proud to be a cosponsor of the Senate Version with our leaders, senator booker, senator harris. But they are serious about passing the justice in policing act. Senate democrats are serious. Mitch mcconnell and Senate Republicans must be serious, too. This is the moment, this is the moment for us to be serious together and address this in a big, profound, systemic way. Eric, michael, freddie, breonna, george, rayshard, and all of those that are no longer with us , as well as all of those marching, marching, marching and speaking up, deserve nothing less than our best at this moment. They deserve a serious bipartisan effort. Thats what i support. Thats what my democratic colleagues support. We know it takes sitting down and listening to each other. It takes working out differences, but thats the only way change happens, and we are willing to put in whatever time and effort it takes to make that happen, and thats what were going to continue to fight for. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. I would suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call ms. Duckworth are we in a quorum . The presiding officer we are. Ms. Duckworth i ask that the quorum call be lifted. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Duckworth mr. President , if you walk outside this building and take a few steps towards the white house, you can almost hear the cries for justice still ringing out through the air. You can almost smell the tear gas lingering over our nations capitol. Listen closely and you might be able to catch the echos of the Peaceful Protesters chanting the name of Breonna Taylor who was killed in her own home. Or the name of george floyd who was forced to beg for his life until he couldnt beg any longer held down under the knee of a Police Officer who swore an oath to protect and serve or ra shard brooks who was shot in the back 11 days ago even as the reckoning over Police Brutality was already under way. Americans spr been laying down, standing up, neiling, marching kneeling, marching and mourning in the states. They are trying to drag our country forward until it lives up to its words of the pledge of allegiance that in this republic there is liberty and justice for all. So far this has not been a reality for black americans. It failed the families of Breonna Taylor, george floyd, and rais hard brooks. Its failed every black parent who kisses the top of their childs head before school each morning as their heart breaks with the knowledge that this time could be the last. I know that i will never be able to fully comprehend the fear and trauma that black americans experience every day, but what i do know is that the burden of all this pain cant fall on them alone. The responsibility, the work of bending the moral arc of the universe towards justice cant just be put on the backs of those who had havent fueling its weight the whole time. Rather, it is on all of us black, white, asian, latin, you name it to help those communities receive the justice they deserve. But i come to the floor today because my republican colleagues are trying to force through a bill that barely even pays lip service to the crisis at hand. In some ways, it doesnt even accomplish that. In spite of its name, the justice act, wouldnt begin to bring any semblance of real justice to the victims from minneapolis to atlanta to louisville and beyond. It should be obvious by now that the epidemic of Police Brutality wont be fixed by a bandaid bill. We need to reckon with the reamounts and systematic biases that marred our country for years many we need to bring systematic change to our Law Enforcement agencies, we need to force a Seismic Shift on how to respond to Police Brutality including no knock warrants and choke holds at the federal level. My friend senator booker has introduced legislation that would do just that. The republican bill would not. We need to hold accountable officers who break the laws they were entrusted to enforce, ensuring that independent prosecutors review police force and prosecute officers who act irresponsibly, recognizing that local Police Officers have a conflict. I have legislation that will do that which has been included in the democratic bill. But the republican bill would not do anything close. We need to amend federal law on qualified immunity so officers cant just violate americans Constitutional Rights with near impunity and we need to mandate antibias federal Law Enforcement training. Democrats have put forward policy that would do all of that. The republican bill refuses any such attempt at accountability and wouldnt even ban racial profiling. It comes down to this. Real justice, real accountability requires these reforms yet the justice act itself is silent on so many of them. Its a socalled reform bill aimed at aimed more at reforming Public Opinion than policies that got us here. The families grieving today deserve better. As George Floyds family made clear when they spoke out against the bill. They know that those who have had a loved one stol ren from them deserve more than Just Lip Service many they deserve for their senators for the officials who are elected to represent them in whats supposed to be the worlds greatest deliberative body to try to pass legislation that would address the crisis at hand. Look, next week, our country will celebrate its independence day. But what does freedom for any one of us mean if so many of our neighbors still are not free to walk down the street or sleep in their own homes without fearing for their lives . Until every black american can breathe without a knee on their neck, no american should feel as if were truly able to take a breath ourselves. The republican bill were expected to vote on tomorrow