Vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to change his vote . Are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote . If not, the yeas are 52, the nays are 44, and the nomination is confirmed. Under the evious order, the motion to reconsider is consideredade and laid upon e table and the president will be immediately notified of the senas actions. A senator madam president. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call wit respect to the shelt nomination be waived. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. The clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. The clerk clotu motion, we, the undersigned setors, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22, hereby bring to a close debate on the nomation of judy slton, of califora, to be a member of t board of governors of the Federal Reserve system, signed by 17 senators. The presiding officer by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. The question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of judy shelton, of california, to be a member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve system shall be brought to a close . The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . Seeing none, the yeas are 47, the nays are 50. The motion is not agreed to. The majority leader. Mr. Cconnell i enter a motion to reconder the vote. The presiding officer motion is entered. Mr. Cconnell i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the crouse nomination be waived. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. The clerk cloture motion we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the ovisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the sene, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination ofoby crouse of kansas to be United States districtudge for the district of kansas, signed by 17 senators. The presiding officer by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. The question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the motion of toby crouse of kansas to be United States district judge for the district of kansas shall be brought to a close. The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote vote the presiding officer on this, the yeas are 51, the nays are 44. The motion is agreed to. Thclerk will report the nomination. The clerk nomination, t judiciary. Toby crouse o kansas to be United States district judge for the district of kansas. Mr. Lee madam president . The presiding officer the senator from utah. Mr. Lee as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 4902 which was introduced earlier today. The presiding officer the clerk will rept. The clerk s. 02, a bill to designatehe United States courthouse located a 351 southwt temple in utah as the orrin g. Hatch courthouse. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. The senator from utah. Mr. Lee madam president , this is a bill that will name the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City madam president , this is legislation that would name the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City just completed a few years ago after my friend and former colleague, also a longtime mentor of mine, senator orrin g. Hatch. Senator hatch, long before he became a statesman, was a lawyer, and not just any lawyer. Avenues lawyers lawyer. He was he was a lawyers lawyer. He was really good. He received the prestigious martindalehubbell ab rating. The first Public Office that he sought as an elected official was to the United States senate. He was elected in 1976. He then served in the United States senate from 977 from 1977 all the way up until 2019. During this 42year time period, senator hatch had a profound impact not only on the United States senate and his colleagues here and he certainly did; he was a friend to everyone who knew him but he also had a much broader impact, one that will have farreaching, lasting impacts on the federal court system. I took a look at a list of all Federal District judges, the Trial Court Judges who serve on the federal bench from utah ever since our statehood. There are only about 020 people on that list. All but five of those came onto the court either during or right after in other words, with some input, significant input from senator hatch. Senator hatch has also been a part of every judicial nomination in the confirmation process during that same 42year period, and i cant think of any other utahan in the history of our state who has had anywhere near the kind of impact on the federal judiciary as senator hatch. And its not just that he served on the committee throughout that time period that confirmed judicial nominees, whether to Federal District courts, to the courts of appeals or to the Supreme Court. He certainly did have a lot of impact there. But his impact even went further than that. You see, because he sought to be a mentor to people interested in the law and in Public Policy everywhere. His service had an impact certainly on me, as one of countless lawyers, and other people interested in law and Public Policy in this country. I remember watching proudly and with great admiration as he conducted himself as a member of the Senate Judiciary committee during the robert bork confirmation hearings. He had a certain commitment to the rule of law and to fundamental fairness that would be owed to anyone nominated to that or any other judicial position, and he was willing to make sure that the senate did its job and that it didnt get mired in the politics of the day. There is a great quote on this topic. Politics must not undermine the principles and standards we apply to every judicial nomination. I watched over the years, in part because i had first seen him participate in the bork hearings. That got mid my interested tt got me interested in the senate. That got my interested as a teenager to be a senate page. I later became a senate page appointed by senator hatch. I saw him carry out his activities as a member of the Senate Judiciary committee. From then on i watched with careful attention when he was handling a judicial confirmation hearing. I watched through the years as he handled the hearings of individuals such as justice alito, my former boss. In each instance, he treated judicial nominees and literally hundreds of others like them with dignity and respect but also with the amount of thorough attention that a lifetime appointment to the federal judiciary demands. In addition to this, he also liked to try to foster in others a genuine interest in the law. I remember when i was serving as a law clerk to Federal District judge dee benson in Salt Lake City, one of the brightest and most capable jurists ever to serve on the federal bench, whether in utah or anywhere else. He was a good friend, a longtime ally and confidant of senator hatchs. I remember while i was clerking for judge benson right after i graduated from law school, senator hatch came by and just held a roundtable discussion with all the federal judges. He not only seemed but was in fact conversant on all kinds of issues of the law, not just the hotbutton issues that people think of when they watch the news, but he was delving into arcane details of the law, that readily made me proud to have him representing me in the United States senate from the state of utah. I got to know senator hatch even better after i got elected to the senate, and he and i had the opportunity to Work Together as colleagues. Throughout all of these experiences ive come to revere him as someone who reveres the law. And so for these reasons ive concluded that its fitting for us to name this federal courthouse in utah after him. Its difficult to imagine anyone who has had the same impact on the federal judiciary, who has ever lived in or served from our state, as senator hatch. And now, madam president , id like to yield some time to my colleague, the senator from utah. Mr. Romney senator lee, thank you for your excellent remarks with regards to senator orrin hatch. I rise to second what you said and to add a few words, some duplicative. As you indicated, senator hatch dedicated his life to serving our country and our state, and he served in this body for some 42 years, a remarkable and extraordinary career of Public Service. And of course he was one of the longestserving chairmen of the Senate Judiciary committee and, therefore, played a pivotal role in confirming many, many current and now retired Supreme Court justices, and while serving as chairman he also helped shepherd countries of judicial judges through confirmation, including the majority of utahs federal judges. His impact on the state of utah is not just professional but also personal. Virtually anybody who stopped senator hatch and asked his opinion on a topic, he would stop, that i shake their hand, smile, and give them a full rapt attention. Hes full drink of water, so you have to look up to senator hatch. I came to him following the crisis of 9 11 asking for his help in securing essential security funding for the olympic winter games of 2002. Senator hatch immediately took me to meet with other senators, and he along with others was able to secure the funding necessary to make sure that our games were safe and ultimately produced successfully in a way that made them the most successful Olympic Games in history. He was and is an honorable Public Servant who continues to have tremendous impact on our state in our state. Therefore, it is only appropriate that utahs federal courthouse be named in his honor. And im glad to support this legislation, and i yield my time back to senator lee. Mr. Lee madam president , i ask unanimous consent that this bill, s. 4902, be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Lee madam president , im grateful that my colleagues have chosen to allow this to pass into law. Its a great day for senator hatch, for the state of uta and for the United States of america. I yield the floor and note the absence of a quoru the presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from illinois. Mr. Durbin mr. President , i ask the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin mr. President , the United States surpassed 11 million covid19 cases this past weekend. This comes just six days after our nation recorded 10 million cases, one million added to the 10 million in six days, making it the fastest transmission of 1 million new cases since the pandemic began. Nearly a quarter of a million americans have died. This runaway crisis is alarming, its deadly, and it demands action. The city of chicago began a stayathome advisory to encourage people to contain the virus in our communities. Across illinois, more than 5,000 patients have been hospitalized with covid19 each night for the past week. We have shattered new infection records nearly every day this month. Illinois has now experienced more than 597,000 cases and we have sadly lost 10,875. My heart goes out to everyone whos lost a loved one. In addition to trying to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy and safe from the virus, americans have also been struggling to deal with economic uncertainty, job loss, food insecurity, child care. The list goes on and on and on. Leer we are just here we are just days before thanksgiving and many of our neighbors are trying to pick the right day to go to the food bank so they can feed their families on this day of thanks. Where is the sense of urgency on capitol hill when it comes to providing another round of Economic Impact payments and unemployment benefits, funding for food stamps, the snap program . Our country is in desperate need of help and they are counting on us. You would think that this crisis would be the first order of business for the Republicancontrolled Senate this week, yet, while this pandemic continues to rage, too many republicans in congress refuse to even come to the table to negotiate a comprehensive bipartisan relief bill. There are those who will, and i commend them. It takes real courage. Instead the leader, senator mcconnell, has scheduled votes this week on six barely qualified judicial nominees. The average age of this weeks judicial nominee is 38. You see, these are Lifetime Appointments and if you get somebody with the right answers to the political questions and theyll give you 20 or 30 or more years, well, youve got control of that court and control of the court is more important, obviously, than the coronavirus. The youngest one of these nominees is kath rin mizel le. She was judged you unqualified. This is the tenth Trump Nominee for a lifetime appointment to the federal court has been judged unqualified by the American Bar Association. You might say im sure that happens. Well it didnt happen at all in the eight years of the bawm presidency. Not a single nominee who was judged unqualified was sent to congress. Another nominee, Stephen Vaden who has been nominated to the court of National Trade has never appeared before the court of National Trade. Hes never tried a case in any court. Hell be a great judge once he figures it out. Well also be voting on dr. Judy sheltons nomination. I believe that came up this morning. To the Federal Reserve board. She is uniquely unqualified. Her economic views are almost humorous. They are so far out of touch with reality. Were experiencing the worst recession in 75 years and dr. Shelton, by her stated views, is unprepared to contribute to dealing with this economic crisis. Its the story of the 116th congress. The Republicancontrolled Senate spends month after month after month ignoring the raging pandemic and refusing to even consider housepassed relief legislation. Heres a good question for members of the senate. How many amendments has the senate voted on this calendar clear of 2020, not counting impeachment, lets set that aside. How many amendments to legislation have we considered in this calendar year . The answer is 27 27 amendments in this calendar year. Thats an improvement, incidentally. 