Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. 20240703

Off 280e dash up with a miso is cannabis businesses that are legal at the state level cannot write their businesses off. So if they buy pens pins oy buy tables for their dispensary speeded we will break away from this discussion to keep our over 40year commitment to covering congress. You can watch all of our washington journal segments if you go to our website cspan. Org. Today the u. S. Senate is back in session following its summer recess. Sandage will be voted on the Federal Reserve vice chair nomination later this afternoon. And i like to the of the u. S. Senate here on cspan2. And now live to the floor of the u. S. Senate here on cspan2. The presiding officer the senate will come to order. The chaplain dr. Barry black will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal god, who rules the raging of the sea, you reign over the nations of our turbulent world. You alone subdue the winds and the rain with a word from your mouth. As we return from recess and open this session with prayer, we are reminded that life on earth is a gift that allows us to live for your glory. Lord, we are humbled by your generosity, for you have blessed this nation in the best and worst of times. Speak your dreams into our hearts, uniting us by the power of your spirit. Lord, give our senators the wisdom to believe that you are able to do for them more than they can ask or imagine, according to your power working in and through them. We pray in your mers merciful name. Amen. The presiding officer please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The presiding officer the clerk will read a communication to the senate. The clerk washington d. C. , september 5, 2023. To the senate under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable peter welch, a senator from the state of vermont, to perform the duties of the chair. Signed patty murray, president pro tempore. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, Federal Reserve system, Philip Nathan jefferson of North Carolina to be vice chairman of the board of governors. Mr. Schumer mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Schumer first, welcome back, mr. President. To you and our great staff. And its good to be back. Leader mcconnell will speak after me here on the floor, and im glad to see him back and doing well. Mr. President , let me begin by welcoming all of our senators back from august work period. August was a busy month for all of us back home. A time to listen to constituents about whats on their minds, like lowering costs and increasing paychecks. It was also a time for ribbon cuttings, groundbreakings, as the historic investments that democrats made come to fruition. And, of course, it was a time to prepare for the very busy month in front of us. On the implementation side, august was a month of action, a ground of groundbreakings, celebrating new factories and new goodpaying jobs that will stick around for a long, long time. When a parent sees his or her son or daughter get these jobs, they know theyre going to be around for a long time, not going to be gone in two, three years. Its a great thing for optimism and the future of america. And it was even nice to see Speaker Mccarthy in my home state of new york celebrating the new jobs secured by democrats when he shifted jma wireless last month. Ive been there many times, too. In fact, it was my from my own visits there and to other Companies Across new york that i saw firsthand the opportunity to invest in Companies Like jma, by buying america provisions we added to the legislation and it helped us shape the Inflation Reduction Act. As the speaker saw with his own eyes, democrats investments are already bearing fruit. In just one year alone, the Inflation Reduction Act has resulted in over 200 new Clean Energy Jobs and created 170,000 new goodpaying jobs. In just one year the Inflation Reduction Act alone has resulted in over 200 new Clean Energy Projects and created over 170,000 new goodpaying jobs. And its projected to create another 1. 5 million jobs over the next decade. Pick any region of the country and youll have no trouble seeing democrats agenda in action. One of the amazing visits i went to was in Allegheny County in upstate new york. Its in appalachia. By income levels its one of the poorest counties in our state. And there the Inflation Reduction Act is blowing new life into lundstrom. This was a company that used to make Coal Technology equipment and has transitioned to making parts for Wind Turbines and is hiring 150 new workers, all in a place where people thought they didnt have much of a history because they knew the coal industry was declining. Its happened all over emergency. In america. In georgia lng said theyre increasing their investment toward a battery manufacturing plant, one that will be the states largest project ever, creating thousands of goodpaying jobs in years to come. And in new mexico acoza broke ground on a new wind production facility. These jobs will help fill the over 1 billion in wind powder orders theyve received since President Biden signed the ira law. These investments and many others are supporting the whole of america, red and blue states, rural and urban. Everyone everywhere, and you can be sure, mr. President , the best is yet to come. Last month we saw other examples of implementation, too. Over the past few weeks President Biden made groundbreaking announcements on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, on prevailing wage and more. Many of these are a direct result of the work that we have done in the congress. So democrats are very proud of the agenda now taking hold across america, and we intend to keep going. Now the senate gavels back into session with a lot to do, but there is one clear place to begin. Keep the government open. As we all know, government funding is set to expire on september 30. By the end of this month, the house and senate, democrats and republicans all must get on the same page about keeping the government open and avoiding a pointless shutdown, a shutdown that will hurt just about every single american. A shutdown that of course shouldnt happen. To accomplish that, the answer is very simple. All sides must Work Together in good faith without everybody gauging in extremist or allornothing tactics. Look no further than the example we set here in a bipartisan way in the senate. Democrats working with republicans on a bipartisan basis, chairs, democratic chairs engaging fruitfully with republican vice chairs and Ranking Members. All 12 appropriation bills have been reported out of committee with bipartisan support, some of them unanimously, unanimously. Both sides avoided drag it sping it down with unseemly tactics. It sets a good template how things should work in congress. I want to thank all my colleagues, especially appropriations chair patty murray, and vice chair Susan Collins, for their tremendous work thus far on the appropriations process. They truly deserve a lot of credit. When the house returns next week, i hope House Republicans, i implore House Republicans, to recognize that time is short to keep the government open and that the only way, the only way we will finish the appropriations process is through bipartisanship. The idea of both parties working together. Not one party, particularly a party governed by an extreme 30 or 40 members, filling out a wish list they know cant pass. Cant do that. So let me repeat, let me say it again the only way to avoid a shutdown is through bipartisanship. I urge, i plead with House Republican leadership to follow the senates lead and pass bipartisan, democrat and republican appropriation bills, supported by both parties. As we work to fund the government, there are plenty. Other things we must do too, both on and off the floor. We will continue, for one we will, for one, continue laying a foundation for bipartisan congressional action on a. I. Next wednesday, along with senators rounds, heinrich and young, i will host the senates inaugural a. I. Insight fowrmt, the first of forum. The first ever coon veeng of convening of top minds, all in one room, having an open discussion about how congress can act on a. I. , where to start, what questions to ask, and how to build a foundation for safe a. I. Innovation. These a. I. Forums are vital. Artificial intelligence is unlike any topic weve undertaken in congress. It moves faster, it is more complex, and there is little precedent for this kind of work. This is not going to be easy. In fact, it will be one of the most difficult things we undertake. But in the 21st century, as Technology Moves Forward with or without us, we cannot behave like ostriches with heads in the sand when it comes to a. I. We must treat a. I. With the same level of seriousness as national security, as job creation, as our civil liberties. Now, ultimately, of course, the real legislative work will come in committees, but the a. I. Forums will give us the nutrients and facts and challenges we need to understand in order to reach this goal. Of course, next weeks forum is just the start. The senate will continue hosting a. I. Forums throughout the fall on a variety of topics, including finding ways to promote a. I. Innovation, i. P. Issues, workforce issues, privacy, security, alignment, and many more. Well also move the ball forward on other items on our agenda wherever we can. But of course, they will need republican help to reach the necessary 60 votes to move forward. By blowing the cost lowering the cost of insulin and prescription drugs, something members on both sides of the aisle are hard at work on. We did it in the ira for insulin and people over 65. We should do it for everybody else. Insulin is too vital and becoming too expensive for too many americans. Making progress on cannabis through the safe banking arrangements as well as commonsense rail safety, which i said in july will be a big priority. We also must build on the work we did during the ndaa to outcompete the chains government, to the chinese government, to keep the American People safe, to protect american businesses and ensure that American Innovation and Technology Lead the way this century. We also must continue standing with our friends in ukraine, now more than ever, as the counteroffensive against putins forces is in full swing. We must stand with our fellow americans in places like hawaii, florida, vermont, and other regions battered by storms and fires and flooding. The topics continue, from advancing a farm bill to kids Online Privacy to reauthorizing the faa to holding Bank Executives