isnt just a disappointment, it least black americans in unnecessary danger and settling for lip service when lives are at stake isnt just inadequate, its cruel too. And, with that, i yield the floor. Mr. Bennet mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from colorado. Mr. Bennet thank you, mr. President. I want to thank my friends, senator harris from california and senator booker for leading us in this fight for so many years. I remember well, mr. President , when i first went to work for the city and county of denver, one of the first tragedies that we had in the city at that time was the shooting of a young man named paul childs in park hill by police under circumstances that should never have happened. That was almost 20 years ago, but these headlines havent stopped. If anything, matters have gotten worse. And as the country has grappled with the pandemic over the last few months, i heard a lot of people talk about how its revealed a profound sense of inequality in our country, how it has exposed all of this injustice in the United States of america. We should not have needed a pandemic to expose the injustice that exists in the United States of america. It should not have taken a pandemic to alert people to the injustice in our country because if youve been paying any attention, if you have listened at all to the black voices in the United States of america, then you know these injustices have been with us for generations. And in the case of our Law Enforcement system, they have literally had life and death consequences for black americans, and it just keeps happening. And one reason for that, mr. President , the reason it be keeps happening, one reason that it happened to ahmad arbery or Breonna Taylor or george floyd is because what happened to them would never happen to my three daughters. What happened to them would never happen to me. It has never occurred to me once when im Walking Around my neighborhood in denver that what happened to them could happen to me or my children. Thats whats meant, in part, by white privilege. A privilege that almost everybody in this chamber enjoys. And i think we can never accept that we live in a country where one group of people is less safe than another for no reason other than the color of their skin. We have to refuse to accept it, but thats the country in which we live, and we have to acknowledge, finally, what Kamala Harris and cory booker and others have been telling us, is that our criminal Justice System in this country is broken. Our long history of unequal treatment of poor and minority criminal offenders, especially black americans, has evolved into a system of mass incarceration unlike that of any other developed democracy, a network of dystopian privatized prisons spread across the land to house people who in many cases shouldnt even be behind bars. That were convicted for infractions relating to things that are legal in the state of colorado today. According to the definitive article on the subject of the United States mass incarceration, our country accounts for less than 5 of the worlds population but 25 of those who are incarcerated. Our closest competitor and its hard to find one our closest competitor is russia, a Virtual Police state. And in our country theres nothing equal about whos incarcerated. Black males between the ages of 20 and 39 are incarcerated at a rate ten times the rate of their white peers. Every one of these issues needs to be reexamined, informed not by ideology but by pragmatism and most important the moral commandments of a just society. That is what the patriotic americans in our streets, that is what the patriotic americans in our streets and downtowns demand. They are not calling for one more commission, they are not calling for one more study. They are calling for real reform. Thats what people mean when they say this moment calls for real reform. Its what the people are saying in the streets. And with respect to my colleagues on the other side, the proposal senator mcconnell has put forward doesnt come close to meeting that test. His bill, his proposal, which is meant to paper this over and get through to another chapter, not address the issue, his bill still allows the use of choke holds, the same choke holds that suffocated the life from eric garner. It doesnt ban noknock warrants, the same practice that led police to breakdown Breonna Taylors door and shoot her eight times in her own apartment. It doesnt make it easier for families like the family of george floyd to seek justice when their loved ones have been victimized by Police Brutality. It doesnt even ban racial profiling, mr. President. There is virtually nothing in this bill to respond to the families calling for justice or to save lives from Police Practices that have no place in america in the year 2020. This is not a time for half measures, for one more attempt to use talking points and legislative tricks to make it seem like were doing something when were not. And the idea that this that the country isnt ready for comprehensive im sorry, mr. President. And the idea that the countrys not ready for a comprehensive approach, mr. President , is not true. And i will yield to my colleague from connecticut in just a minute. Last week in colorado, my state, a western state, a purple state, we became the first state in america to pass the sweeping Police Accountability bill into law. Its almost exactly like the one we have proposed here. We passed that bill 5213 in the state house and 322 in the senate. 