2019, we considered we considered in 2019, we considered exactly 22 amendments. Six of them were forced on them by senator rand paul of kentucky who said i wont let you go home until you vote on this amendment and, as senator paul said, of course he lost every one of those amendments. 27 amendments in one year, 22 the previous year. You know why . We dont legislate. We dont debate. We dont offer amendments. We dont pass bills. We come here with a new set of new set of nominations every week from the republican majority. We dont have any legislation on the pandemic. We have no legislation on economic recovery. We just have to get these lifetime appointees, some have been found categorically unqualified. That is what this senate is all about. In this last week, before the thanksgiving recess, is this really all were going to do . How about the 28 rural hospitals in kentucky that are facing foreclosure . How about the 1. 3 billion in uncompensated losses for these hospitals across kentucky . The republican proposal a few weeks ago didnt provide any Economic Resources for hospitals, clinics or Health Care Providers like those. Americans need leadership. They need for the senate to step up and say, for goodness sakes, whatever the political agenda here, how can it be more important than this pandemic . Isnt there enough talent and will on the floor of this senate on the republican and on the democratic side to find a way to help americans who are struggling to provide unemployment assistance, to provide help to Small Businesses, these restaurants and other Small Businesses that are facing closure, to give some money to local units of government who through no fault of their own have lost revenue due to the covid19 crisis . These are not wild ideas. These address the very basics that face families, businesses, governments across this country. For some reason that particular issue cant make the agenda. Mr. President , i ask the same im about to make be placed in a separate part of the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin mr. President , losing an election hurts. I know. I lost three elections before i ever won one. I suspect anyone who has ever lost an election has had to grapple with the disappointments, the what ifs, and even a kind of sadness bordering on anger. But thats the risk you take when you run for office. The voters have the last word. Never until now have we heard it suggested that losing a president ial candidate ought to be allowed to put Americas National security at risk because he is struggling, struggling mightily to accept his own loss in the election. Never until now have we tolerated a losing president ial candidate deliberately undermining the american faith in the integrity of our electoral system. Never before have we witnessed a losing president ial candidate refuse out of spite and anger to follow the law and to allow the peaceful, orderly transfer of power to a successor. Never before now could Many Americans even imagine and outgoing president deliberately sabotaging our nations heroic efforts to bring an end to the deadliest Health Crisis in our country. But that is what is happening. It is shocking. It is dangerous. It is shameful. It needs to stop now. Some of my republican colleagues ask what harm can it do . We want to humor the president. Hes going through a period of an adjustment here. He lost an election. It hurts. The poor president , weve got to stick with him. We have to parrot his theories that there will be massive numbers of votes discovered some where and we know hes raging in his tweets. He must still be in pain, the poor man, and weve got to humor him. Weve got to tell him yes, mr. President , you must be right. This election must have been stolen from you. Let me tell you what harm it can do. Every minute of every hour an american dice from covid19, every day a thousand americans are dying from covid thats nearly a 50 increase over a month ago. We are nearing one million new covid infections every week. The pandemic is surging in every single state. At public and Public Health experts warn the worst is yet to come. Over the weekend we learned President Trump has not attended a single meeting of the White House Coronavirus task force in five months. He told us why. Im tired of this covid19, he says. Hes gone awol. By refusing to concede the results of the election, President Trump is preventing our federal Health Officials from meeting with Vice President elect task force and starting to coordinate the efforts for the transition that is going to take place january 20. And failing to put the time, personnel, and resources into the distribution of a vaccine which we pray to god will be available soon. In doing this the president is jeopardizing americas ability to successfully distribute a Covid Vaccine and bring this pandemic once and for all under control. Hes deepening our nations economic crisis because the first step to healing our economy is defeating this virus. All because the pain hes going through personally. Well, i wish i could share that pain but im overwhelmed by the pain of america going through a pandemic. The president s hurt feelings dont compare. The grief of losing an election is nothing compared to the grief of 246,000 American Families who have lost loved ones to this pandemic. Theres the grief we ought to be concerned about. More americans voted in these elections than ever before in history. Now that the election is over, the results are clear. President elect biden and Vice President elect harris received 306 electoral votes, 232 votes for President Trump and Vice President pence. Four years ago the president referred to exact lip the same vote exactly the same vote totals in his favor as a landslide. Today he refuses to acknowledge it. He is so full of himself that he cant feel the pain of others. Joe biden and Kamala Harris received at least five million more votes than President Trump and Vice President pence. That is the largest popular vote margin of victory in a president ial election since 1932. In the two weeks since the election ended, the President Trump campaign and its allies have decided to strike back and file a flurry of lawsuits in six different states challenging the vote counts. How are they doing . Well, these lawsuits have only infirmed the integrity of the Election Results that we knew. Many of the complaints have been dismissed and not a single vote has been invalidated. Even Trump Campaign officials privately and publicly agree that none of the remaining legal challenges can change the outcome of the election. Last thursday members of the election infrastructure of Government Coordinating Council within this administrations own department of Homeland Security called the 2020 election, quote, the most secure in american history. Over the weekend the senior election official who was nominated by President Trump condemned the president s false postelection claims of vote fraud calling them baffling, laughable and insulting. The same official warned that, quote, these conspiracy theories that are flying around have consequences. Theyre dangerous for our National Security. Over the weekend john bolton, President Trumps former National Security adviser, urged Republican Leaders to finally acknowledge mr. Trumps defeat and get on with it. Another former trump security adviser, Lieutenant General h. R. Mcmaster rejected mr. Trumps claim on twitter that the president ial election was rigged. What the president says in his tweet, its just wrong, the general said. Its regrettable. Its counterproductive. John kelly, once chief of staff to the same president , told politico that a delayed transition was debt emergency to the countrys National Security detrimental to the countrys National Security. His concerns were echoed by more than 150 former military and senior elected officials that called on the leader of the General Services Administration Miss emily murphy to recognize the election of president elect biden and Vice President elect harris. But administrator murphy refuses to engage what is known as ascertainment to establish who the real winners were. She continues to deny president elect biden and his team access to resources and knowledge they need to become, to begin the massive task of setting up a new government. Administrator murphys actions are in defiance of the federal president ial transaction act and the law that is gomping the transfer of power in america since 1963. Quite stunningly, what we are hearing from our american president , the leader of the free world, is the same kind of nonsense claims that petty dictators use to deny citizens democracy and the peaceful transfers of power. One need only look at belarus at the moment for a timely comparison. America is the country that stands against these kinds of undemocratic attempts at power around the world. Not a nation that cowers in fear. Leader mcconnell has compared President Trumps refusal to accept the Election Results to the delay in determining the win of the 2,000 election. Sounds right until you look at the facts. Hes wrong. The comparison is wrong. The 2000 election between president bush and former Vice President gore ultimately came down to a difference of not five million votes but 537 votes in one state, florida. Not tens of thousands of votes in many states. Even Republican Attorney and elections expert ben ginsburg rejects the comparison. He ought to know. Ginsburg was part of the team that led president bushs recount effort in 2000. The refusal by President Trump and some around him to accept Election Results is damaging faith in our elections and our democracy. The goal is clear. To undermine the legitimacy of the bidenharris administration, even before its sworn in. And hes damaging the ability of president elect biden and his team to get to work now on the deep and painful challenges we confront as a nation. People close to President Trump tell reporters off the record the president knows he cant win. Some say he just needs to very gradually come to accept the reality of his defeat. Well, with all due respect, mr. President , your duty is to preserve the democracy, your moral obligation is to prevent unnecessary suffering and death and to defend this country. For your years donald trump has feasted on chaos and discord in america. Time and time and time again he has placed his own selfinterests over our national interests. He has damaged the institutions of our democracy and abused his power. We shouldnt be surprised by his destructive actions on his way out. But we shouldnt tolerate them either. Its time for donald trump to accept the clear results of the election and for his administration to work with president elect bidens team for a successful, peaceful, productive transition of power. Its time for the president s friend, allies, and political pals to finally level with the president. Its time for a confron indication confrontation perhaps, a moment of truth perhaps saying to the president its over. Now be a man. Stand up and show this nation that we can have a peaceful transition of power. Show this nation were prepared to accept the will of the American People. Subverting faith in democracy is not a Winning Strategy and should be beneath the dignity of any american president. I yield the floor. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from texas. Mr. Cornyn mr. President , i was listening to our friend, the democratic whip, and his advice to President Trump to capitulate before the recounts, before the litigation thats been filed and has finally been decided. I know they would like to have him do so but he is completely within his rights toe use the existing procedures in the states and at the local jurisdictions where these elections were conducted to review the results, to see if there are discrepancies. I know theyd like to say its just about President Trump. More candidates other than President Trump were on the ballot. We ought to be in the position of trying to preserve every legal vote for every candidate and take make sure that there are no mistakes and there is a process in place to make that happen. I dont know what the ultimate outcome will be. I sort of have a sneaking suspicion about what the trend line looks like but 72 millionplus people voted for President Trump and Vice President pence. Out of respect for them at least, if not for the president and the Vice President himself, we ought to let this process play itself out. There will be a peaceful transition of power. I have no doubt whatsoever. But id like to just take a second also to respond to his comments about we need to do something about this pandemic. We need to pass another piece of legislation. We need to collaborate with the Incoming Administration to make sure that we dont miss distributing this vaccine on a timely basis. My friend from illinois on at least three occasions has voted against bills that would help facilitate the delivery of the vaccine, that would ensure that Small Businesses and other individuals get the economic help they need during this crisis which isnt through no fault of their own. By my count our democratic colleague voted against a trillion dollar heals bill. They voted against two separate, more targeted pieces of legislation totaling a half a trillion dollars each. Thats three occasions where they have voted against continuing to provide the aid that we had voted on on a bipartisan basis by the end of march, four bills worth 3. 8 trillion. I could only wish that the sort of bipartisan cooperation we saw up through and including the cares act in late march would continue, but that wasnt to be. Time and time again Speaker Pelosi stood on a 3 trillion piece of legislation that she knew had no chance of passing. And why . Because it included things like tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires in blue states. She wanted to eliminate the cap on state and local Tax Deductions in the tax cuts and jobs act bill we passed a few years ago and reward millionaires and billionaires which is not exactly dealing with the virus, either its economic fallout or the Public Health consequences. And then if that werent enough, stiff arming every effort that we tried to undertake since march to try to pass additional relief both from a Public Health and economic perspective. Today the speaker and the democratic leader of the senate took the bold step, the bold step of writing a letter to majority leader mcconnell. Man, that was a bold step to protect the Public Health and protect those who through no fault of their own find themselves out of a job or in financial distress. Well, i have been around here long enough to know the only reason you write a letter to somebody and then release it to the press before it gets to its intended recipient is for political purposes. Its posturing. Thats what we continue to see from our friends across the aisle is political posturing. And now they are saying i think the Vice President himself said this unless you drop the lawsuits, you drop the efforts to review the vote and to make sure all the ballots, all the legal ballots are correctly counted and the ballots that are not appropriate are not counted, then you then people will die. Unless you capitulate, you give up all those rights. In the wake of these partisan efforts to defeat any meaningful additional relief postmarch should be held up to ridicule because thats exactly what it deserves. Its not serious. Its partisan posturing. If the speaker and the democratic leader wanted to get to work on another covid19 bill, do you know what they could do . They could pick up the telephone. You know, they could do a zoom call. They want even have to socially distance or wear masks. They wouldnt have to worry about that. They could do it virtually. Or if they wanted to do it in person, then they could come over, socially distance, do it safely. But this is all partisan posturing. This is not about the Public Health of the American People. This is not about helping people who are desperately in need of additional financial assistance. The Small Businesses and others that are that continue to struggle and lay off their workforce. If we are serious about solving this problem, then we need to Work Together, as we did during four separate pieces of legislation ending with the cares act in late march. But ever since that time, ever since we have offered additional assistance, Speaker Pelosi has shut it down. Our democratic colleagues have all voted against it. If they were serious about it, they would have voted to get on the bill, offer amendments, try to make it better, and let the senate do its job. But no, they wanted to make things worse in the runup to the election, because one of their main arguments against President Trump was that he mishandled the covid19 pandemic. And i know and you know hindsight is 20 20. We know that the Public Health guidance provided by the c. D. C. Evolved over time. We have learned a lot since then. But they were more interested in the blame game to advance their political cause in the runup to the november 3 election than they were actually trying to help the very people who sent us here to represent them. And i think its just shameful. Mr. President , on another matter, over the last four years, our country has made serious progress in the decadeslong fight against terrorism, and laid the foundation for peace and stability in the middle east. We have virtually wiped out the isis caliphate which was the most recent manifestation of this poisonous ideology embraced by al qaeda that led to the attacks on 9 11. And we brought down highranking terrorists like al baghdadi, and we have eliminated the head of the custody force that is the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world, mr. Soleimani. We have actually strengthened our relationship with allies in the region like israel and jordan and taken a tougher approach on a unified basis against enemies like iran. And the recent Abraham Accords Peace Agreement marked an historic step in normalizing relations between israel and the United Arab Emirates and bahrain. There is no question in my mind that the world is safer today than it was four years ago because of the historic progress that we have made, not only against terrorists but to provide the foundation of peace and stability in the middle east by encouraging israel and its neighbors to Work Together where they can. But our job is not finished. Dangerous and destabilizing forces still remain. And americas military continues to play a vital role. I personally appreciated general mattis doctrine of fighting terrorists by, with, and through our allies on the ground. That meant that we didnt need to put hundreds of thousands of american soldiers and marines, special forces on the ground. We could work through and with our allies, and that was largely successful in eliminating the isis threat in the middle east. So i was alarmed by acting secretary of defense christopher millers announcement today that without any real consultation, either with our allies at nato or elsewhere, certainly not with congress, that the pentagon plans to withdraw troops from afghanistan and iraq to a potentially unstable and dangerous level. I happen to be a member of the Senate Intelligence committee, and one of the things our military does in forwarddeployed locations like the middle east is provide enabling and force protection for our Intelligence Officers who quietly work without any particular attention, hopefully thats the nature of their work, but they need the military to be there to make to provide that force protection that they need to enable their important work. So a precipitous retreat which would reverse the progress we have made and fought so hard to make i think is deeply troubling. If we have learned one thing about maybe you call it i dont know if you call it the physics of military conflict or leadership, but history has taught us that power vacuums are not often filled by the good guys. Its the tyrants, its the thugs, its the dictators, its the terrorists that fill those power vacuums. And if we mistakenly, even with the best of intentions, create a power vacuum, we could see once again the rise of isis like we saw with president obamas premature withdrawal from iraq. We simply need to learn from our experience and not make the same mistake again. A precipitous withdrawal would not empower our allies. Indeed, we have heard from some of those allies. For example, at nato, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that has a significant number of troops in these areas that are providing training and support for our friends on the ground. It could well give rise to an opportunity for our adversaries, to the terrorists and insurgents who love nothing more than to see american troops packing their bags so they can claim they defeated the great satan, as some of them have referred to it. We would also i think cause our allies to question our reliability while unintentionally perhaps emboldening our enemies and jeopardizing the lives of civilians in the region. So i think we need to have a conversation here. We need to have a consultation. We need to get the military leaders in before the appropriate committees in the senate so we can ask questions and understand the process and what the end goal is, particularly this close to the close of this administrations current term of office. I understand the desire to bring our troops home. But in doing so, we cant undermine the gains that they and thousands of other brave americans have made in the fight against terrorism and those who would do us harm. Mr. President , on another matter, ive said here on the senate floor many times over the last several months that covid19 is the most urgent threat facing our country right now, but as i just got through saying, its not the only one. Both here and abroad, the same threats and challenges that existed before covid19 are stay with us. It may have been exaggerated by the current crisis. I spoke about one example here on the senate floor yesterday, the strain on Mental Health resources. The stresses of this virus, the stresses it is taking on our people, on the American People is a serious one. As many cope with isolation, health anxiety, job losses and financial struggles, were seeing a correlation between another Health Crisis that has been exacerbated by covid19. Last fall, one of the Biggest Health threats making headlines was the nationwide use of ecigarettes by our young people. Folks of all ages were experiencing a range of mysterious medical conditions linked to these devices with vapingrelated injuries reported in all 50 states. Whats most concerning to me is that most of those affected were otherwise healthy children and teens. I met one of those teenagers in fort worth last december when i visited the university of north Texas Health Science center for a roundtable discussion on the use of ecigarettes. 