accountable for irresponsible behavior. Our committees have done excellent work to move all of these issues along, but we are under no illusion that we can make progress on the senate floor unless we get bipartisan cooperation. None of this will be easy, either. The bills will require a lot of work and compromise, but if we can progress on these items we will greatly improve the lives of average americans. Finding bipartisan exro plys on compromise on issues like these is never easy, but thats what it will take to get things done. Our efforts to do precisely that have already led to significant accomplishments under this majority. As we gavel back in, we will keep going, to reward the trust the American People have placed in us. Finally, on jack lew, earlier today, President Biden announced hes nom 2345eu679ed jack leb nom natived jack lew as the next ambassador to israel, one of our most important allies and partner on security, Tech Innovation and cull churing tie. Mr. Lew is precisely the person we need. Is as former treasury secretary, and chief of staffer under president obama, he will bring a wealth of experience, of diplomatic skill that will ensure the partnership between the u. S. And israel remains strong. You know why else i know jack lew will do a great job . Hes a proud queens boy and graduates of forest hills high school, which i used to represent in congress. I commend President Biden for nominating mr. Lew and i look forward to his nomination here in the senate. I yield the floor. And the note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. The clerk ms. Baldwin. Quorum call mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the republican leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispenszed with dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell well, mr. President , im glad to welcome our colleagues back from the august work period. Spending time back in our states with the folks we represent isnt just part of our job. More than anything else, its what allows us to be effective here in washington. Now, one particular moments of my time back home has received its fair share of attention in the press over the past week, but i assure you august was a busy and productive month for me and my staff back in the commonwealth. I kicked off the month in west kentucky and entered my hometown of louisville where i met with Small Businesses and Community Leaders. We had a candid conversation on the Critical Issues facing our state, from relentless inflation straining families and Business Owners to the challenge of finding workers in a lagging labor market. Also i had a chance to travel to the eastern part of kentucky where i met with health care and recovery workers in manchester. Tragically, the Substance Abuse crisis has become Even Deadlier in recent years, especially in my home state. So we discussed what were doing to combat it and find ways the federal government can fill the gaps. I also welcomed dr. Rahul gupta, the National Drug czar, back to the commonwealth to hear more about what were doing to fight back against addiction. I look forward to continuing working with dr. Gupta to make kentucky as safe a safe and healthier place. Throughout the month, i was pleased to see over 6 million go towards addressing the Opioid Crisis at home. This federal funding will go a long way in supporting programs that offer a lifeline to countless kentuckians who struggle with Substance Abuse. In bowling green, i met with Community Bankers to discuss what Senate Republicans are doing to put a check on the Biden Administrations reckless spending and regulatory overreach. At the kentucky state fair i had a dons to a chance to indulge in some of the best that the bluegrass has to offer, like the farm bureaus famous ham breakfast. This is the highlight of mine every august, and this year was no exception. I met with farmers from across the state to discuss their priorities and concerns as Congress Takes up the allimportant farm bill. This input will be vital to our work here in the senate in the month ahead. In northern kentucky, i wrapped up the month with local Business Leaders to talk about some of our landmark Infrastructure Investments under way in the state, like overhauling the bridge and revitalizing our river ports and railroads. From rural farm families to businesses of all size, every kentuckian i met voiced the same message theres too much government and too little being done to boost the economy and help everyday people. As the senate gets back to work in washington, ill keep these conversations and concerns in the forefront of my mind. This month, of course, Congress Needs to address our nations most pressing needs with timely appropriations, and we need to keep the lights on from october 1. I pointed out that the new formal they faced. The American People are elected divided government and deunderstand that mad we Work Together on our most basic governings responsibilities. Well, as i reminded our colleagues regularly since then, that meant finding the government through regular funding the government through regular order, then encouraging to its been encouraging to see our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee make serious headway in that direction. Next week well aim to pass the first batch of their work out here on the floor. Ive also made clear that the senates top priority must be keeping the American People safe, and this month well have a chance to do that with supplemental appropriations for Urgent National security and Disaster Relief priorities. We need to continue to invest in americas Defense Industrial base, both to support our partners in todays fight and to help our forces deter tomorrows throats. Threats. As our colleagues from florida and hawaii know all too well, Emergency Personnel are working overtime to help communities shattered by natural disasters over the summer. So the Senate Reconvenes with our work cut out for us and a deadline fast approach. I hope each of our colleagues has returned ready to do their part. Mr. Durbin mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from illinois. Mr. Durbin mr. President , i was here for the presentation by the republican leader, and i am happy that a returned. I told him that its great to see him back and i couldnt wait to disagree with him. And im sure i will have that opportunity in the near the future. Mr. President , i spent the august recess chris crossing the state of illinois. It is a pretty big operation, about 350 miles, a couple hundred miles across. I tried to make a point of not only visited the Population Center chicago and the suburbs around it but to get downstate, too. And my focus downstate was to visit small towns in rural areas and to go to the hospitals and too to sit down with the administrator and ask him what was going on with that local government. You know this from the state utah represent, mr. President. You represent, mr. President. These smalltown hospitals are really the lifetime thor these communities. Theyre great sources of pride and employment. Theyre there for critical medical care and and forbid youd lose one. It real lay is devastating to a community i foundous a found as i sat down with hospital administrators, several messages were clear. We spoke about the struggling rural hospitals and it applies to the hospitals in rural areas as well. Not only lifelines for emergency medical care, they are the backbone of the local economy in these communities. Nationwide, rural hospitals in particular are really struggling. Half operate in the red. Theyre losing money. And more than 300 ai dont say the nation and more than 300 across the nation are at immediate risk of closure. I had a memorable visit to iroquois county, illinois. Those south of chicago, south kankakee. I i went to the hospital thats been there for decades. They religionly worried that they wouldnt be able to keep the lights on. So i would work to help them on something called critical access hospital status under medicare. And several of the Community Leaders when i went there to make the announcement that theyd been approved said we saved the hospital with that common effort. I have a bipartisan bill with senator james lankford. Senator lankford and i as opposite politically as they come in this chamber. He is a republican of oklahoma and very conservative, but he has joined me in extending the lifetime to rural hospitals facing closure. Our bill will create some flexibility around the strict federal definitions that a hospital musting literally 35 miles or more away from others to qualify for payment designation. Senator lankford and i had believe that characteristic of the hospital and its role in the community should also be factors in determining justice i think hope the committee will take this up now and take it seriously. We can save dozens of hospitals nationwide, preserving vital access to patients in rural areas. But my numberone take away from hospitals in the city of chicago is the suburbs and down state was very simple we are facing a during the shortage of Health Care Providers doctors, nurses, dentists, Mental Health providers, emts, and lab techs. We face a shortfall across the country of 120,000 doctors over the next ten years. A recent survey found that 100,000 doctors left the field during the pandemic, and another 800,000 508,000 planning to retire soon. This is particularly dire in rural communities. I do want to give a shout out to Illinois State university located in bloomington normal. They just opened a Nursing School called the men none item school of nursing. It has had a great reputation. It will be a success im sure because we need some desperately. They anticipate graduating over 90 nurses a year. We need them in central illinois. In every single illinois rural county, every one, we face a shortage of medical professionals. For example, Mental Health providers and recovery experts. While there are 90 doctors per 100,000 residents in the urban parts of my state, in Rural Counties we have only 45 physicians for over 1 see,000. Thats 50 . Whats the consequence of this shortage of medical professionals . Its very real and its very personal. Much we have a new mayor in carbondale, illinois. Her name is carolyn harvey. She worked for Southern Illinois university at carbondale for her working life, retired there and then went to work on the city council and became the mayor. I set down with her and said, okay, you have the United States senator sitting in your mayors office, in carbonscaleing e. Illinois. Whats your ask. Everyone has one. Her ask was not for money. It