322. Only two republicans in the senate voted against that bill. Every single democrat voted for that bill. And thats colorado, out in the middle of the country. It sets a standard for what we need to do in washington, which is to pass the justice in policing act that senator harris and senator booker have put forward because we will never heal as a nation, as a country, unless we confront and dismantle this systematic injustice and systematic racism that still plagues america, running as it does in a Straight Line from slavery to jim crow to the red lining of our housing and Banking System to the mass incarceration that we have, to the prisons that tanahasse coats refers to as the great waste. As i said on the floor the other day, mr. President , anyone who studied the history of our democracy knows how tough it is to make progress. Stulg has always been a struggle has always been a battle from the very beginning of our founding, between our highest ideals and our worst instincts as a country. And more often than not, the fulcrum of that battle from the founding until today has been race, and progress on these lines has never been easy. Its never come easy. Among us are still people whose politics is aimed at stripping some citizens of their rights and opportunities, who despise pluralism, who succomb to fearful hatreds like racism or who care nothing for anyone but themselves, their prebs presence means that the rest of us, most of us whom Martin Luther king jr. Called the great deeper majority must share a deeper understanding of our patriotic obligation to our fellow americans and to our republic. And right now that obligation means doing everything in our power to answer the call of americans in our streets and downtown from d. C. To denver and beyond who are calling for an america where no one is denied protection of the law or justice or their own life because of the color of their skin. I yield the floor. Mr. Blumenthal mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from connecticut. Mr. Blumenthal thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , ive been doing a lot of listening during these past months. Like americans across america ive been doing a lot of listening to the dedicated and passionate people, our fellow americans, who have marched in the streets in our communities with passion, but peacefully, in their cries for justice. And in fact, i have marched with them in 15 or more demonstrations in connecticut. Big cities, hartford, stanford, new haven. Smaller cities, trumbull, windsor, glassenbury. And then places like torrenton, east hartford, anberry, all across the state. Proud to be with people from connecticut, led by our young people, as are many great social movements and revolutions of our time led by young people who have the audacity and hope to cast aside the normal and say theres no going back. Theres no rolling back to the old normal. What we need is action. And that has been the common theme in these cries for justice. The demands for accountability, the pleas for an end to racism. Generations of Racial Justice, and racism with historic roots in so many of our institutions, including some of our Law Enforcement. But they are demanding more than just our listening and more than just our speaking. Theyre demanding action, real action, real reform, real change with real teeth and new laws. And the time has come for us in this congress to heed those calls. We need legislation that honors the memories and the lives of those who have lost their futures. Michael brown, philando castile, sandra bland and countless others added to george floyd, Breonna Taylor, ahmaud arbery, and rayshard brooks. Some are in the headlines. Some of their deaths have been caught on video. But so many thousands never on video, never publicized and never known to the public. In their memory, but also for the sake of our future, we should move forward with action. And were here today because simply and starkly, the republican justice act fails to meet this moment. It fails that test. Ive been listening not only to the folks in the streets and our communities, but also to my great colleague, cory booker and Kamala Harris. And clearly from what we have heard from them and the work they have done along with many of us to fashion the justice in policing act, the republican proposal is a shadow of what it should be, unacceptably weak, nibbling around the edges of this problem without any guarantee that black americans will not again ask us whether their lives are worth 20. The justice act fails completely to address the harmful policing practices that we know have cost lives. The deaths of Breonna Taylor, eric garner are not anomalies. Choke holds and noknock warrants are known to be costly. They have cost black lives. And the justice act ignores this truth. Americans are not marching in the streets so we might, quoteunquote, study these phenomena. They are not begging us to design programs disincentivizing, to quote again, practices that are literally killing americans, black americans, americans who deserve justice. The notion that we could respond to this moment with a commission or several commissions and incentives to do better is insulting to all of us. We need legislation that explicitly bans the use of choke holds and noknock warrants in drug cases so we can credibly tell the American People we hear you and we will act. Communities of color must be able to trust that Law Enforcement will be held accountable if they commit criminal acts. The republican justice act completely lacks any mechanism to hold Law Enforcement officers accountable in court for their misconduct. It makes no change to section 242 of title 18, which makes it a federal crime to willfully deprive a person of Constitutional Rights. This criminal statute can be used to hold officers accountable for the use of Excessive Force, something we all know led to the deaths of far too many black and brown people