These spiritual attributes that your name will be glorified throughout our nation and world. As our senators dedicate their lives to obey your precepts, direct them to your desired destination. Lord, give them a faith that will not shrink when at times they cannot see clearly the road ahead. Help them to place their total trust in you. We pray in your holy name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Grassley madam president. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley i ask for one minute in morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley imagine the people of the United States have been able to follow the demonstrations in bella rouse in opposition to the president declaring victory, since alexer chankov has con sol dated consolidated power and suppressed democratic opposition. So the fact that the belaruse august president ial election was a sham, as we all know, and he once again declared to be the winner by a highly implausible margin should not surprise anyone. However, this the belaruse people have had enough. This time brutal crackdowns by Security Forces have not crushed grassroots demands for democracy. The quest for liberty is embedded in the d. N. A. Of the American Public. The people watch as the people of belaraus demand their rights. The American People stand with the people of belaraus. I also appreciate very much the strong stands taken by european governments supporting the belarausan people. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Mr. Mcconnell madam president. The presiding officer were in a quorum call. The majority leader is recognized. Mr. Mcconnell i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell so, madam president , republican senators, like working families all across the country had hoped, hoped the senate would be spending this week completing more bipartisan pandemic relief. We proposed another package of hundreds of billions of dollars to make schools safer for our kids, to help American Workers keep or regain their jobs, and to invest more in testing, treatments, and finding and distributing a vaccine. But, alas, Senate Democrats filibustered it all, apparently intent that working families cannot receive anymore relief until election day. Across the capitol Speaker Pelosis excuses and goldilocks games are even wearing thin on our fellow democrats. A few weeks ago more than 100 House Democrats publicly publicly asked Speaker Pelosi to stop blocking action on any coronavirus legislations besides her multitrillion dollar farleft wish list. She ignored them. She completely ignored them. Yesterday a number of House Democrats tried again. They released a new proposal they had written with some republicans and pleaded with the speaker to allow a vote on it. Again, she shot down any notion whatsoever of compromise. Now, bear in mind the speaker had explained she will block any compromise for kids, jobs, and health care because because passing anything short of multiple trillions of dollars would make her look like, quote, a cheap date a cheap date. The money that k through 12 schools need, that unemployed workers need, that we need for the race towards vaccines, Speaker Pelosi is blocking all of it. Because apparently to the france far left anything short of multiple trillions of dollars would make her, quote, a cheap date. So apparently for the sake of the speakers personal ego, working families continue to suffer with no bipartisan help from congress. Now, since democrats are stonewalling pandemic relief, the senate is spending time qualifying wellqualified is nominating wellqualified judges to the federal judge. This has been a major success over the past four years. Since january 2017, President Trump has nominated, and this Republican Senate has confirmed, 211 article 3 judges, including 53 circuit judges. That is the second most appellate confirmations of any president in American History at this point in their term. This isnt a partisan victory. The president has sent us impressive qualified men and women who understand the radical notion that the job of the judge is to actually follow the law. Follow the law. So its a victory for our constitution itself. But, believe me, this progress has not come easy. Throughout the last four years our Senate Democratic colleagues have visited an historic degree of obstruction upon this president and his efforts to stand up the administration and that the American People actually elected. Senate democrats have forced us to break more filibusters on nominations since 2017 now listen to this than had occurred cumulatively in all of Senate History all of Senate History before President Trump was sworn in. Im going to say that again. Senate democrats have forced us to break more filibusters on nominations since 2017 than had occurred cumulatively in all of Senate History before President Trump was sworn in. Theyve attempted to filibuster more nominations in the last three years than the sum total of all prior senates from 1789 through 2016 added together. What was once a rare roadblock for the most controversial people has now become a daily norm. Before 2017, before this Senate Democrat minority got to work, only 5 of all nominations to District Courts and circuit courts had been subjected to filibusters. Ill say it again. Before 2017, before this Senate Democrat minority got to work, only 5 of all nominations to District Courts and circuit courts had been subjected to filibusters. Under President Trump, the number has been 80 80 . 80 . Our democratic colleagues even obstruct nominees they dont even oppose. Weve taken more than 100 cloture votes on district judges even though District Court nominees with any state from any state with a democratic senator could not have gotten out of Committee Without democrat support. So to summarize, madam president , heres what were doing this week. Were breaking democratic filibusters on nominations because democrats are filibustering coronavirus. And let us not forget the cherry on top because selfawareness apparently no longer exists, our democratic colleagues have chosen this very moment to argue that they shouldnt have to play by any of these rules if they ever get power themselves. President trump calls the filibuster a relic of jim crow, even as Senate Democrats use it over and over and over again. Democrats filibustered police reform, filibustered pandemic relief for working families. Some years back the democratic told a newspaper, quote, im the leader of the Filibuster Movement and im proud of it. That was the democratic leader. But now now they are saying if they ever get power, they intend to tear up the rule book to force radicalism on our country. They want to break the rules to pass the kinds of radical farleft policies that former Vice President biden has rushed rushed to embrace from abortion, to socialism to cracking down on the second amendment. And thats not all. Its not just about bad policies. They want to go even deeper and hot wire hotwire our democracy itself. They are salivating over killing the filibuster in order to pack the Supreme Court and pack the senate with new states, tilt the Playing Field permanently so they can never lose power again. This is not some rightwing Conspiracy Theory. These are the signals they are sending publicly right now. This is what the left is saying outloud. Out loud. Maybe this hardleft hypocrisy plays well in a few big coastal cities. Maybe the angry crowds pulling down statues of our Founding Fathers will want governors who will pull down our institutions as well. Most americans see things differently. Now, on another matter entirely, a few days ago the country got something thats been in too short supply in 2020. Some realt news. Specifically great news on the subject of Public Health. According to a 2020 National YouthTobacco Survey administered by the f. D. A. And c. D. C. , the number of American Youth using ecigarettes has dropped by 1. 