wasnt for anything particularly to the community infrastructures. She said one thing we need dentists for children. Pediatric dentistry. I heard from shawnee health. They treat nearly 50,000 lowincome patients each year. For the record, thats 1,000 a month that they are treating in this clinic. They recently after the pandemic lost 15 oral Health Professionals. They have a waiting list of 1 is 20 children to access dental care. Most of whom are under the age of eight. This means that a 3yearold girl in southern i recall i will who has trouble sleeping because of severe tooth decay has to wait more than one year for treatment. What this treatment consist of at the end of waiting for a year, it consists of going into an operating room in a hospital under general anesthesia and they find a medical professional to extract the bad tooth. Think of the drama. Here is another story they shared with me about pa 4yearold boy who had an abscessed tooth. Ever had a toothache . Need a dentist . Have a kid at home that couldnt sleep because of a toothache . You wont forget it, mom and pop. I dont. Its part of life you hate to go triumphant you have as much pain as they do watching them suffer. Now imagine this. He is four years old. His mother tried for months to get him into a dentist. But he was unable to see someone. The family was from outside the General Service area of carbondale. They had to travel several hours for every appointment. Plus the mother couldnt take time off work to bring her sewn to all the appointments. He boy l. Boy was philly nervous and afraid, as most 4yearolds would be. But he was in pain and he needed help. After the procedure was completed, the young boy began to cry and the dentist asked him whats wrong all the little boy could say was, thank you. Not only was his pain gone but the stressful journeys for his appointments were ending as well. How is this suffering possible in my state of illinois and in this great nation . Well, first, the United States ranks 34th in the world for the number of dentists per capita. 43 reasonable doubt in illinois, ten of our counties have one dentist. In lawrence county, theres only one dentist for 15,000 people. Thats 11 times worse than the national average. These statistics should ring alarm bells in washington. I have he ben in the senate a few years and in congress a few years before thatment. And ive said many times, you got to be careful when i say im going do something about thisment. When i think about that little boy waiting for a year for dental care, its unimaginable to me has father and grandfather. So im challenging myself, the illinois delegation, our federal government, the illinois dental society, andal the elect all elected officials in my state to come together, put politics over here and do something is about dental services. The mayor is right. This is beneath the dignity of the a great nation to have is this sort of thing in our borders. Thankfully there is a federal program that might help. Its called the National Health Service Corps. It is provides scholarships and loan repayments to doctors, nurses, dentists, Mental Health providers who work in areas of need. It is the primary federal program intended to build a pipeline of Health Care Providers and address shortages. I recently met dr. Dana wray, First Generation College graduate and chief medical officer of crossing health indicator. She told me that the only reason she was able to pursue her career was the loan repayment offered by the National Health Service Corps. You see, it of the dos a fortune to go to medical school or dental school. She graduate with debts of 100,000 and up. Then they have to take the job to pay off their loans. Thats obvious. Can they go to the areas of great need . They cant get paid as much there. The National Health Service Corps makes loan forgiveness part of the program. If youll comb to come to a community that needs a doctor, well forgive your loan. Ill make another mention. Senator Marsha Blackburn of he tennessee and i have a bill. It provides up to 50 now in loan forgiveness if you sign up for two years ago. She and i want to added to that and create an incentive for those who would do five years and they would have up to 200,000debt forgiven. Why five years . We happen to believe that dentists and doctors who practice in an area for that time, will develop an attachment toll it, start to think in terms of their family and future there as well. Theyre likely to stay after five years is is over. Another bipartisan bill, senator blackburn is a republican, conservative from tennessee. But we see eye to eye on this. The National Health Service Corps is the strongest program we have in america to tackle the shortage of dentists, doctors, and nurses. The Senate Help Committee is negotiating this program now and i urge my republican colleagues to join democrats and do something. Let me add while were at it, there are many Health Professionals around the world who desperately want to come to the United States. You know who they are. You see them in the hospitals. Theyre foreignborn physicians and medical professionals and nurses who come here and they are that he in their moment of need. We have a promise to do that but it is too small and doesnt allow many to come here and serve as they should. What does it mean to a notforprofit in a rural area to lose nurses . Heres an example i was given. They had four Critical Care newses, two of them nurses. Two an announced they were leaving. Why were they leaving . They would become traveling nurses, go to hospitals around the country and be paid two to three times as much as they were at this hospital. The hospital took a look at it and said if they leave, its going to threaten the future of our emergency room and the future of many of our departments, these Critical Care nurses. They offered them a generous, generous financial incentive to stay and they stayed. The hospital said it was an easy calculation to make. How much more we need to pay in bonuses versus shutting down Critical Care for a year. That is the reality of what hospitals are facing all over the United States. Not just nurses, but many other medical professions. While were at it ill put in a word for the rural e. E. M. S. Agencies e. M. S. Agencies. A few years ago i had a visit from an emergency medical technician. In his county, hancock county, its life and death to get people to nearby hospitals 40 or 50 miles away. He told me about challenges they had with their volunteers by and large running this agency and keeping up with the equipment thats needed to make sure they could save lives. So i joined with thensenator pat roberts of kansas who was the ranking republican on the Senate Foreign ag committee writing the farm bill. I commenced pat roberts to look the other way on the question of jurisdiction and to put this bill that we call the siren act into the bill, into the farm bill as a possible way of helping rural communities. We have now enacted it into law through senator roberts efforts and my own, and we have sent 38 million to Emergency Medical Service agencies across america. This is an equally important part of medical care in our future. Now that senator roberts has retired, senator Susan Collins and i are working on the bill together on a bipartisan bill basis to reauthorize this program. I ask any senator if this is money well spent. Contact your state and ask them what it means. I hope we can pass out of the senate this month. Mr. President , the solutions to many of our pressing Health Care Challenges are at hand. The question is whether we can find a bipartisan commitment to move them forward. After the month of august, i sincerely hope that we can. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. The clerk ms. Baldwin. Quorum call sign up for free, we come out once or twice a week and analyze housesenate editorial elections and handicap longterm historical analysis. If youre interested. I think so, your ship is pretty decent and was not there. The candidate midterm in this particular time we see post whatever trump is part of the conversation and will be president again, who knows . Theres a lot of interest i think and shows them the campaign and these candidates are Republican Voters were not that prior to the debate and post suggest this. Talking about support and how much from the former president. We have other candidates have not found a good way and they are afraid to do so but i think there worried about alienating Trump Supporters but shows a strong if youre in that party and afraid to criticize in a strong way, what is says about your own chance. Recent polls looking at the former president legal trouble, 51 saying is guilty of the case in 2020. How much do you Pay Attention to these things . Its interesting to look at indictments and questions about trump, does it change the numbers . It doesnt seem in a primary sense but general election sense, i do think it is a problem trump is a nominee and we have a situation with biden versus trump again and it is going to be some segment hold a negative view in the case for quentin and trump and both were better in 2020 but there are cross pressures and they dont like other candidates and others will face a difficult decision, both candidates will have the other one to be more present thinking about those and that is what the campaign will be about and trump continuing legal columns make it easier for him so people focus on biden. A rematch in 2016 or could it change flesh. Thats what we are looking at, biden and trump again but things seem so large and you wonder if there will be a curveball because it feels for the other candidates, its a Boring Campaign trump leading most of the time but no longer the case. You get this feeling that one of the candidates will make it but it can show the numbers, they show a rematch. If you want to ask questions, 202 7488000 grade post on our social media sites as well. We talked about other candidates and Chris Christie support the put out an ad featuring the former president mug shot. Well talk about it after. Distractions and lies, for conservatives to win again. Chris christie, former prosecutor convicted child pornographers and corrupt politicians, successful blue state governor. Teachers union and turnaround and democrats to cut taxes real conservative. Kristi tells the truth and will be joe biden easily. Christie has an endorsement of come after dropping out of that race and unite Republican Party behind him. Your directly going out to told what you seek christie registers in hampshires an open primary state and the broader