in this country. I believe that criminal liability is a critical tool in the Law Enforcement accountability toolbox, but only if it is used. Right now civil liability is available, albeit an inadequate remedy so long as qualified immunity is not reform. But very often, in 99 of the cases, any civil remedy involves indemnification by the municipal government. Indemnification means that the individual officer feels no financial penalty, and very often little other penalty. Criminal liability involving potentially prison concentrates the mind. It is a strong deterrent. And as i sat in a hearing that we conducted in the Judiciary Committee, we need change to make it a real remedy and a real deterrent. When officer chauvin held his knee on George Floyds neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, he looked straight into those cameras with impunity, because he assumed he would never be prosecuted criminally. He never imagined that justice would find him, and justice still must find him in a criminal court. He ignored the pleas of bystanders telling him to stop. He ignored george floyd as he begged for his life. These kinds of actions by an individual in a system that has shielded people like them simply encourage more of it. And section 242s change in the standard of criminal intent will provide real culpability for police who deserve it. The republican justice act relies mainly on Data Collection which may be used to inform policy proposal at some later time. It pushes down the road any real action. We already have statistics. Since be 2015 there have been 5,000 fatal shootings by onduty Police Officers. In the past year over 1,000 people have been shot and killed by police. Black americans account for less than 13 of the countrys population, but they are killed at more than twice the rate of white americans. Now data is important. In fact, i was the lead sponsor of the death in custody act passed about six years ago. Regrettably and inexcuseably, that measure has never been enforced so that it has never really been effective. We must make it so, but it shows the limitations of any Data Collection system. And the fact is systemic racism in Law Enforcement has gone unchecked for too long. The time for accountability is now. It is long overdue. Let me say finally for most of my professional career i have helped to enforce the laws. Ive been a trial lawyer, yes, but i also served as the chief federal prosecutor of the United States attorney for connecticut for four and a half years and then as attorney general of my state for 20. And i have seen some of the best in Law Enforcement and some of the worst. We need a higher standard, not just in words or paper but in fact. We need a standard that is worthy of the people who have marched and cried for justice throughout American History who have tried to dream of a better system and a fairer country. There is so much work for us to do, but at this moment we must seize the opportunity, a point of consensus to come together and act in a way that is worthy of this great nation. We have proposed exactly that action in the justice in policing act. We should be moving forward on it now, not on a bill that is truly unacceptably weak and inadequate and unworthy of this historic moment. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from ohio. Mr. Brown thank you, mr. President. Thousands of americans are protesting in communities across our country, demanding our country do better. The protests are an expression of grief for ms. Taylor and mr. Floyd and mr. Arbery and mrr black americans murdered by the people who are supposed to protect them. They are an expression of frustration and anger. Its 2020. Its the year 2020, a century and a half after the official end of slavery, five and a half decades after the passage of the civil rights act, still black americans are fighting the same fight. Theyre also an expression of hope and patriotism. We demand our country do better, demanding we live up to our founding ideals as one of the most patriotic things anyone can do. We need to listen to the black voices leading these calls for justice and take real action. Thats what democrats want to do. My colleagues senator marries and senator booker senator harris and senator booker and the Congressional Black Caucus in the house have led bicameral efforts and have a serious plan, the justice in policing act. Everybody knows its a serious plan, everybody. It would implement real meaningful reform. It would actually hold police accountable. It makes it clear, no more choke holds, no more unchecked Police Misconducts, no more militarization of Police Misconduct. Of course we know this isnt the only thing we need to do. Policing didnt create institutional racism. Its a product of it. It often reinforces it. We have a lot of work to do beyond this. But these reforms are an important start to making policing in our country more just. The justice in policing act would create real change in our Justice System and communities across the country cant afford us to not act on this meaningful legislation. What we cannot do is pass it pass something just called Police Reform that does so little to actually reform policing. And then turn around and tell black mothers and fathers whose children have been slain see, we solved it. Our work here is done. I respect senator scott. I appreciate his coming to the table and taking on this issue. I know hes fighting an uphill battle with his own caucus. I know that. So many on this side of the aisle dont want for do anything to do anything but they think they need to check the box. I want to work with senator scott and with anyone of either party on real solutions. All of us on our side do. But im note willing to