16yearold anna carey was one of the many students at her high school who became addicted to ecigarettes. She started to see symptoms that are uncommon for an otherwise healthy teenager. She was extremely lethargic and would experience random and severe pains in her chest. Two initial xrays came back clear so doctors released her, but she continued to struggle. Eventually, she was admitted to cooks Childrens Hospital and diagnosed with chemicalinduced pneumonia in both of her lungs. Well, im glad to report that anna has now fully recovered and is using her story to encourage more teens not to go down the same path that she traveled down. And now with the additional Public Health concern of covid19, the need for action to prevent children and teens from using these devices could not be higher. When it comes to the coronavirus, we know those who are older or have Underlying Health conditions are most likely to experience severe cases. But there is a recent study by researchers at Stanford University school of medicine that looked at the connection between vaping and covid19 among young people. Researchers found that those who used ecigarettes were five to seven times more likely to be diagnosed than nonusers. Dr. Bonnie halpern felcher is a professor of pediatrics and the senior author of the study. She says teens and young adults need to know that if you use ecigarettes, you are likely at immediate risk of covid19 because you are damaging your lungs. Now, one of the simplest and most effective ways to discourage children and teens from becoming addicted to these devices is to prevent them from even trying in the first place, but unfortunately our current laws make that easier said than done. So if you want to buy tobacco at a Convenience Store or gas station, you have to show an i. D. To prove youre over 18, so whether a teen is trying to buy ecigarettes or traditional ecigarettes, the same guardrails are in place. But there are two different sets of rules when it comes to Online Purchases. For traditional cigarettes, the buyer has to sign and show an i. D. At the time of delivery, just as they would have to do for inperson purchases, but ecigarettes are operating on a different playing field. Anyone, no matter how old or young, can go online and buy ecigarettes and have them delivered to their front door, no questions asked. No age verification is required, no i. D. , nothing. These devices, we know, are just as addictive and dangerous as traditional cigarettes and should be subject to the same restrictions. Thats why the Senate Passed legislation senator feinstein and i introduced. This legislation would put in place the same safeguards for ecigarettes as traditional cigarettes purchased online. Its not to change the law. Its just to make sure we enforce the existing law. It would require online retailors to verify the age of the customer and release the product only to adults with an i. D. It applies the same safeguards in place for Online Purchases of cigarettes to ecigarettes. These are commonsense and straightforward reforms. These why our legislation passed the Senate Unanimously this summer. It includes an amendment offered by our colleague from kentucky, senator paul, which requires the National Institutes of health to conduct a study on the short and longterm impact of ecigarettes on those under 21. When we talk about passing consensus legislation, this is about as simple and straightforward as they come. And there could not be a more important time to take action. If were going to turn the tide on ecigarettes and prevent more people from facing the Deadly Health consequences, this is an important and necessary step. This bipartisan bill would keep ecigarettes out of the hands of our children and i hope our House Democratic completion will pass this crit colleagues will pass this critical legislation without additional delay. Mr. Whitehouse mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from rhode island. Mr. Whitehouse mr. President , it is timely that i should be giving my time to wake up speech with the distinguished senator from louisiana presiding, because im going to be talking about Sea Level Rise. And seeing him in the chair he radio minds me of a recent and seeing him in the chair reminds me of a recent report about what Sea Level Rise is doing to the great state of louisiana, in which the scientists from tulane justice a Tulane University geologist was asked about the report, about what was what the state had to look forward to from Sea Level Rise, and he said, what it says is, were screwed. And the news website in louisiana ran that headline, so i know that the senator is sympathetic to it. But today all eyes are on georgia, which for the first time in generations voted for a democratic president ial candidate and the two senate races are headed for runoff elections, which will decide the balance of power in this body. Georgians of every race and background turned out to reject the politics of division and fear that came from the white house for the last four years and to reject the disdain for facts and in fact in science that have cost so much in the battles like covid and Climate Change. Perhaps buried in the election outcome in georgia was georgians knowing the threat of Climate Change. For people along georgias coast, Climate Change is no chinese hoax. It is a clear and present danger. In the spring of 2014, i took a climate trip along the coast of the carolinas, go, and florida. I met with scientists and students, outdoorsmen, faith leaders and state and local officials who cherish their coastal communities. As louisianans do and as Rhode Islanders do. They saw the seas rising and acidifying due to carbon pollution. Georgians told me how deeply they care about their coast. That caring has powered them through some tough battles. They fought hard against fossil fuel development off georgias shores and they won. It is not hard to understand why georgians fight for their coasts against fossil fuel pollution. Nearly savannah, i visited fort pulaski and taibi island. It has been measuring sea level since 19356789 the tide gauge takes straight forward measures, clear, irrefutable facts. That tide gauge showed sea levels up over eight inches since it was installed. For lowlying areas, those eight inches of Sea Level Rise are a problem already. But its going to get worse. Climate change worsens coastal flooding in two ways. First, it raises the level of the sea, as glaciers and ice sheets melt into the sea and as warmer oceans expand. And, second, Climate Change powers up stronger and more frequent hurricanes, which send those higher seas as higher storm surges further inland. So its important to look at how far and how often Sea Level Rise and storm surges will flood coastal areas. This is the map of georgias coastal area around savannah. Heres have a sanaa, heres the heres is a van narcs the coastline, taibi island. What weve got here is fort pulaski where the tide gauge is. Thats what it looks like now. But now is not going to stay. Heres what georgia has coming at it. Based on noaa information, this is the risk of flooding in the along the georgia coast. It takes noaas intermediate prediction of Sea Level Rise, intermediate mning it is not the most extreme scenario, it is the midrange prediction. It shows the risk in any year of a fourfoot deep flood. Here we have in 2020 and the risk is negligible. Its about 3 . Meaning in present circumstances you get a fourfoot flood through that area every 33 years. But by 2040, the risk is over 40 . Which means that a fourfoot flood in that area is now not happening every 33 years, its happening virtually every other year. And by 2060, youve hit 100 . You are getting a fourfoot flood in coastal georgia every year. And of course this tops out at one flood per year because its based on the percentages. But if you look at this trajectory, clearly were headed for multiple fourfoot floods per year in the out years. When i was on taibi island, i was shown the citys new storm water tide gate, which they just installed to protect the island from Sea Level Rise. It was explained that the road out to the island, which is here running along that edge, flooded already 45 times per year. With just one foot of Sea Level Rise. The city had already put in place a shortterm plan for 14 to 20 inches of sealevel rise by 2060. Were already thinking what the community would need to do as seas rise and acting on the best science back at that time. But now, consider this. Consider Sea Level Rise and storm surges combining to produce a fourfoot flood every year at least once a year. Here is what that map looks like when you put four feet of water there. This is the savannah area, heres tybee island. This is all land in the gray. And now all of this is under water. Tybee island has turned into just a tiny little atoll basically out in the ocean. And the road that i was talking about is now not just occasionally washed over with water. For five miles that road is under water. Now, four feet of flooding happening every year is obviously bad, but remember. That wasnt the worstcase scenario. That was the intermediate noaa scenario. Heres an extreme case, ten feet of Sea Level Rise. That was tybee island. Theres nothing left. You want an island now . Your island is savannah. Savannah island, surrounded by water. And well before the physical disaster of Sea Level Rise and storm surge and flooding happens, Something Else comes first. An economic disaster. Because were not the only people looking at these projections of four feet and ten feet of flooding. So do insurance companies. So do banks. Banks selling mortgages. How do you ensure in these Populated Areas that are now, how do you insure against a fourfoot flood that will happen every year . You cant buy a Flood Insurance policy for an event that happens every year. How do you buy a 30year mortgage for a property that will have flooded at least 30 times by the end of the mortgage . That economic punch, when you cant get insurance, when you cant get a mortgage on the property, that punch lands long before the floods come. Take Chatham County and glynn county. According to a report by climate central, over 2 billion in Property Value would be lost in those two counties with three feet of seaevel rise. Up the flooding to eight feet, and its over 7 billion in Property Value destroyed peoples homes, peoples businesses. When a buyer cant g insurance and when a buyer cant get a mortgage, sellers face plummeting Property Values. The market unbalances rapidly because all of a sudden you dont have many eligible buyers. The only buyers you have are people who can afford the property without having to borrow and who can afford to take the hit of an annual flood thats not a big crowd. So the bottom falls out of the Coastal Property market. That collapse in the Coastal Property market is what Financial Experts call a systic risk systemic risk. Its the mildest and blandest term for a catastrophe that i know. Is threatened by t economicnomy collapse of coastal Property Values. Not just me saying this. In 2016, the top economist for u. S. Mortgage giant freddie mac projected that climatedriven floodings along u. S. Coasts will cause a Property Value collapse leading to economywide losses, quote, greater than those experienced in the housing crisis and thereat recession. For those of us who remember 2008 and the pain and the difficulty and the harm and the fear tha was caused by that mortgage meltdown, greater than that is what freddie mac says, and thats not an environmental group, by the way, thats freddie mac. Its already bun. Lenders are requiring bigger and bigger dowayments in coastal areas, sometimes as much as 40 of the homes value before they will ensure the remnder. Flood insurance premiums continue to rise and coverage limits leave many seaside Property Owners exposed to huge losts. The losses. The people who own thislooded property, they are going to want to know they are going to want to know why Congress Paid more attention to fossil fuel polluters than we paid to Coastal Property owners. Why we only listened to the people causing this problem and not listen to the innocent Property Owners who are going to suffer millions and if you multiply it out, trillions of dollars in losses. When i was in georgia in 2014, a local clamor named Charlie Philips took me ow over the marshes on his air boat, it was a boat he built himself. He was manager of the regional fishery, so charlie knew his stuff. He had been an outdoorsman his life and needed fresh water for his claims. He told me the environment was hurtinghe ecosystem. Six years ago charlie was worried about a perilous future, one tha looks even more perilous now and one to which we have not respond it had for six long years. Well, one hopeful change is that we have a president elect now, a president elect who understands whats happening to our climate and who understands whats happening to our coastal communities. Hes from delaware. He gets it. The question is, how will Congress Respond . Will republicans allow a strong comprehensive climate bill . So far theres no sign of that, not in this building. At some point we will, mark my words, we will finally cast off the grim and malign grip of the fossil fuel polluters and their massive political influence machine. At some point we will finally listen to the people now on dry land whose hes and businesses are going to be p predictably in going to be predictably flooded out because we did nothing, and i will tell you it hadetter be soon because te is not on our side. As these coasts, not just the goicialg