picture. Nikki haley getting news and chromosome are getting news. The polls in New Hampshire came out that have haley making up some ground but trump was that what he seven so thats the story and it was really interesting and mike pence and the back, swarming Vivek Ramaswamy and representing that path and Vivek Ramaswamy like trump. Interesting but trump pulling ahead, how important it really is it . President biden himself when it comes to pulling at the wall street journal which highlights a couple things, many of those responded saying hes too old but also low marks and other things. Theyve been consistent almost two years ago the collapse of the Afghan Government and i dont think they were thinking, not and numbers have been week pretty cents. Pretty reliant on a beautiful republican nominee. Marianne williamson and junior are not threats from but there does seem to be a generic opinion on the republican side that we should nominate somebody else so i imagine the situation this Time Next Year there may be buyers remorse and with think about that with trump but it could be on the democrat side, to because of the indicators bidens in trouble yet not much indication a challenge for renomination. Maybe whoever would follow would but you think about this cycle with clinton or barack obama, they were in a lousy position and they rebounded and biden has some positive things in terms of the economy in his own achievements and is it really buying it and that age problem, hes going to be getting older and not out there on the campaign trail same thing with think barack obama or donald trump would be so we got this situation if it is biden versus trump, you got candidates with liabilities and you think trump is more significant and problematic but not to say biden is in great shape either. Over labor day several visits to pennsylvania, what does that hold . Pennsylvania is the state biden was born in from 2016 to 2020. Its close to delaware geographically. [cheering and applause] 800,000 new manufacturing jobs. But you would not know it from all of the negative news you hear. Getting through one of the greatest in history. For real. That is a fact. Not that long ago we were losing jobs in the country. The guy that held this job before me was just one of two president s in history. There is a point. Two president s at left office with fewer jobs in america that when he got elected office. By the way, you know who the other one was . Herbert hoover appeared look, we are turning things around because of you. When the last guy was here, you are shipping jobs to china. Now we are bringing jobs home from china. When the last guy was here, your pensions were at risk. We help save millions of pensions with your help. When the last guy was here he looked at the world from park avenue. I look at it from delaware. Not a joke. Folks, all my time in Public Office ive been referred to as middleclass joe. Not very complementary i guess. Guess what, that is who i am. On labor day, what do you think about that . It sounds like they give you a speech on labor day 2024. Some of the economic stats i think it is fair to say, horrible generational pandemic that certainly affected the employment picture. You can cherry pick some of those stats. Baseline economic numbers you would look at like Unemployment Rate being pretty good. The public does not necessarily, is not necessarily giving biden credit for that. Their feelings about inflation or whatnot. I do think that it is possible that if there are any more disruptions that the publics perception can sometimes be legging whatever reality of good historical examples of that like a long time ago. Republicans got really crushed in that election. The economy was so bad. Late 1957 early 1958. The trajectory is actually really good. The same thing arguably happened to george h. W. Bush when he lost election and 1982. The Biden Administration for people to feel good about the economy. They dont really feel good about it right now. That changes, maybe it doesnt. Democrats line. Thank you appeared what biden doing as a democrat. We want them to stop spending money on ukraine. Spending all of this time wasting. You know, i respect trump. We go through with. The republican president. Look at the different types of policies imposed. Biden was over the crime bill. He follows the voters. A sense of what the voters wanted. A reflection of the democratic voters. Just take black people and what kind of country this would be. It would be worse than the taliban in afghanistan. If republicans in their base got to impose their policies on the whole United States being religious fanatics. These racist ideas that they have. I like that when trump was in office. He needed to keep some of those people over here and have them come in legally. Okay. Thanks, caller. Being critical of what biden has done in ukraine. After the invasion by russia. You did see that expressed on both the left and right. Sometimes the left and right will make common cause the desire to not be as engaged internationally and also, you know, trump ran as a candidate compared to george w. Bush in the iraq war and the internationalist, you know, warmaking that the Bush Administration engaged in. There was a lot of desire and that appeared amongst republicans and democrats. Where are minorities with President Biden these days . There was some noticeable erosion in 2020. White voters much likely to be republican. Different nuances within that. If you go across the country, places that have a significant number of Asian Americans or latino americans, you can see that in south texas, you can see it in south florida, and pockets all over the country. Biden is the one group that did notably weaker. Staying pretty similar in the midterm. You can see a little bit of change here and there appeared black voters continue to be overwhelmingly democratic. Particularly when you compare it to obama, first black president , he did even better. So it was probably predictable that when obama left that there would be a little bit with black voters. Still, a very overwhelmingly democratic. Joining us from missouri. Republican line. Hi. You are next. Thank you, pedro. How long are you and larry going to suck the money out of the university of virginia when you are wrong about everything. Trump is going to win the election. A list is being made and your name is on it. Kristis name on it. Larrys name on it. A bunch of names will be on it. Those are the ones we are going after. Hold on. Dont appreciate the tone of the talk. We will stop you there. If you want to respond to that. Talking about elections all the time. You will get some things right, you will get some things wrong. We feel good about how we did in 2020. They ended up being topsyturvy like the polls presented. You know, it is what it is. You try the best that you can. Being competitive. Suggesting we are saying trump has no chance. I would never say that. Any Major Party Nominee right now, we are in a very comparative competitive era. A modern blowout. Even obama did not get to the 10point margin in the popular vote which we had in many elections going back in the 20th century. Fdr, ragan, nixon, lbj, we dont even have those kinds of elections these days. It has been so common i think to say trump cannot win. I have been guilty of that in the past. I am certainly not going to express that now, though. These president ial nominees unify their own parties. Biden versus trump, there are weaknesses for both of them. We own ratings. 260 for the democrat, 235 for the republicans. We do not have over 270. A close president ial election. We have four. Arizona, georgia, wisconsin. Less than a point in 2020 and in nevada which biden one by little over two points. The trend lines not great for democrats. It is sort of part of why democrats have been able to hang on in that state. Able to hold onto the senate seat there. The democrats in nevada have had an organizational advantage. If you are winning elections by one, two, three points, it just takes a little bit to shift things the other way. We have pennsylvania, michigan as well as New Hampshire. They are likely republican are likely democratic. We are really just looking at eight states and maybe that is too long of a list. This is from florida. Joe, democrat line. Yes, sir. I agree. You are on with him. Would you like to ask him a question . Im sorry. I mean trump is a traitor. I hope he runs again. But he will lose deeply. I am serious. Many republicans do not want him he is going to lose. He is a con man for god sakes. Even his father put him in military school. Okay. Thanks. Go ahead. This emerging argument how trump is somehow ineligible to become the president ial nominee. His actions around the 2020 election in january 6, 2021. I personally would not feel comfortable asserting. One tricky thing to me legally i am no lawyer, i will not pretend to be. Trump has not yet been convicted of anything that would rise to treason or Something Like that. He would have his day in court. Faced by some pretty serious charges in georgia and federally after what he did in the 2020 election. I do think that there can sometimes be the simples on the left. This argument comes from the right, too. Figuring out a way that they can prevent him from being president again. Ultimately, the voters will have to decide. The one chance you have to do that is if you have been convicted of a second impeachment. There were some republicans are crossed over that were convicted and that, but not enough to actually convict him. As part of that you could have held a simple majority vote to prevent trump from running for office again. Trump is still an active candidate. I think that the voters will often make their determination up or down on him. 4000 for democrats. 8014 republicans. 