participate in a political charade to vote on something that wont that has no chance to lead to real change. Just check a box, provide politicians with a talking point. Its an insult to black families who have been fed empty promise after empty promise year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation. We need to listen to the communities that suffer the most at the hands of police and Police Violence. They all agree, the Senate Republican bill is simply not serious. It wont fix the problems. Well ale well be right back here sooner rather than later. Virtually every major Civil Rights Group opposes this bill. The nacp fund, the Leadership Conference on civil and human rights, the Young Womens Christian association, one of the most important, civil rights and womens rights organizations in the country. It doesnt ban noknock warrants. The justice in policing act does. It doesnt stop the militarization of Police Departments. The justice in policing anxiety does owe act does. It doesnt ban choke holds. The justice in policing act does. These are the steps these are all steps that Civil Rights Groups have said are critical to any reform effort. Its the bare minimum. All this bill offers is more studies of questions we already know the answers to. We dont need more studies. We dont need more task forces. We dont need that senator mcconnell specializes it. We dont need delay tactics. The justice act could put us in danger of moving in the opposite direction by providing more funding for policing without adequate rules and regulations, without a similar investment in community support. The naacp says this bill, and i quote, ignores the public demantsdzs to reimagine Public Safety by shrinking the per view of Law Enforcement and providing better funding to agencies equipped to address the needs of communities such as social services, Mental Health services, education. The urban league says the scott bill dances around the edges in a show of political posturing. We refuse to engage in that political posturing. We refuse to act like this is just a box we checked and then we can move on. We refuse to insult black americans by pretending, pretending this is a serious effort. People have suffered too long for that. Weve been here before. This isnt the first wave of protests or the second. In 2014 after the murders of tamir rice in my city of cleveland and Michael Brown in ferguson, missouri, president Obamas Administration laid important groundwork for tax reform. They studied what reforms would be the most effective. They instituted consent decrees with cities to hold departments accountable. They created a road map that we could follow. But President Trump undid much of the progress the Obama Administration made. The urban league put out a plan for reform around the time of the murder of tamir rice after Michael Browns murder in 2014. Since then nearly 1,300 black men and women think of that 1,300 black and men have been fatally shot by police since the deaths of Michael Brown and tamir rice six years ago. This bill does nothing to stop the practices that killed them. Black americans know their lives are put in danger by police every day. Listen, they lets listen to them. People all around the country, black and white and brown in small towns and big cities, young and old are listening, waking up and joining the calls for change. The Peaceful Demonstrations and protests all over my state in black neighborhoods, in white neighborhoods and integrated communities, in small towns, rural ohio, and big cities, suburbs, everywhere. Lets follow their lead. Lets actually hear the voices that have been silenced for too long. Mr. President , i urge my colleagues to vote no and instead to work with us on real meaningful reform to transform our Public Safety system into one that actually keeps people safe. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from new jersey. Mr. Menendez mr. President , i rise today to address the nationwide call for reasonable, sensible Police Reforms. Last month the American People watched in horror as a Police Officer kneeled down on the neck of george floyd for eight minutes and 46 seconds killing him. I cant breathe. It was a slow execution caught on video, a metaphor for the systemic racism and injustices black and brown communities endure every day. But unlike other horrific videos of Police Killings that have sparked protests, this feels different. This is a moment when people of all races and walks of life have taken to the streets and cities in communities across the country. Theyre crying out enough is enough. It is time for us to address the institutional racism, economic, societal, and environmental inequities and injustice that have plagued this nation since its founding. Mr. President , the American People are demanding real, meaningful change, bold, comprehensive action that starts by reforming our Police System that has historically dealt a heavier hand towards communities of color. And what did the republic majority do to answer the publics plea . They have offered the American People the, quote, justice act. They call it justice, but justice for whom . This bill fails to meet this moment in history before us. It offers only lip service to the families of george floyd and Breonna Taylor and tamir rice and eric garner and all those tragically lost at the hands of the police. The republican justice act is nothing more than a glorified suggestion box filled with half measures and play indications that sound good on paper but simply wont deliver the real change the American People are demanding from this body. There is no justice in the justice act. Rather it is a wholly inadequate response to the injustices faced by black and brown