coast, georgia coast, the new jersey coast, the rhode island coast. As these coasts flood, Coastal Property owners will demand answers and the georgia voters who live near the georgia coast are entitled to an explanation of why nothings being done. Madam president , i yield the floor. Mr. Lankford madam president. The presiding officer the senator from oklahoma. Mr. Lankford madam president , in my neighborhood and in my community, you can walk down the street, theres some really great neighbors, christians, jews, muslims, hindus, they all live in the same neighborhood, friends. My kids are grown now. Once all our kids were playing together in the community, in the neighborhood and you see just from this one community and just from this one neighborhood, this beautiful thing that our Founding Fathers dreamed of, the right for every individual to be able to choose a faith of their own decision, to be able to live that faith out, to be able to change that faith if they choose to or if they have no faith at all. Theres plenty of people in my neighborhood, i have no idea what faith they have. They dont have to post it. They dont have to print it. They dont have to say it because they are an american. They dont have to be a certain faith or to be able to maintain that faith. That grace of independence makes noab that every person known that every person has the right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. We are protected to free press, to speak, to assemble and to petition the government and to have any faith we choose and to be able to live that faith without fear the governments going to impose a faith on them. Our founding documents express these rights, we know inherently these rights should be for all people. As such i think its the responsibility of every american not just to cherish the freedoms that we have but to be able to state those freedoms worldwide and to that people should be able to live these basic human rights and dignities. The Trump Administration is heavily focused on sharing these ideals with the world. Poland is advancing freedom of religion and belief. The United States has hosted the first two of those. In fact, i was a participant in the second one and i was a participant online in the third one that is just in the process. It was implemented with secretary pompeo and ambassador at large for liberty and freedom, sam brownback. It brought people of all faiths together, of all countries together to be able to discuss religion. It is based different on covid worldwide and its restrictions, but its remarkable to see Foreign Ministers from all over the world, many from countries that dont practice religious liberty in the middle of a conversation about religious liberty. 80 of the worlds population live where religious freedom is threatened or denied which puts an extra obligation for those of us who live in freedom to be able to display that freedom worldwide. We should condemn religious persecution and ensure that all people have the freedom to live their faith, change their faith or have no faith at all. In addition to the minute in addition, the Freedom Alliance has membership of 22 countries. They are dedicated to religious freedom. Not only are we seeing people gathering from countries that dont allow religious liberty, but we have 32 countries dedicating together to say that we practice religious liberty in our country and we want to spread that. The alliance of these 32 countries, which were a part of, has two core functions, to enhance global advocacy to protect the freedom of religious believe and to hold accountable, and to serve as a platform to better coordinate parliamentarians and civil rights to advance this right. I hope this alliance continues to grow, continues to have gaining influence on the world stage. I hope they continue to condemn bad actors who condone violence towards people of faith while encouraging leaders to protect their rights of their religious communities and neighbors. The United States has a strong history and commitment to religious freedom but some throughout the world do not have that privilege. Onethird of the worlds countries have laws that prohibit expression deemed as blastfa muss or insulting to religion. Punishment for individuals who participate in this type of expression range from fines to imprisonment to even the deaths in places like pakistan. These laws affect christians, muslims, hindus, all other groups. They scare people into hiding because of their faith, they punish people for changing their faith and they remove the most basic dignity of the individual, right to believe. We should continue to expose those that take away that basic human freedom. Thats who we are as americans. Thats what we stand for worldwide. The independent nonpartisan United States commission on International Religious freedom, they have 84 countries that have blasphemy laws in the books. Thats why we want to condemn and those prosecuted and charged with blasphemy. That proposal is ready to go and ready to be passed and has cleared everyone on the republican side of the aisle and most everyone on the democratic side of the aisle. To ensure that religious liberty is a core pillar of our engagement of other countries, the president issued an executive order on advancing International Religious freedom. The first of its kind. Its a recommitment of the United States to live out your faith regardless of where you live. The United States placed a greater prioritization on religious freedom with our foreign assistance programs and the department of state and with usaid. It is interesting, in addition to religious liberty this administration partnered with other countries to protect and uphold the sanctity of human life while prioritizing the rights and safety of women worldwide. Last month the administration, along with the governments of brazil, egypt, h ungary, indonesia and uganda led a coalition of leaders representing 1. 6 billion people from every part of the planet to sign a declaration. It reaffirms that all are created equal before the law and that the human rights of women are in alienable and indivisible parts of human rights and fundamental freedoms. This historic document strengthens our International Commitment to the protection of the most basic human right, the inherent dignity and worth of every person, that every human being has a right to life. It seems like that would be a natural thing to say. It seems like that would be apparent that we, as a nation, and that people around the world would recognize this most basic right of an individual to live. We believe in the right for people to be able to practice whatever faith they choose. We should at least agree before they choose whatever faith they are that they are allowed to live at all. This document that was signed on by the United States, brazil, egypt, hungary, indonesia and uganda has a simple statement in it. It says we reaffirm the inherent dignity of the person that every human being has the inherent right to life and the commitment to enable women to safely go through pregnancy and childbirth and provide couples with the best chance of having a healthy faint. Im proud of this administration and of 1. 6 billion people represented by the other governments that have joined into this simple declaration, to protect the rights of women, to stand up for equal rights of those women and to be able to stand up for the rights of every single child. The historic documents strengthens our International Commitment to this basic right. This is a critical tool for the United States an likeminded countries to preserve equal rights for all families, for all individuals in every society. It has four pillars. Better health for women, preservation of human life, strengthening of the families as the foundational unit of society and protecting every Nations National sovereignty in global politics. As i said on this floor before, abortion takes a life. It doesnt preserve it. Its not at right. And we, as a nation, should not promote an action to the rest of the world that is antithetical that is the basic to all human rights, the rights to live, to make your own decisions. Im encouraged that were partnered with other likeminded nations, that there are people all over the world that are standing up for the rights for women to be able to have equality, the rights to be able to protect human life, to strengthen families and the rights to be able to protect national sovereignty. Its something we should be able to stand up for. In the days ahead, i pray we continue to stand up for that because every individual should have the right to live as they live, have the right to be able to have whatever faith they choose to have, to have that faith, live that faith, change that faith or to have no faith at all. But they dont even get to choose that if theyre not even allowed to live first. That is something i would hope that we as americans could also stand for. With that i yield the floor. A senator madam president . The presidg officer the senator from new jersey. Mr. Menendez madam president , i come to the floor today in solidarity with Ethnic Armenians all over the world who have experienced terrible losses in recent weeks. This is a tragic moment for armenians everywhere. Words cannot describe the devastation inflicted on the region b with the full support f president erdogan of turkey. Thousands of Ethnic Armenian arn armenian civilians and soldiers have lost their lives do toage bah januar jan. More than half of the population has been driven from their longtime homes. Every day more are forced to leave. Every day more are forced to live. The aggression has created a massive humanitarian crisis that will require a significant response, especially in light of the worsening pandemic. The historic and religiously significant city of suci now the security of many sacred christian sites fall to the backer erdogan. The world will be watching if these holy sites are desecrated. These are dark days indeed. And it did not have to be this way. American leadership could have averted much of this tragedy. Unfortunately after the conflict began in late september, the highest ranking Trump Administration officials decided to remain largely absent and silent. Certainly other leaders engaged. President macron actively engaged as one would expect from one of the leaders of the organization for security and cooperation in europes mens group cochair country. Unfortunately others with less noble goals were also at the table. President erdogan fuel azerbaijans aggression fanning the flames by providing devastating Drone Technology in syrian mercenaries. President putin and the foreign minister worked the phones from the early days of the conflict. The result . Russia has a new foothold in the southern caucuses. Evidently russia was never fully committed to the goals and now has what they wanted since the 1990s. All of this happened while donald trump slept. Yet another example of diplomatic malpractice at the highest levels of an administration that will thankfully conclude in january. President trumps departure is little solace for the Ethnic Armenians who have been driven from their homes and see their livelihoods go up in flames. So whats the region left with at the end of the day . The security of the American People who have already excuse me. The security of the armenian people who have already suffered brutal violence at the hands of erdogan now rests with peacekeepers sent by vladimir putin, a flawed agreement that does nothing about the jihadis sent there by turkey who if allowed to remain could commit further atrocities against christian armenians. Without any commitments to the status, there is no incentive for azerbaijan to make peace with armenia. Will we see another case of ethnic cleansing in the future . Do we sit silent . Madam president , we now have a trio of authoritarians running the show in the southern caucuses. It should alarm anyone dedicated to a peaceful solution of this long, outstanding conflict. It should alarm anyone dedicated to democratic reform in the region. It should alarm anyone concerned about basic human rights and respect for international law. We in the United States should be concerned about National Security issues that would affect us in the saw cusses. So my cool in the caucuses. My colleague, we are witnessing the return of great power politics in this critical region and yet the worlds sole super power is conspicuously absent. This needs to change. First and most urgently, the United States must lead a response to the humanitarian needs created by this violence, particularly for the tens of thousands of Ethnic Armenians forcibly displaced from their homes by the sixweek warp. Win war. Winter is fast approaching. The covid19 pandemic is raining. There is raging. There is no time to waste. Congress and the Trump Administration must act quickly to save these families. The United States must make a substantial investment in humanitarian and Development Assistance along the lines of a hundred Million Dollars to make a difference for those on the ground. This includes funding for efforts to demine the affected area. In april i sent a letter cosigned by 30 other senators calling for the senate to appropriate 1. 