8002 for independence. Any kind of forecasting when it comes to 2024 . I dont think so. Democratic seed in rhode island. Two seats in rhode island. The other one is actually pretty competitive. It looks like there may be a more progressive candidate who at least going in is favored. They may not have that high of a share of about. In utah it is possible that someone, a republican has been critical of her own party and supported biden in 2020 getting the nomination. Although, again, we dont have great numbers to work off of. Not a whole lot going on in the 2023 election calendar. We do have some governor races coming up in november. In virginia we have legislative races where both chambers are really close. They will be closely monitored as well. Taking a look at their reelection efforts. Wagering that by a prolabor pro populist for workingclass voters who have embraced the former President Donald Trump has propelled the move to the right. We have a piece out of ohio. I am paraphrasing. Ohio, for many decades was the best reflection of national voting. Maybe a little bit of a republican lien. Very often voted for the president ial winner. What we saw in 16 and 2020 was there was a realignment in the state. A rural small town area that is white workingclass areas. They went from being, sort of republican to super republican particularly in eastern ohio. Very strong in the past three u. S. Senate runs. So, there was a ballot issue in ohio last month, republicans put it on the ballot as a way to preempt the abortion vote by raising the threshold to amend the constitution. Voters rejected it pretty strongly a 5743. I think after that both they said maybe ohio is turning back towards democrats a little bit. It is important to remember that issue votes can be more important. The same time that missouri was passing a minimum wage increase by 20 points. Plenty of other examples over time. I do not think it is a president ial battleground. If its not, it then becomes a question of how does he run ahead the nominee in ohio. Five10 points ahead. Be it biden or someone else. He probably can get some crossover although we are in an era where there is a pretty high correlation. You look at the senate map this time. Defending three senators and states that trump one. Ohio is the most competitive. Montana won by double digits in West Virginia by 40 points. So, the Democratic Senators will have to achieve a lot of crossover. Theyve been able to do it in the past. You can find it on the website at political. Calm. The independent line, you are next up. I consider myself to be very independent. I think given if it comes down to trump versus biden i will likely vote for trump. The reasons are the white house is basically i went to the grocery store, 50 worth of groceries with one finger. Across the street gas was 70. The white house to me is out of touch with reality. I think an example of that is when he went to maui. Only stopped in for hours and then he said basically i know how you feel. I do kitchen fire and i almost lost my cat. The white house is so out of touch with the Common People that when they start touting these unemployment numbers, these jobs numbers, they dont know what it feels like to live in the biden economy. I think that it is a failure and that is going to push me to vote for trump. I think with the voter expressed is pretty common to hear about. Whatever they are talking about, does not necessarily match how people feel. You can cite statistics until you are blue in the face. If they feel like they are paying too much for things so they dont feel like the economy is Strong Enough that is their own experience and that will guide them. Again, what the caller expressed is things that ive heard. Describing it as an independent. Leaning towards trump. There will be voters like that that maybe they dont like their options. Maybe they decide they want change just like trump was kind of her by that in 2020. Bidenomics as a key feature of the a reelection campaign. Every administration. If only the people knew how good of a job we were doing they would vote for us. People could agree or disagree with what the reality are. Its easier to think that way. This is more of a pr problem then it is a substantive problem setting aside what people think about that. But, you know, i think it is true that the Biden Administration does not communicate with what it sees as positive spirit again, stories over the weekend. Expressing similar feelings. Talking about how great things are could read hollow with things that are not going that great. Maybe there is downsides even of getting your message out and that sort of way. This is from keith. In indiana, republican line. You are next. Yeah. Good morning. I am just going to be. Blank. I have never been so depressed in my life over a president. I have never been really political. But biden, everything in his name to tear our country apart. From afghanistan to letting china fly a balloon all the way across the United States to boring all the firing all the nurses and doctors that went on covid. Anything and everything he could grab a hold of he will keep us busy where we cannot see all of the crime that he is doing. He is the worst president ever in the history of the world. Donald trump will be the new president. Everybody wakes up every morning and wonders how much longer is this going to go on. Ill tell you, america, please get yourself together and vote for the right man. Thank you all. Expressing some pretty common republican critiques of biden. Art of the challenge for republicans compared to obama or Hilary Clinton was like, biden was not as easy of a target i think initially to sort of get the basics to rally against. I feel like maybe they are sort of getting there. The intensity of republicans is pretty similar to what you would see for a clinton or an obama. Looking at the house, do you see an impeachment of joe biden coming . There is indication that they that that may happen. In terms of what is been released publicly, there does not seem to be quite enough there appeared texas mr. Cornyn i ask the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cornyn following a busy summer in the senate, it was great to spend a little bit of time back home in tngs and for at least a couple of days in the great state of vermont, courtesy of the presiding officers recommendation. I always look forward to the washington break here in washington because it gives me time to travel across my state and to hear from many of the 30 million texans that im honored to represent. I enjoy getting an update from them on whats happening, to hear their concerns, and to talk to them about what im working on. One example of that was the karla walker act. This bill carries the name of a 17yearold texan who was tragically murdered in 1974 and whose case went unsolved for many decades. Nearly five decades. It wasnt until september of 2020 when karlas family finally received the answers that theyd been searching for. Dna evidence was collected at the crime scene, was sent to the state dna testing facility in the woodlands, texas. Now, just a little bit of detail. Traditional dna testing frequently will not tell you everything you need to know about who this is the who the sample is from. But thanks to forensic genetic genealogy or fgg, enhanced dna testing was able to identify karlas killer and justice was served fgg, this enhanced analysis provides answers for countless victims and their families and im working on legislation to make it more widely available when needed, especially for criminal investigations. As this legislation is being worked on, it was great to hear about the usefulness of this dna Testing Technology from Law Enforcement as well as forensic dna experts. I also had the pleasure of meeting karlas family who finally received closure after decades because of this enhanced dna testing process. But its not just the bills that are in the works. I also appreciate the chance to hear firsthand about how the laws that we passed recently are actually being implemented. One great example of this is the chips act. Last week i visited the university of texas at austin for its first annual semiconductor day. The university of texas has built strong partnerships with companies and other academic institutions across the state and the nation and is eager to do its part to help eviet lays americas owe erevitalize Americas Semiconductor industry. Just a refresher, he used to produce about a third of the semiconductors in the world but now thats down to about 10 . 90 of the worlds advanced semiconductors are manufactured in asia and we all can imagine what would happen if because of a natural disaster, heaven forbid another pandemic or invasion by the prc on taiwan, what that would mean to our access to advanced semiconductors, things that power everything from your mobile phone to the joint strike fighter, the fifth generation strike fighter, everything these days requires semiconductors, these microcircuits. The university has launched the Texas Institute for electronics or tie as its called which will support the future of Semiconductor Manufacturing through education, training, and collaboration with industry leaders. The department of commerce staff which is responsible for actually implementing the chips act were there to learn about the incredible Public Private partnerships that are driving the chip industry already forward in texas. This is exactly the kind of collaboration i think we envisioned. Whether i first introduced the chips act more than three years ago together with our colleague senator warner from are virginia and its gratifying to see this vision is becoming a reality in the Lone Star State as im sure it is in other parts of the country. Over the last several weeks, mr. President , i also heard from my states about the many challenges that family and businesses are facing starting with high prices on everything from food to housing, exacerbated by what President Biden calls bidenomics. Like Texas Governor ann richards said in the summer of 1992 at the Democratic National convention, she said, well, you can put lipstick on a hog and call it monique but its still a pig. Nevertheless, ive come back to the senate refreshed and ready to get back to work. So i listened to what the majority leader has said and written about his agenda for this period between now and the end of the month. We face a number of deadlines to fund the government and reauthorize critical federal programs. This year four major deadlines arrived on september 30, just 25 days from now or 16 legislative days. 16 days. Of course, none of these deadlines popped up out of nowhere. Weve had plenty of warning and plenty of time to advance each of these bills. But the Senate Majority leader, the one responsible for the Senate Agenda and who is the only person in the senate who can actually schedule floor action has created this mashup and dysfunction. As it turns out, some of the biggest legislative achievements of the year have actually been led by this side of the aisle by republicans who fought to overturn damaging Biden Administration rules. The senate did pass legislation to raise the debt ceiling and place caps on discretionary spending, but its important to remember that this was a deal cut between the speaker, Speaker Mccarthy, and President Biden. The senate was essentially a bystander. The biggest accomplishment