communities at the hands of the police. It merely asks, suggests, recommends, encourages. It says to Law Enforcement hey, would you mind . Could you kindly, do you think you might be able. But nowhere in this bill does it compel, require, mandate, or insist upon the commonsense Structural Reforms the American People are demanding. The justice act calls for reports and a commission, but weve had 400 years to study the stain of slavery and institutional racism in this country. We dont need a study to tell us that too many young black men are dying at the hands of the police or that youre more likely to be shot and killed by the police if you are black than white. A commission wont save the life of the next george floyd. My republican colleagues may think that the American People will praise them for passing an empty bill named justice that does no justice to the deepseated systemic failures in our policing system. They are mistaken. Indeed i would encourage my republican colleagues to consider the justice in policing act led by senators booker and harris that im proud to cosponsor. It requires a comprehensive set of reforms designed to increase Police Accountability, improve transparency, and invest in training. The justice in policing act bans noknock warrants in drug cases, the kind that led to Breonna Taylors death. It establishes a National Public registry on Police Misconduct so that the bad actors who make it harder for the good cops to do their jobs cant just move from department to department. Our bill requires Data Collection and publication on the use of force. The republican bill does none of those things. And while the justice in policing act bans deadly choke holds and other tactics that restrict blood flow to the brain, the republican bill stops short of any such ban. The justice act is also silent on racial profiling and the militarization of local Police Departments. It is silent on funding independent investigative channels to prosecute Police Misconduct and fails to strengthen pattern and practice investigations. It fails to establish National Standards for Police Misconduct. And while it would provide additional money to Law Enforcement, it does so without actually requiring any substantive change. So it fails us. The justice act fails to create a system of policing that is about community, safety, and equal application of the law. So again, i ask my friends on the other side of the aisle where is the actual justice . Where is the justice for Breonna Taylor, george floyd . Where is the justice for those murders that were not captured on video . Where is the justice for thousands of black men sitting in prison, victims of overpolicing and racial profiling. Now senator mcconnell would have us think that the justice act is our only option, that if we dont acquiesce to these half measures, then we dont really want reform. Thats simply not true. Seems to me that republicans and the president dont want real reform. They want window dressing and fresh paint instead of fixing the very foundation on which our policing system stands. They want to say that they did something without actually doing anything meaningful. And they want to blame democrats for holding out for real justice and refusing to play these political games with peoples lives. The house is going to pass the justice in policing act on thursday. I would urge senator mcconnell to take up that bill so that we can have the meaningful conversation on Police Reform our constituents, that the nation is demanding. We know that reform can work. In camden, new jersey, it offers concrete evidence of what we can accomplish when we get serious about making real changes. One of the highest murder rates in the nation, Excessive Force complaints, dramatically reduced both in terms of homicide and Excessive Force issues. So before i close, mr. President , let me make it perfectly clear. The profound respect that i have for the men and women in Law Enforcement. Policing is a very tough job. And the vast majority of officers go out and perform their jobs every day with dignity and professionalism and care for the people in the communities in which they serve. Im deeply grateful for their Service Throughout the state of new jersey and indeed throughout the nation. These officers, these officers that do that type of job with dignity and respect for the people they serve share our demands for real change. In fact, a white chief of police joined with hundreds of protesters for marching for change. And across the country, tens of thousands of americans did not brave a pandemic and endure being shot at with rubber bullets and tear gas just so that congress could create another commission and mandate another report. They demand that their elected officials in washington meet this moment in history. And actually do something that lives up to the american promise of a nation where every man and woman, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, is treated equally, equally under the law. I will just close by saying the nation will rue the day it answered the call for reform with business as usual. There will be a rude awakening. Who among us, who among us if this was our daily experience would be satisfied with the counsels of patients and delay . Who among us. Mr. President , the American People are calling for real justice, and we should listen, we should act, and we should deliver real justice. With that, mr. President , i yield the floor and observe the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk shall call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the senator from florida. Mr. Rubio i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be lifted. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Rubio after mr. Floyds horrific murder, at the hands of a man sworn to uphold the law, our nation has seen justified anger. As i said here two weeks ago, it is a moment that calls for not just Police Reform, it calls for a full reckoning of racial inequities that still plague our nation. There is in my mind nothing more unamerican than Racial Discrimination. Our nation was founded on the revolutionary truth that every human being is created equal and that our rights do not come from our government or from our leaders or even our laws. Our rights come from our creator. It is true that the men who authored these words and gave birth to the young nation did not fully live up to these principles. It is also true that every single great fight for equality in this countrys history has come from a direct appeal to those powerful principles. Slavery, segregation, discriminatory impediments to voting, all of these came to an end, not from efforts to overthrow our values, but from demands that we fulfill them. For these evils could not exist in a country, in a nation built upon the idea that all people are created equal with grants, with rights granted to them by god. Slavery and Racial Discrimination are indeed a tragic part of our history, but the long and the steady and the perpetual march towards equality , that is part of our heritage as well, and today, a new generation of americans is reminding us that while we have traveled far on the quest for a more perfect union, the final miles of that journey still lie ahead. The overwhelming and vast majority of these americans on our streets are peacefully reminding us that, yes, black lives matter, and they are not asking that we destroy america. They are demanding that we be more american, that we more fully become a nation with liberty and justice for all. But it is now also clear that there are others with a different agenda who have taken to our streets as well. They are the ones that argue that because the men who wrote our declaration of independence and our constitution were imperfect and in some cases racist, that the nation their words gave birth to is beyond redemption, that america cannot be improved or saved, and that therefore it must come to an end. Now, these radical views are not new. From the crazy professor that no one took seriously to the nut job running for office with no chance of winning, they have operated on the fringes of our politics for decades. The difference is that in recent years, they have begun to move out from the fringes, and now these radicals are capitalizing on a legitimate movement to force their madness even further into the mainstream. Now their violence, their vandalism, their anarchy are excused, tolerated, sometimes even celebrated by some, and their radical agenda is shielded increasingly from scrutiny by an emerging speech code that condemns as hate speech and as racism any criticism of these antiamerican radicals. The selfproclaimed guardians of free speech in media, they now apologize for printing the opinions of a u. S. Senator, an actively control and actively control Tech Companies to censor conservative voices. Social Media Companies which owe their very existence to freedom of expression now threaten to block the accounts of american politicians and publications here at home while eagerly complying with the demands of totalitarian, racist regimes abroad. Online mobs not only decide what is acceptable speech but are empowered to destroy the reputation and career of anyone they believe has violated their standards. And celebrities and large corporations are so eager to proactively ensure themselves, shield themselves from being canceled that they raise money to bail out arsonists, but they do not raise a single cent to help the Small Business owners. Oftentimes, minorities themselves whose lifework was looted and burned to the ground by the radicals. This radicalism, this anarchy, it isnt just annoying. Its destructive, and its dangerous. Its destructive to bedrock institutions in our country and their legitimacy in the eyes of our people. Why would people trust public Health Experts who told them they had to lose their job or their business, that their kids couldnt have a graduation, that their grandmother couldnt have a funeral but are afraid to say anything about crowds of people setting fires and looting businesses . Why would people trust local leaders who will close your business for having too many customers or threaten to arrest you for going to a park or to a church, but who stand by and do nothing when a mob vandalizes a monument, tears down a matthew, or takes over an entire section of a city . Why would people trust a media that will shame them for going to the beach, for not wearing a mask in public, but portrays a mob of white anarchists attacking African AmericanPolice Officers as just frustrated Racial Justice activists . And this radicalism, its also dangerous because if its okay for a violent mob to tear down a statue, then what is to stop another violent mob from showing up to defend it . If its okay to set a police car on fire, whats going to stop someone upset at activist judges from burning down a church a courtroom . Where does it end . It wont end. Because there is no way to satisfy radicals who only seek destruction. Just ask the clergy at the historical st. Johns episcopal church. Three weeks ago, they expressed their support for and solidarity with the protesters, even after some agitator tried to burn down the church. Last night, radicals vandalized their church, calling for an autonomous zone here in washington. Just ask the mayor of seattle. Just a few days ago, on national tv, she was saying that the socalled autonomous zone in her city would lead