5 million in fiscal funds for demining. Robust funding for rehabilitation services. And money for an independent assessment of remaining mine contamination to help inform future efforts. Given the widespread use by azerbaijan, cluster munitions, rockets and other such weapons in this conflict, i urge the bodies to include those provisions in the final appropriations bill. Second, the United States must immediately, immediately suspend the provision of defense articles to turkey and as bijan azerbaijan. We cannot and must not enable any future atrocities by either of those authoritarian countri countries. Either we had a tremendous intelligence failure or the state department lied when it issued the waiver to section 907 of the freedom support act. Either way we should be gravely concerned about reports that azerbaijan has utilized u. S. Origin defense equipment in this conflict. The Administration Must fully investigate these reports and respond appropriately to any violations of u. S. Law. Indeed, canada suspended arms sales to turkey in response to the conflict for this very reason. And i applaud Prime Minister trudeau for doing so. The United States must do the same and work diplomatically to encourage others to join us in common cause. To that end i have introduced two resolutions that will require the state department to report on human rights abuses by azerbaijan in turkey. The u. S. Security assistance and arms transfers may be playing in those abuses. I urge my coo colorado leagues my colleagues to support those resolutions. Third, the Administration Must follow the law. It should not waive section 907 of the freedom support act which states that azerbaijan should, quote, cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against armenia as a condition to receive u. S. Assistance. The facts tell us that the government of azerbaijan has done the exact opposite. America has no business rewarding this kind of aggressive behavior. I call on the administration to terminate the waiver of section 907. Congress can also address this injustice in the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bill by stripping the existing Waiver Authority so this security relationship stops. It needs to stop once and for all. In addition, at my request the Government Accountability office is currently reviewing the impact of u. S. Security assistance to azerbaijan which has skyrocketed under the Trump Administration. The pentagon alone has provided more than 120 million in equipment to the regime in recent years. This is simply unacceptable and must change. The g. A. O. Review will shed light on the impact of the repeated waivers of section 907 of the freedom support act. Fourth and finally, turkeys aggression in this conflict must be addressed. President erdogan clearly aspires to be a modern day ought mon putting down stakes in libya and syria across the Eastern Mediterranean and now in the southern caucuses. Under Erdogan Turkey has engaged in unbridled aggression outside of its borders in violation of natos founding principles and international norms. Heres what we know. This turkey is proving to be an unreliable ally in nato. It is not a democracy and it is not a responsible actor on the world stage. The aggression unfolding in azerbaijan should make Crystal Clear what we have long known. Erdogan is without a doubt trying to claim the title of most destructive actor in the region today. Without a strong response, he will continue these advances and aggression. I urge the Incoming Biden Administration to stop him and congress has a role to play as well. We must finally sanction turkey for its purchase of the s400 from russia which is a clear violation of the law. I expect the fiscal year 21 ndaa will take this long overdue step and result in s400 sanctions on turkey. I would also urge the Incoming Biden Administration to reassert American Leadership in the region. The United States must join with europe in solidarity against turkeys violations of the sovereignty of greece and cypress when destabilize the mediterranean region. Sanctions against those conducting illegal exploration activities on behalf of turkey would be a strong show of support for our european allies, not to mention for the rule of law. Indeed i have every confidence that president elect biden and his team will live up to americas responsibilities on the world stage by actually engaging on all of these issues. And through the orchlts s. C. E. Group process, although it appears to be on life support we must invigorate it with seniorlevel engagement. We must send a clear message message that violence as a means to solve the conflict will not succeed. And pressure on armenia from its eastern and western borders will not be tolerated. Id like to close with this. Above the road between yerovan and lies the ancient monastery of dagi dadivank. A priest at the monastery has vowed to stay even though the area has fallen under azerbaijani control. His neighbors have mostly fled displaced by weeks of horrific fighting. The courage of father harvanis is hard for us to understand, even comprehend. It comes from a place of deep connection to the land, deep connection to ones culture, and deep connection to ones faith. The world will be watching as to what happens to him and the ancient monastery of dadivank. A neighbor who also committed to stay in the area said we are here to stay until the end. This is our god. Its our church. Our cross bears a heavyweight. We are here to carry that weight. Throughout this war armenians across the region have carried that weight under Relentless Assault from azerbaijan and turkey. The Trump Administration let them down. The horror of recent weeks will be very difficult to undo, but we must start the work. Yes, we must start the work. By taking the steps i have described here tonight, we can begin a new chapter of u. S. Policy in the region and right past wrongs. And i am committed, as i have always been alongside the Armenian American Community in new jersey and across our country, to see this just work through to the end. With that, madam president , i yield the floor. A senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from kansas. Mr. Moran thank you, madam president. I rise this evening in the support of the nomination of toby crouse to serve a United States district judge for the district of kansas. I am joined by the senior senator from kansas, senator roberts, and we take our responsibilities seriously in vetting judicial nominees, particularly true when the seat that is under consideration, when a seat thats vacant is from our home state, kansas. We need good, solid judges who interpret the constitution in ways that enforce the law and provide justice and equity. I can tell my colleagues that toby crouse is highly qualified, both professionally and personally, to fulfill this seat. Toby has had a twished career since earning a law degree from the university of kansas. He completed two federal clerkships, including one that was with the tenth circuit. He then became a partner at kansas largest law firm, holston seakin before he was appointed as the state solicitor general in 2018, a position he currently holds while maintaining his law practice. Throughout his career, toby has had extensive trial and appellate experience. As solicitor general, he has argued before the Supreme Court three times. I have had the opportunity to have numerous conversations with toby, with his law professors, with his colleagues and members of the bar in kansas, and he comes highly recommended. The bar in kansas as well as the bench is anxious for this position to be filled so that justice will not be delayed. The American Bar Association rates toby as well qualified. I want to thank chairman graham and the Judiciary Committee for approving this nomination and for leader mcconnell for bringing this nomination to the floor for our consideration this evening. Im confident that mr. Crouse will serve on the federal bench with distinction, and i encourage my colleagues to vote for his final confirmation. Madam prident, i yield the floor. Mr. Barrasso madam president. The presiding officer the senator from wyoming. Mr. Barrasso madam president , i come to the floor today to talk about the work of my good friend and colleague, the junior senator from georgia, senator kelly loeffler. Republicans including the senator from georgia continue to put Forward Solutions to address one of our countrys most pressing problems, and that, of course, is health care. As a doctor, i recognize that health care remains a top priority for families all across this great country. Now, senator loeffler also knows how Important Health care is to families not just across her state of georgia, but to families all around america. She has a proposal. It is called modernizing Americans Health care. Its a plan, and this plan is another example of the important contribution that she is making here in the senate to the wellbeing of the entire nation. Her plan emphasizes that americans with preexisting conditions must be protected. My colleague is absolutely right. Everyone knows someone with a preexisting condition. My own wife bobbi is a Breast Cancer survivor. She has had three operations. She has had chemotherapy twice. She is now she has now survived that cancer by over 15 years. Thats a preexisting condition. So let there be no doubt, madam president , republicans will always make sure that patients are able to get insurance, regardless of their medical condition. Senator loefflers plan also recognizes the need for more insurance choices. Americans need the coverage that works for them and their families. It should be available, affordable, and appropriate for them, what they need, not what the government says they have to have. So families need more options. Association health plans let Small Businesses and Community Organizations come together with the buying power of large corporations. This helps lower the cost of care. Main street, i believe, madam president , deserves the same opportunity to buy insurance as wall street, and thats what senator loeffler is proposing. Her plan also lets consumers save more of their own money to pay for health care. Right now, as a result of the Obama Health Care law, americans can only use a Health Savings account when its tied to a highdeductible health care plan. My colleague from georgia wants to expand these accounts for anyone with Health Insurance coverage, regardless of their type of insurance plan. Everyone knows over the last years since the Obama Health Care law was passed that deductibles have continued to keep climbing. We need to give families relief by letting them save more of their own money tax free through a Health Savings account. That way, families could use their money to pay for deductibles and other kinds of Health Care Expenses that right now theyre not allowed to do. So as a doctor, one thing in particular that i strongly support, of course, is direct primary care. We have it running successfully in my home state of wyoming. Thats when someone pays your Health Care Provider a flat monthly fee instead of a fee every time you visit the doctor, the nurse, the nurse practitioner. Consumers like this arrangement. They like it because it takes the uncertainty out of a doctors visit. They always know what theyre going to pay month to month to month. Providers like it because they get to focus on patients over all of the paperwork thats so often required by insurance companies. When i talked to doctors who are tired of practicing medicine and want to retire, what is it you dont like . They love taking care of patients, but they hate the paperwork that comes with it so often related to the law, the mandates, and the things that happen with trying to comply with insurance paperwork. A lot more can be done, and we know this, as a result of coronavirus in terms of providing health care using telemedicine, and especially, madam president , in your home state and mine where there are