of the year so far has been passing the annual defense bill, not a small thing, but its still a long way from reaching the president s desk. I would say, mr. President , considering the number of mustpass bills still on our agenda for the year, thats an embarrassingly short list of accomplishments. So now we have a lot that needs to be done in the next four weeks, but really i think youd have to ak noblg this sced acknowledge this schedule is designed to fail, designed to fail. One of the biggest tasks we have to complete in that time is to fund the government. And it looks like were in for a bumpy few weeks, but i would hasten to point out this is not a bug but a feature of the majority leaders plan. In other words, it didnt have to be this way. This is all according to Senate Majority leader schumers plan. Why . Well, it maximizes his leverage on the final product to the detriment of every other senator on our side and on yours. Why, senator schumer might ask, would i let 9 other senators participate in the process when i can hold it hostage for my demands . And tubercle, the Senate Appropriations and to be clear, the senate Appropriations Committee has done its job passing 12 bipartisan Appropriations Bills out of committee and they did that before the august recess. You know, when you look at the schedule and what it is that hasnt been done and needs to be done in such a short period of time, it is incredible to me that the Senate Majority leader decided that the senate would be out of session for 40 days 40 days. Thats how long its been since we were here last. Especially with all this work to do. And we would weve not been in session on most mondays recently. So i think the picture of the majority leaders plan is becoming very clear. Partyline disagreements over funding levels are nothing new, but the path to success is especially muddy this year. Several months ago Speaker Mccarthy and President Biden reached a deal that raised the debt ceiling in exchange for deeply needed spending cuts. The National Debt has ballooned to more than 32. 8 trillion. And the American People are unhappy with washingtons outofcontrol spending. Well, thats exactly what the speaker sought to address during the debt ceiling negotiations with the white house this spring. And its no question he made substantial progress toward that goal. He negotiated acrosstheboard spending cuts marking a small but significant step to curb democrats reckless spending habits. Now with the funding deadshrine just three and a half weeks deadshrine just three and a half weeks away, republicans on both sides of the aisle are eager to make good on our progress to return to responsible Government Spending bills. House members are knee deep in discussions over the best way to pursue those spending cuts, and i expect well hear more when the house returns to washington next week. But still that hasnt stopped the majority leader from criticizing them. Just last week he referred to the republicans in the house, their spending cut discussions as political games. Well, if this isnt a game, i dont know what is. Planning for the failure of the appropriations process and trying to jam through a spending bill with 16 legislate of it days left with 16 legislative days left. I suggest to the majority leader, look in the mirror for the identity of the person who has brought to us this point, the one who has been playing the games. As i said, hes already trying to blame republicans in the house for a potential shutdown, and right on cue, the press has start add the drumbeat driving that narrative. Thats all youre going to hear between mind end of the fiscal year, is there going to be a shutdown, is there not going to be a shutdown . All of which is absolutely unnecessary. If the majority leader had used the authority that he has to schedule a vote on 12 Appropriations Bills that we could take up and pass out of the senate, the house could do the same, we could reconcile the differences, and avoid all of this drama a drama. Well, thank goodness our democratic colleagues no longer control all levers of government. Senator schumer and the president now only have some say, not total say, over legislation. With divided government, democrats no longer have the power to jam spending bills through both house of Congress Like they did last year. The American People elected a republican majority in the house, which mass pledged to rein in reckless federal spending. Well, i hope that Speaker Mccarthy will succeed in his efforts this time on appropriations bill. It is nothing unusual for the house and senate to have a different a. Pproach when the top line should be. Its entirely within their authority and their responsibility. But they got to have a dance partner. Senator schumer has got to be willing to edge gauge in a negotiation in good faith, not play these games ages threaten another government shutdown. If New Hampshire schumer wants to avoid a shutdown, he needs to drop the preemptive blame game and actually listen to the concerns of House Republicans on the federal governments outofcontrol spending and then negotiate a compromise. He needs to accept his responsibility. Funding is only one major item on the todo list. Congress also needs to pass a farm bill. As you can see on the list, my state is home to nearly a quarter of a million farms and ranches, more than any other state in the country. One out of every seven work being texans has an a. G. Related job. I had a chance to sit down with some of these constituents in lubbock and hear thousand their lives are affected by the farm bill. It is important to them, which means it is important to me. This legislation is critical to americas supply of food and fiber as well as to the livelihood of the hardworking men and women who grow and produce it. We simply cant let this legislation continue to shift and be delayed. And i know senator boozman sand i suspect senator stabenow are submitted to passings a strong bill that will meet the growing needs of our ag industry. That is on our list, and not going to happen between now and the understand. Month. And then theres reauthorize the federal Aviation Administration. You know, weve all heard news of some of the near misses or collisions of some of the aircraft at our airports which are harrowing to listen to. Those of us especially who do a lot of flying. Its important we update and reauthorize the federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. Over the last couple of years travelers, millions of travelers have dealt with widespread flight cancellations, paralyzing Staff Shortages and rising prices. And as i said, weve witnessed or read about some jarring safety issues including these near collisions on runways in austin where i live, minneapolis and new york. The agency is clearly lacking when it comes to safety, efficiency and reliability and i hope we can address these and other issues with the faa reauthorization. It aint going to happen between now and the end of september when the current authorization expires. Again, this is part of the design, designed to fail to meet our responsibilities to do things like pass the faa reauthorization. I know senator cruz and senator moran are leading the effort on our side of the aisle on the faa reauthorization, and i know theyre committed to helping the agency meet the challenges of tidd and the future. Of today and the future. Im sure chairman cantwell feels exactly the same way. But last and certainly not least, the two chambers need to resolve the differences between the two bills that we passed, our respective versions. National Defense Authorization act, so we can send the final bill to President Biden. Thanks to the hard work of senator reid and senator wicker, a bipartisan effort in the Armed Services committee, the senate bill received an overwhelming vote of support, 8611. It invests in our military bases, our defense stockpiles, our modernization efforts, and of course americas servicemembers. The ndaa is vital to our military readiness, and theres no reason it couldnt be completed before the end of the month. But under Senate Majority leader schumers leadership, the senate has developed a major legislative pileup. If these were cars, this would be a major pileup. The the majority leader has procrastinated when it comes to the senates most important duties. In the next few weeks we need to pass government funning, the farm bill, federal Aviation Administration reauthorization and the final version of the ndaa. These are some of the most fundamental responsibilities of congress. Each of which comes with a clear deadline. Which were preparing to blow through. I am disappointed that were now rushing to complete an Impossible Task of completing all these bills before september 30. Its impossible. Its not are going to happen. And as i said, it didnt have to be this way. And theres only one person with the authority and the responsibility to avoid this situation the senior senator from new york, the Senate Majority leader. Hes the only one who can set the Senate Agenda and move a bill across the floor. The presiding officer and i cant do it as rankingandfile recommends. But the majority leader can and he simply failed to do so o theres a lot riding on the senates productivity this month, and we owe it to the American People 20 do our best to do our best to get the job done with the cards that the majority leader has dealt us. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mrs. Blackburn mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from tennessee. Mrs. Blackburn thank you, mr. President. Over the last few years, we have all witnessed a devastating rise in fentanyl overdoses, and while i have been around tennessee this month and visiting with so many citizens and local elected officials, i have heard a lot about this the and about how tennessee has really not escaped this threat. And in 2021, the latest year for which we have stats, there were over 4,000 tennesseans who lost their lives to fentanyl overdoses. And equally as concerning is the amount of fentanyl that local Law Enforcement is finding. And this is something that very see coming up in routine investigations. They are trying to protect their citizens. Theyre doing all they can. Theyre distributing and using narcan, trying to save precious lives. And they feel like the fentanyl just keeps coming. And there have been several significant seizures in tennessee this year. And just last week, police were chasing down a stolen outofstate car in tiresburg, tennessee. While they were trying to locate the fleeing suspect from that stolen car, they discovered a lunch box that he had dropped. So when they look in the lunchbox, what they found was 750 suspected fentanyl pills, the street value over 14,000. And that is in rural west tennessee, diresburg, tennessee. And Law Enforcement officials in knoxville found thousands of grams of fentanyl in one mans possession. They found it in his car and they found it in his house. In bledsoe county, the task force recovered a thousand pills that were disguised, made to look like oxycodone. Again, rural tennessee. Now, these pills that is were manufactured to look like oxycodone, each contained lethal doses of fentanyl. And we hear these stories popping up all across thetry. But we continue to see these massive amounts that are in seizures, and last year the daisessed more than 58. 