8 million since just last year. 1. 8 million in one year. That means, of course, 1. 8 million fewer Young Americans are using e greats e cigarettes and vaping devices than one year ago. Its no accident. A number of factors are in play but one major contributing factor unfolded right here in the senate. A little under a year ago. Last december the president signed the tobacco free youth act into law. It was a bill i wrote and introduced to stem the tide of what was a rapidly growing Public Health crisis among our nations young people. The bipartisan bill that i wrote with my good friend tim kaine from virginia and with the help of other colleagues, including senator todd young, raced the minute raised the minimum age including ecigarettes and vaping devices from 18 to 21. This is based on clearcut science. Public Health Experts tell us the harmful effects of nicotine are most potent on bodies and brains that are still developing. Nearly nine out of ten adult smokers started by the age of 18. So we knew it was time to take action. Im proud to have led the legislation that took another leap forward in getting nicotine addiction iway from our away from our nations youth. By the looks of these data, it has not taken long for our legislation to begin to pay major dividends. Nearly two million fewer teens in kentucky and virginia and indiana and across the country are having their future put in jeopardy by these products. Thats a win and its happened largely because the senate stepped up. Now, madam president , i understand theres a bill at the desk due a second reading. The presiding officer the clerk will read the title of the bill for the second time. The clerk s. 4 582, a bill to extend temporarily Daylight Saving time and for other murps purposes. Mr. Mcconnell under to place the bill on the calendar i would object to further proceedings. The presiding officer the objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. Under the previous order the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the nolg from nation which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, the judiciary, Todd Wallace Robinson of california to be United States district judge for the Southern District of california. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the democratic leader is recognized. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorumming dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer thank you, madam president. In 48 days the American People will head to the polls to cast their ballots in an election that by necessity will be conducted in a much different fashion than nearly any election in our nations history. Because of covid19, there will likely be a historic increase in mailin ballots. Mailin voting is a process that is well established in our country. Several states have conducted elections this way for years without any issue at all. Because of covid19, there may also be some delays in determining the result of the election while every ballot is counted. This, too, has happened before but there is no doubt that this election will be unique and it means that leaders from both sides of the aisle should be joining together now to ensure the integrity of the election and the publics confidence in the result. Sadly, there are some systematically undermining voting confidence and fanning suspicions and conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of Election Results. At the top of the list here is unfortunately the president of the United States who has exploited and capitalized on fears about holding an election in the middle of a covid19 attack, about its mailin voting and comically widespread claims of voter fraud. Hes attacked mailin voting and attacked voter fraud. We are talking about the integrity of our voting. It is something that american soldiers have fought and died for and the president trifles with it and, of course, our Senate Republican colleagues go along. So today were doing two things in this regard because we have a responsibility to do everything we can to see that this election does not mark the beginning of a new age when our Election Results are doubted, conspiracy theories flourish and our grand democracy is tarnished around the world. If we allow this kind of malicious tampering with the wellspring of our democracy in terms of Peoples Trust in it, its the beginning of the end. Donald trump doesnt care. We know he only cares about himself. The Senate Republicans dont say a people. We know they are afraid of donald trump even when they disagree with them, it they remain quiet and too often they agree with him. We cannot we cannot allow our people to lose faith in elections and we must do everything to ensure that they are conducted in a fair way that the American People will accept despite covid and all the problems it creates. So this morning, senator sanders and i have written a letter to the republican leader asking him to work with us to establish a special Bipartisan Committee with equal representation from both parties to guarantee the integrity of our election process. The committee should focus on three issues, one, confirm the security of and confidence in our mailin systems, our vote by mail systems. Two, measures to ensure that every vote is counted. And, three, discuss and prepare for possible postelection scenarios. The function of the committee would be to hold hearings about what is being done around the country to make certain our Public Institutions are prepared to conduct a smooth an reliable election, free from Voter Suppression and intimidation, that every vote will be counted and there will be confidence in the outcome. Senator sanders and i and many in our caucus, including senator klobuchar, who ill mention in a minute, feel very, very strongly that we have to do something. And this Bipartisan Committee can ensure the American People that the senate is on top of this. We hope the republican leader will accept our request. We hope he wont run away from his responsibility to ensure there are fair elections. We hope that he will not go along with Donald Trumps dangerous rhetoric about the fairness of our elections. Now, later today the senator from minnesota and Ranking Member of the rules committee, senator klobuchar and i will be speaking with a Bipartisan Group of secretaries of staift. We will be get state. We will be getting a brief on voter preparedness around the country. I expect they will have another major call that will be blocked by Senate Republicans, election assistance funding. Im hopeful we can find agreement on a bipartisan basis to help our states with critical funding to prepare for this historic election. This issue is above partisan politics. Its the essence of our democracy. It is disgraceful that republicans are playing games with this, perhaps for electoral advantage, perhaps for fear from President Trump. We wont let it happen. We, as a caucus, repeat for the American People the best way to prevent an election from being manipulated or stolen is vote. The more people vote and the earlier they vote, when they can vote early, the better off our democracy will be. Now on russian disinformation and other matters. The chairman of Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee continues to further his probe into the family of the family that is designed to influence the upcoming president ial election. While the rest of the country has been focused on fighting a global pandemic, for the last few months the chairman and republicans of the committee have wasted taxpayer res