great distances and lots of rural communities, its a great opportunity for people to receive health care from a distance using the Newest Technology of the day. So i think we have seen much more about telemedicine due to the covid19 pandemic. Patients have tried it, they like it, the providers that i have talked to around the state of wyoming like it a lot. There has been an issue in the past, though, of the issue of how to reimburse and how many visits and the distance and did they need to come into the office, would it be covered by insurance, would it be covered by medicare, would it be covered by medicaid. All of the issues, the hassles for the patient and the provider, but to me telemedicine is now here to stay. So these direct primary care practices truly have been on the leading edge of telemedicine because they didnt have to worry about Insurance Company reimbursements based on the number of facetoface visits. They could just visit and talk to the patient using telemedicine. So speaking of covid19, this plan also ensures that we continue fighting back against this virus. Madam president , there is tremendous news today about the vaccines, two vaccines, one 90 effective, one 94 effective. As a doctor, i will tell you these are breakthroughs, these are modernday miracles of medicine. You just think about not that long ago, dr. Fauci said if we could get a vaccine that was 50 effective, that that would be tremendous, but were talking much, much higher rates of effectiveness than that. So my colleague in her proposal also calls us to focus on something we can also support. Thats making drugs and personal protective equipment here in the United States, producing here at home in america. We need to bring the manufacturing of these critical supplies back to our own communities, certainly back to our country. Never again, never again should our patients and Health Care Workers be held hostage by china or any other nation. Senator loeffler knows that americans should not be the sole payers for the innovation that supports the rest of the world. My colleagues plan reinforces the fact that our trade policies must reflect when countries free load off of american innovation. And finally, she wants to make sure that pharmacy discounts benefit the patients, not large pharmacy socalled benefit managers. This is a commonsense legislative proposal that will mean lower drug prices for patients who have to take expensive medications. When discounts go directly to patients, americans will see much lower costs when they pay at the pharmacy counter. Madam president , this is by no means an exhaustive list of what is in senator loefflers proposal, but i am sure in the days ahead, the senate will have a chance to hear more about her important work on health care. I look forward to continuing to work with her and all of my colleagues as republicans get these important policies enacted into law. Thank you, madam president. I yield the floor. I suggest the absce of a quorum. The presiding ofcer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Barrasso madam president , my i ask unanimous consent that the quorum be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Barrasso i yield back my time. The presiding officer all postcloture time has expired. The question is on the nomination. A senator madam president i ask for the yeas and nays. The presiding officer is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote if vote vote the presiding officer are there there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their votes . If not, the yeas are 50, the nays are 43. The nomination isonfirmed. The senator from utah. Mr. Lee madam president , in a city divided by politic a nation riven by disease you want me to do tt first . Madam president , i ask the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table andhat the president be immediately notifieof the senates action in relation to the crouse nomination. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Lee and, madam president , i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Lee madam president , in a city divided by politics, a nation riven by disease, it is vital to remember that there are among us mercifully on capitol hill, a few men and women who embody the ideals of charity and Public Service and personal integrity. As chairman of the joint Economic Committee for the past two years, ive had the privilege of knowing one of these indisexpensable patriots. As i rise today before the end of my term as chairman of the joint Economic Committee and at the end of her 40th year of service on the joint Economic Committee, i do so to commend to all of my colleagues the personal and professional merits of ms. Colleen eely. She was born in port allegheny, pennsylvania, to bob and teresa healy. She attended port allegheny Union High School where she participated in the school band, in chorus, Student Government and the spanish club. As a senior, she was selected by her classmates to compete for the title of Pennsylvania State laurel queen of 1969. Colleen next attended penn state where she earned her b. A. In spanish and latin american studies. As graduating and teaching spanish for several years in florida, she came to washington in 1977, first working for representative joseph amerman of pennsylvania as his executive secretary. Colleen then found her calling in the joint Economic Committee, where shes made an indelible mark on generations of representatives, of senators, and of staff ever since then. Colleen has now served on the staff for more than half the time that the committee has even been in existence. All great institutions of course depend on institutional memory. The joint Economic Committee depends on Colleen Healy. Thats why for decades, the first decision every incoming j. E. C. Chair has made, whether the chair happens to be from the house or the senate and happens to be a democrat or a republican, the first decision made over and over again is retaining colleens Invaluable Services is as financial director. Colleen is the reason the j. E. C. Is known across capitol hill for being one of the most corroborative and congenial committees to work for, to work with, or to serve on. Because both sides trust colleen, they also know they can trust each other. That has a Ripple Effect thats undeniably positive. Staffers trust that they can always go to colleen with their questions and their problems, whether it is about the committee, process, or procedure and to receive gracious, knowledgeable, consistent, honest answers. But even more impressive than her acumen is her essential kindness and grace. Colleen is known to get a flag over the capitol for each new baby born to a coworker. Staffers, past and present, joke that you cant walk ten minutes with colleen from her office in the dirksen building and get very far because shes befriended literally everyone across the capitol complex, remembering personal details about their lives and their families and stopping to talk with each person along the way. From members to staffers to interns and custodians, colleen never misses an opportunity to make every Single Person feel important and valued and necessary. That, again, has Ripple Effects that are always positive in any organization, and certainly are on the j. E. C. As one former coworker put it, when you talk to colleen, youre instantly made to feel like the most special, loved, and caredfor person on earth. When you step into her office, you know shes ready to laugh, listen, or cry with you. As another has said, despite the length of time shoos he worked in washington, d. C. , colleen still exudes warmth and joy you a spirit that permeates the committee and touches everyone she meets. This in a city not necessarily known for those traits. She gives witness to her catholic faith each and every day. Mother teresa once advised, let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. I can think of no better way to describe how Colleen Healy lives her life. In the words of j. E. C. Vice chair, representative don beyer, who colleen is the j. E. C. s administrator, historian, sage, and most important the heart and soul of the committee. Shes respected and beloved by decades of j. E. C. Senate and house members of both parties. As well as generations of staff. Her decades of service have been invaluable, close quote. And we are all, madam president , better and happier for it. I thank colleen for her service to the committee, and i hope were lucky enough to get another four years with her serving on the joint Economic Committee. Thank you, madam esident. I yield the floor. A senator madam president . The presiding officer the senator from ohio. Mr. Portman madam president , im here on the floor of the senate tonight to talk about the encouraging progress weve seen in finding a vaccine for the covid19 virus. It has disrupted all of our lives and caused such great damage over the past year. From the early days of this coronavirus pandemic, a Publicprivate Partnership has employed scientists who have worked around the clock to prevent people frommest going infected inti from getting infected by developing effective vaccines. We saw the result in the last week with announcements from pfizer and now moderna that their interim success rates were above 90 during their trials. Other companies have vaccines at various stages of development, and theres hope that they will have similar results. Getting safe and effective vaccines across the finish line will be a monumental achievement, not only are we witnessing unprecedented progress in treating an creating can an effective, widespread vaccine, were doing so at a speed unseen in modern american history. With cases rising not only across the country but around the world, were running out of the other tools needed to stop the pandemic. I support the social distancing, the wearing of masks, the testing, p. P. E. , but i believe widespread inoculation is the most effective way to control the virus. If these vaccines receive the expected emergency use authorization from the federal Drug Administration over the coming weeks and months, this will be a testament to the unprecedented support that congress has provided for Vaccine Development. The Trump Administrations innovative l. A. Pproach to innovative approach to cut red tape and the commitment and ingenuity of our researchers and scientists and manufacturers. The bipartisan cares act that passed here in march with unanimous support providing 27 billion in funding for countermeasures against covid, including funding this important Vaccine Development research. It was money well spent. Thanks to these funds and the innovative approach by the administration, weve been able to invest in i woulding about the infrastructure to begin in building the infrastructure to begin manufacturing these vaccines now so that if a vaccine is approved, we can ramp up production. This also includes ramping up largescale trials which are critical to informing the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines. By using these cares funds to invest in both research and trials and in manufacturing at the same time, were able to ensure that the trials are thorough and methodical while also ensuring that if and when approved, there is vaccine ready to be distributed. At the same time, the food and Drug Administration, which is the federal Agency Responsible for approving the use of any new vaccine, has followed the science and moved cautiously. As an example, theyve actually raised the standards needed for giving an emergencyuse authorization for a vaccine. Normally a vaccine only needs to be effective about 50 of the time to be approved under the e. U. A. Emergency use authorization. But with coronavirus vaccine, the standard is much higher by requiring companies to collect more rigorous information, to show longerlasting results from their respective vaccine candidates. This will help ensure greater confidence in the system and i am grateful they took these additional, careful steps. This progress on the vaq sheen is critical for our economic recovery as well. Vaccines and therapeutics are authorized by the f. D. A. And made widely available and people actually get vaccinated, all of us will feel safer returning to the workplace, retail establishment, restaurants, churches, and other places of worship and schools, as well as feeling more comfortable gathering with friends and family. Well finally be able to truly reopen and get millions of americans back to work. In short, a widely available vaccine is our best bet for getting america back to normal, something we all are desperate