3 million fentanyllaced pills and more than 13,000 pounds of fentanyl. And this constitutes 388 million lethal doses much fentanyl. This year Border Agents intersettlemented over 22,000 pounds of fentanyl, more than double what they seized during the same time period last year. And that was just what they managed to catch. Now, mr. President , think about what is coming in with the gotaways. These are the people the Border Agents can see on surveillance video, but they cannot get to them. The stats ive just given you are what they are seizing, but think about what they dont apprehend. And what is coming in with these cartels. And coming in with the gotaways. And we have to realize that fentanyl is so deadly, the equivalent of four grains of sand can kill you. Thats how deadly it is. And as a mom, as a grandmom, to hear these stories, it is just absolutely heartbreaking of lives that are lost. Fentanyl is now the numberone killer of americans age 18 to 45. This is something that needs our attention. When i was over in chattanooga, they were telling me the story about a 2yearold who died. And when the medical examiner was doing the report, the autopsy, lethal amount of fentanyl is what he found in this babys system. These parents were charged with murder and the prosecutor suggested the parents knowingly exposed their kids to large amounts of drugs in their home. A 2yearold. In august, i had the opportunity to meet with local leaders in Fayette County, and they told me another heartbreaking story of a mother and her 4monthold child. This is another rural tennessee county. And when they did the test, the mother and the baby tested positive for fentanyl. At the Fayette County roundtable, i also learned about new measures that the School Superintendent and the Sheriffs Department have implemented following the tragic death of two teenage girls. They were age 16 and 17, and they were found dead in the School Parking lot in summerville after overdosing from a drug combination believed to include fentanyl. Now there was a third teenager involved in this incident. That teen survived. She was found unconscious, and Law Enforcement charged her with both seconddegree murder and possession of a controlled substance. So we see what is happening. We know how this is coming across that border. And people are saying weve got to do something about this. Now in tennessee, local Law Enforcement agencies, local elected officials are stepping up. And Fayette County, that i just mentioned, mayor skip taylor is starting a new program, drugfree fayette, and he has based this on a successful model that another county mayor, mayor huffman over in Tipton County, has started. Because theyve decided if that border is going to be left wide open and this is coming in here, steps have to be taken to protect their citizens. Now what they are doing is establishing programs that are going into the schools, going into Elementary School grades, high school, middle school, and educating about the dangers of drugs like fengt and like like fentanyl and like xyelexene. For example, when the new School Semester began last year, the Summerville Police department worked with the Fayette County schools, and what they did was to implement a new dare program so that youve got somebody there in those schools with those kids, establishing that relationship, helping to educate them and pushing back on what these kids are seeing on social media, what they are hearing from gangs and different individuals trying to tempt them. Now local Law Enforcement officers are receiving training that is necessary to work with kids and teens in the schools. They are pushing forward with that to get their officers trained. And the officers i heard from report that kids are beginning to bring some drugs to school from the community and from their home. This is when the training is important. This is why these programs like theyre implementing in fayette and Tipton County are so important. Educate the kids, make certain the community is aware, make certain the officers have the education that is necessary so that we are all doing everything we can to save these lives. Now we all know weve talked a good bit about these cartels over the last several months, and it was so interesting to me as i was across the state to hear local Law Enforcement talk about the cartels and how active they are in our state. Its why every state is a border state, every town is a border town now, mr. President. And what we see happening is that the cartels have linked up with some of the scientists in the labs in china where they create these precursor chemicals. Then theyre sending it into mexico. The cartels have labs, and this is where youre getting the fentanyllaced gummies, youre getting the pills pressed to look like oxycodone. All the manufacturing is there. I had one sheriff tell me he just assumed everything was laced with fentanyl, because he said youll get marijuana, youll get gummies, youll get pills, youll get all these different things, but what they really are is laced with fentanyl. All of this is ending up in our backyard, but its also ending up on social media. I found it so interesting as i was doing some work with our counties and focusing on this issue, we found out that as high as 36 of fentanyl cases think about this number when you think about across our country. 36 of the fentanyl cases are linked to social media. This is where kids have met a drug dealer. Maybe it was snapchat or facebook or messenger or instagram and tiktok. 36 . These stats have made a few things very clear. The fentanyl crisis is real. It is killing americans. It is killing tennesseans. And it is our duty as sworn representatives to do something about this. Here in the senate weve already begun this work, and i want to encourage my colleagues who have not signed on to a few bills to get on board, and lets give this crisis the attention that it deserves. Now tim scott had a bill. I joined him last june when he introduced this, the fend off fentanyl act. Recently the Senate Passed that as a part of our Defense Authorization act. This bill takes a very important step, because it would declare the international fentanyl trafficking cartels and the trafficking of fentanyl a national emergency. And it also would direct the Treasury Department to target sanction and block the Financial Assets of these transnational criminal organizations, like those in china and mexico, that are pushing this product forward. I also joined senator rubio in introducing the felony murder for deadly fentanyl distribution act, which would add the distribution of fentanyl, resulting in death to the list of crimes that are eligible to be charged as felony murder. But given the significant role that illegal immigration has played in the fentanyl epidemic, its clear that we also need to go right to the source. The fentanyl Public Health emergency and Overdose Prevention act a good bill that is just plain common sense it gives the department of Homeland Security authority similar to that under title 42 to expedite the removal of Illegal Immigrants in response to the Public Health emergency that fentanyl poses to our country. If youre going to carry this distributed, push it, then you are not going to come in this country. Now all of these are pieces of legislation that make a difference. What we see happening in counties in tennessee where local Law Enforcement, local elected officials, local School Superintendents and directors of schools are coming together and saying weve got to get to work on this issue. They are all steps. What we have to do is have this administration, the Biden Administration, stop burying their head in the sand on this issue. They can no longer ignore the influx of drugs coming in to this country over that open southern border. We have to make certain that the border is secured and the resources are there to address the fentanyl crisis. I yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. The clerk ms. Baldwin. Quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from louisiana. Mr. Casey are we in a quorum . The presiding officer we are. A senator today ive introduced the Congressional Review Act, a ruse liewtion of disapproval to overturn the Biden Administration income driven repayment scheme. Just like the Student Loan Debt cancellation scheme overturned by the Supreme Court, this policy does not forgive debt. It transfers the burden of almost 560 billion until federal Student Loans from those who willingly took out the loans for college to make more money when they graduated to americans who never attended college or who have already fulfilled their commitment to pail off their loans. Mr. Casey under this rule, a majority of bachelor degree student loan borrowers will not be expected to even pay back the principal. Weve moved beyond forgiving the interest and we now are not even asking them to pay back the principal. Additionally, 91 of new Student Loan Debt would be eligible for reduced payments, subsidized by taxpayers. These policies are as unfair as they are irresponsible. Where is the forgiveness for the guy who didnt go to college but is working to pay off the loan on the truck that he takes to work. What about the woman who paid off her Student Loans but now struggles to pay her utilities or her mortgage . Is the administration providing them relief . Of course not. Instead, the administration would have them not only pay their bills, but the bills of those who decide to go to college in order to get a degree to make more money. The resolution prevents average americans, 80 of whom have no Student Loans, from being stuck with a policy that the administration is pushing not to be fair to all, but rather to favor a few. The Supreme Court established the president does not have the authority to cancel hundreds of billions in