to, quote, a summer of love. Now they have announced that they are going to move in and retake the area after multiple people were shot over the weekend. The antiamerican radicals, they dont care about racial equality, and they will not stop as long as everyone is afraid to call them out for who and for what they are. And as long as we fail to point out that these seeking that those seeking racial equality and these radicals are not the same people, that the people committing this violence and carrying out this anarchy and this chaos are not the same people as the people who are rightfully asking for us to address racial inequality, as long as we fail to point that out, they will continue to hide behind this important and legitimate movement. It is time we stop, we stop being afraid to express the common sense of americans of every race, of every background. Yes, we must address racial inequality. Yes, black lives must matter. But the vandalism, the arson, the anarchy in our streets has nothing to do with this important cause. Yes, some Police Departments need to be reformed, and bad Police Officers, they need to be fired, and if they have committed crimes, they need to be arrested and they need to be prosecuted. But no, we are not going to abolish or defund Police Departments. Yes, Racial Disparities must be acknowledged and they must be addressed, but not by giving into a bunch of crazy radicals who hate and want to destroy this country much ours. This country of ours. This is what the overwhelming majority of americans of every race and background believe and this is what so many are afraid to say for fear of being destroyed by an online mob and their accomplices. For over 200 years each generation of american has moved us ever closer to fulfilling the powerful truths upon which this nation was founded. Now it is our turn to do the same, not by destroying america but by becoming more fully american, not by abandoning our founding principles, but by moving us cloafer to becoming closer the one nation under god with liberty and justice for all that we have pledged our allegiance to. Mr. President , i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed about. With. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session for 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 that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration and the senate now proceed to s. Res. 621. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk Senate Resolution 621, designating june 15, 2020, as world elder abuse day. The presiding officer without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell now, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 00 a. M. , wednesday, june 24, further, following the prayer and pledge, morning hour be expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and 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 proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the wilson nomination and that the time until 11 30 a. M. Be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. Further, notwithstanding rule 22, i ask unanimous consent that the postcloture time on the wilson nomination expire at 11 30 a. M. Tomorrow. Finally, if confirmed, i ask that with respect to the wilson nomination, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senates action. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell so if theres no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order. The presiding officer the senate is adjourned until senate is adjourned until the u. N. Member in the moment we thought this man is unfit to serve as commanderinchief early on . Will i think the most disturbing moment in the early days was the nato summit described this at some length in the book. He really was very close to withdrawing from nato. I didnt see this as a show or hoopla. He really was on the verge of doing that. I thought nato needs substantial form and all that trump is correct that all of our nato allies have not shared their fair share of the cost the answer is not to withdraw. The oceans did not protect america like they did two or three centuries ago and nato in my judgment is a successful military alliance in the district so with mike pompeo and jim mattis who were also there and john russell and John Kelly White house chief of staff well worked in various ways and i recount these stories in the book to help persuade the president not actually to withdraw and it turns out he didnt withdraw. That played out over 48hour period was very unnerving to me and probably the first after he joined the white house that i thought i might have to resign. But i do think there is a responsibility on people when they go into a position like that. The president makes the decision. Nobody is under any illusions to the contrary that you keep trying to provide advice and in that case i actually thought maybe this is some confirmation that i can make a contribution and despite the narrow myth that actually helped encourage me to stay on board with this. The house Judiciary Committee has issued subpoenas for a number of attorneys to testify at a hearing this week on political interference and threats to prosecutorial independence. Among the scheduled witnesses, current and former Justice Department official and a deputy of former special counsel robert mueller. Watch a live wednesday starting at noon eastern on cspan on line at cspan. Org or listen live on the free cspan radio app. We are taking a very important vote tomorrow on a bill called the justice at. Im proud to cosponsor this Police Reform bill and also applaud senator tim scott for his leadership in improving Police Accountability while at the same time preserving the essential service tla