for. Last month i received a briefing from c. T. I. Clinical trial an consulting services, a Research Company thats based in my hometown of cincinnati, ohio. I met with them to receive a briefing to find out whats going on in ohio and what theyre doing around the country. C. T. I. Is a Global Leader in actually executing these Clinical Trials that we always talk about for these vaccines and therapeutics and right now they are helping to conduct Clinical Trials on potential Covid Vaccine being developed by a umin of companies, including a number of companies, including january son j j. I was impressed with the progress they had made for this j j vaccine as well as the precautions they are taking with regard to the safety and privacy of the trial. The previous trial of this vaccine found 99 of the participants developed antibodies. These are encouraging figures that suggest that this j j vaccine could prove to be another useful tool in our toolkit to fight covid19. But there is still a lot of work to be done. C. T. I. Explained to me that they were focused on encouraging more people to join their trials. I asked if it would help if i signed up and they said yes. Along with tens of thousands of other participants, i am now joining this trial for this promising new vaccine. Like other participants in the program, i dont know if i got the vaccine or if i got a placebo. I enrolled in this vaccine trial for really three reasons. One, because i think it is so important to getting vaccine moving. And these trials are really important to having that be successful. In my view, again, the vaccine is the most effective way for us to defeat this coronavirus. Second, i enrolled because i want to encourage others to join these trials around the country. If you are interested, go online. Look at the vaccine trials and join one in your community. And, third, i hope it will convince my fellow ohioans and others that getting vaccinated makes sense. There is a concerning gallup poll from last month that found that only half of americans are comfortable getting the covid19 vaccine. That 50 of us are not comfortable at this point getting vaccinated. Actually, thats down from august when twothirds of americans said they would be willing to be vaccinated. This concerns me a lot. I suspect, in part, this is happening because of the rhetoric weve heard from some Public Officials casting doubt on a vaccine solely because it may be approved by the Trump Administrations f. D. A. We need to stop playing politics with Peoples Health and let the science and data determine which vaccines get approved. The f. D. A. Is being very cautious. And theyre being driven by science. Casting doubt on the efficacy of a vaccine to try to score political points is dangerous and needs to stop. Public confidence in vaccines is declining at exactly the time we need these vaccines the most, and we need to do what we can to reverse that trend. My hope is that by being involved firsthand i can use my platform as a senator to help give people confidence that these new vaccines being developed are safe and effective. The more folks that participant in these trials, the sooner theyll have the complete data to finalize this phase of the trial and move on to the f. D. A. Approval process. But just as important as participating in these vaccine trials is what we do here as legislators in congress to ensure that these vaccines can continue to be developed and deployed safely and rapidly. As i mentioned earlier, the cares act provided 27 billion for the development of vaccines and other countermeasures, an unprecedented show of support from congress in our fight to defeat the Underlying Health care challenges of this pandemic. Unfortunately, since that bill was passed, the cares a bill, way back in march, eight months ago, weve been unable to focus on followup with more funding to help this effort. 27 billion is a lot of money but it only gets us so far in an effort like this. Whats also missing from the use of this 27 billion is the ability to fund a campaign to explain to americans that there is a safe and effective vaccine out there that they can use. That the science has been followed. As i mentioned theres a lot of Vaccine Hesitancy right now. Its existed before this pandemic, its been unfortunately made worse by elected officials trying to politicize this sciencedriven effort. Thats why i have Bipartisan Legislation that would empower h. H. S. To promote the scientific advancements we made in order to increase public confidence. We dont have a vaccine yet and were still facing another round of shutdowns with little help to support those who will be impacted by it. Thats why we need to do more in washington to hen sure that the Health Care Response to this pandemic does not falter because this crisis is getting worse, not better. In my home state of ohio and around the country were seeing this and we can make a difference here. Ohio, the number of daily cases has risen every day for the past month. Were seeing double what we saw just a you few weeks ago. In the United States we are averaging 100,000 cases per day, double the rate a month ago. As predicted it got colder and people are inside more and the third wave has arrived many unfortunately weve seen an increase in ohio in hospitalizations in i. C. U. Patients and sadly in fatalities along with these new cases. We need to do more to help the economy too and thats another reason we need a covid19 package, a stimulus package because, as this pandemic has worsened the impressive Economic Growth we were seeing has shroud down at a time when the economy is it still down 10 million jobs since february. What we really dont want is for those 10 Million People in a slowdown of the economy to become longterm unemployed who may never reenter the workforce and of course certain sector like hospitality, restaurants, hotel, travel, entertainment are still struggling badly with no end in sight as some states are closing down facilities in order to counter the spread of the virus of. Im pleased that leader mcconnell has called on congress to have another coronavirus package before the end of the year. We cant wait any longer. It is my hope that my democratic colleagues who recognize this as well and i talked to a number of them who do. We have to refrain from making this political at this point. We have to figure out how to Work Together to find common ground. If we can come together and get a bipartisan coronavirus bill passed before the end of the year that takes a commonsense approach targeting the Health Care Challenges of this pandemic, targeting the economic consequences, we will not only help the men and women working tireless hily in labs around the country fighting this disease, but we will show the American People we are with them in this fight. As we continue this Critical National effort, lets be sure were doing our part here in congress to pass legislation that provides additional funding for treatments an therapies for the coronavirus so that he we can be sure we have the resources necessary to treat the virus as people get it. Madam president , the time is now for us to put the partisanship aside and figure out how we can Work Together to give the American People a little hope to address the Health Care Crisis thats in all of our states and to ensure that the economic consequences are not devastateing for the people we represent. I urge my colleagues to come together and do that before we recess for the holidays. I yield back my time. The presiding officer the senator from ohio. Port pot madam president , i have five requests for committees to meet during todays session of the senate they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. The presiding officer duly noted. Mr. Portman madam president , i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h. R. 68, which was received from the house and is at the desk. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk h. R. 1668, an act to establish minimum Security Standards for Internet Things devices and so for forth and for other purposes. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding . Without objection. Mr. Portman i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read three times and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Portman i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h. R. 5901 which is at the desk. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clk h. R. 5901, anct to establish arogram to facilitate the adoption of modern technology by executive agencies and for other purposes. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed. Mr. Portman i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read three times and passed and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Portman i ask unanimous consent that the senate now proceed to immediate consideration of calendar number 540, s. 2216. The presiding officer the cle will repor s. 2216, a bill to require the to formally recognize caregivers of veterans and so forth and for other purposes. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Portman i further ask that the committeereported substitute amendment be withdrawn, the peters substitute amendment at the desk be considered bd, the bill be considered read, the title amendment be considered and agreed to and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the moition the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Portman i ask that the senate proceed to h. R. 775, submitted earlier today. S. Res. 775 submitted earlier today. The presiding officer the cle will report. The clerk senate resolion, 775, designating september 30, 2020, as impact aid recognition day and so forth. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding . Without objection, the senate will proceed. Mr. Portman i know of no further debate on the measure. The presiding officer is there further debate . Hearing none, the question is on adoption of the resolution many all those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes have it. The resolution is agreed to. Mr. Portman i ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Portman i ask unanimous consent that the senate now proceed to the immediate consideration of s. Res. 776 submitted earlier today. The presiding officer the clerk will report. Thclerk Senate Resolution 776, designating t week beginning septeer 13, 2020, as National Direc support professionals recognition week. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed. Mr. Portman i further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. So ordered. Mr. Portman i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 00 a. M. On wednesday, november 18, further, following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day 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 vaden nomination. Finally, notwithstanding the provisions of rule 22, the remaining cloture motions filed on thursday, november 12, ripen tomorrow. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Portman if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand aid understand under the previous order. The presiding officer the senatetands adjourned until 10 00 a. M. Tomorrow. Adjourn the senate today failed to advance the nomination of President Trumps former economic advisorudy shelton to the fedal reserve board of gernors. Several republican senats oppose the confirmation. But to many other republicans werent there for the vote. It was the first vote iowa senator Chuck Grassley is missing 27 years. He sent this tweet this afternoon. I have tested positive for coronavirus, i will be following my Doctors Orders and cdc guidelines and continue to quarantine. Im feeling good and will keep up on my work for the people of iowa from home. I appreciate everyones well wishes and prayers. And look forward to resuming my normal schedule soon. We will have more live Senate Coverage tomorrow here on cspan cspan2. Becky is your mobile devices and go to cspan. Org for the latest video, live and ondemand to file the transition of power. President trump, president elect biden, News Conferences and events coverage at cspan. Org. Isten to cspans podcast, the weekly. We are turnabout women in the recent elections with the center for american women and politics. What change this election cycle for women and why . Find cspans, the weekly, where you get your podcast. Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell and Senate Republican leaders held a News Conference on the legislative agenda. Including additional color 19 legislation. Well good afternoon
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