Student Loans without direct consent from congress. It is clear that President Biden is trying to redirect the false promise ms he never had the promises he never had a right to make. It doesnt hold colleges or University Accountable for rising costs. According to the College Board in the last 30 years, tuition and fees have jumped by nonprofit colleges 80 and forprofit p jumped 124 . The bierntion does not address the Biden Administration does not address the underlying problems. We cannot spend our way out of the problem of everincreasing costs of higher education. We need real solutions. Thats why my colleagues and i introduced the lower education cost and debt act which addresses the issues driven by skyrocketing costs of higher education. Our legislation puts downward pressure on tuition, empowering students to make educational decisions to have them academically and financially. Students can navigate the student loan process without confusion. Unlike President Bidens student loan scheme, these are Commonsense Solutions that actually address root causes of student loan crisis. In fact, some of the bills included in the package already have strong bipartisan support. President bidens student loan scheme is not a fix, its merely a bandaid forcing taxpayers to shoulder the responsibility of paying off someone elses debt. We need strong leadership. President bidens failure to address rising tuition costs wont hurt the rich, only the middle and lower inform income lowerincome americans who will be forced to take out more loans to get an education. Ill close by urging all of my colleagues to support my Congressional Review Act resolution to prevent President Bidens reckless student loan scheme and work on solutions to tackle the rising costs for students. If we dont act, students will continue to drown in debt. I ask that my next statement be entered into the record as a second statement. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. President , today marks 175 days since julie sus nomination was officially transmitted to the senate. This is the longest a cabinet nominee has wade for a floor waited for a floor vote. Under the federal vacancy reform act, an individual can only perform the role of a cabinetlevel position without Senate Confirmation for 107 days 207 days. It was created to require the consent of the senate. Su was and you of unable to get the votes needed for confirmation. Instead of rejecting the nomination, the Biden Administration is attempting to circumvent congress and the constitution to invoke department of labors succession act, which they claim allows them to have ms. Su serve as acting secretary of labor indefinitely even though lacking the votes for confirmation. This is unacceptable. Not only is this use of the department of labor succession statute a violence of the advice and Consent Division of the constitution, which should offend both democrats and republicans as the president attempts to you surp the role of u surp the role of the legislation. Major business groups indicated they are prepared to bring legal action against the department of labor if a rule on independent contractors is finalized while ms. Su remains acting secretary. That is why im introducing legislation that will prevent ms. Su from acting as secretary of labor. This underlines the succession clause to prevent ensuring that the senates role of advice and consent. Ms. Su has received the secretary of labor needs to act impartially, effectively manage a large organization, and successfully handle labor negotiations. Unfortunately, weve not seen much evidence of ms. Sus ability to do any of these three. Ms. Sus has a decades long record of partisan activism and promoting policies that undermine workers to the benefit of politically connected labor unions, ms. Su was a chief enforcer of av5, a controversial law dismantling the gig economy used by uber, door dash and lyft. Even in california ab5 is unpopular. The state legislature had to pass over 100 exemptions. The exemptions are longer than the text of the bill itself. 59 of californians voted to further ee rollcall vote the bill which erode the bill further which was challenged in court. As acting and secretary of labor, she would oversee the new regulation strip 21 stripping 21 million individuals to be independent contractors. As i said before, a law rejected in california is not a policy to spread across the nation. There are concerns about her ability to manage an agency. The California Labor and workforce eanl lost agency lost 1 billion to unemployment fraud under her watch. Despite repeated warnings, she chose the safeguards recorded by the u. S. Department of labor. This was confirmed by the California Office of the inspector general. Lastly, there are 150 laish contracts expiring this labor contracts expiring this year when labor disputes are not handled properly there can be Economic Impacts worsening the inflation that is already too bad. President biden has sidelined ms. Su in the United Auto Workers dispute suggesting that she is not up to the task. He has asked Gene Sperling to handle such an important issue. We we shouldnt have a labor secretary that the president ends up outsourcing her job to others. The president should not be allowed to bypass the will of congress. It is unacceptable and another example of weak leadership from this administration. As a republican, i dont expect to agree with the political positions of a biden nominee, but i will remind my colleagues that former secretary marty walsh received strong bipartisan support for his unquestionable unquestionable experience of handling negotiations. He worked to develop trust from both labor unions and the business community. However ms. Su does not appear to be in that mold. And she has not received the votes necessary for confirmation even when the president s party is in the majority. I urge President Biden to withdraw ms. Sus nomination and put forward a nominee committed to fair enforcement of our nations labor laws. Mr. President , i ask that this statement also be entered into the record as a separate statement. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. President , last week President Biden announced the first ten medications that would be subject to medicare price negotiations. I chucking when i say negotiations. Chuckle when i say negotiations. It reminds me out of something out of the godfather. The negotiationses are a sham. Negotiations are a sham. A negotiation in which a company, if they dont accept the governments offer have to pay a 95 excise tax on profits is not a genuine negotiation. To quote the godfather, its an offer they cant refuse. Its the price equivalent of waking up with a dead horse head in your bed. As Ranking Member of the health, education, labor and pensions, i have serious concerns about the impact this policy could have on our nations effort to develop innovative lifesaving treatments that americans need. The presiding officer is from massachusetts. I was in massachusetts visiting with small biotech firms. And they said, yes, there is a biotech exemption, but theres no way for them to go from being a small biotech to being a large biotech under the ira. When they are subject to the negotiations where you get 95 of your profit taken if you dont agree to the, quote, negotiation, they will not have the working capital to invest in another project. When this happens, theyll be taken over by some big company. Losing that innovation, losing that spark that has made massachusetts such a hotbed for innovation, but generating products which have benefited patients all over the world. It begs the question, when government ed wields a heavy hand, what is the cost for a future cure for cancer, dementia or some other disease incurable and any other terrible condition that a patient would have . As a physician, who happens to be a senator, i regularly come across folks who wish to share with me their medical history. Not as a kind of, oh, let me tell you about myself, but as a plea for help for themselves and all those whom they represent. They know they represent others. And the innovation and the u. S. Biotech and the u. S. Pharmaceutical industry is their lifeline. It may not help them, but they want to help someone else. And theres a community of those who have an illness and they say, working capital will be taken away because the negotiation is a 95 excise tax. The negative effect of this will force some companies to cut programs researching small molecule drugs, shift funding away from diseases with small populationings and do other things that populations and do other things that would help those who would not have help. Because of the ira, the investments we make in basic science will have less value for patients if those discoveries dont translate into new products for that young person with a rare disease. Research decisions should be driven by evidence and what is best for patients, not topdown price controls. The dynamic, small, and Medium Sized Companies will bear the brunt of this democrat with a large d policy. Ill say one more thing. That Small Company trying to become a medial size company and not able to capitalize will be bought by big pharma. Big pharma gets bigger, but that does not match those of the small and medium and there is something being lost here. Instead of partisan price controls, we should have Bipartisan Solutions that lower drug costs so that americans have access to the best possible treatments. There was an cam many of that which passed on a bipartisan basis in the Previous Congress when republicans when republicans controlled the Senate Finance committee. But that was not what was considered this time. With that, mr. President , i will welcome back the leader mcconnell will speak after me on the floor. Mr. President let me begin by welcoming all of our senators back from the august work period. August was a busy month for all of us back home, time to listen to constituents about whats on their mind like lowering costs and increasing paychecks. It was also time for reprint cuttings groundbreaking set the historic investments the democrats made came to fruition and of course it was a time to prepare for the very busy month in front of us. Under implementation side august was a month of action, groundbreaking, celebrating new factories and new goodpaying jobs that will stick around for a long time. When parents see his or her son or daughter get these jobs they know theyll be around for a long time and wont be gone in two or three years. Its a great sense for optimism in the future of america and it was nice to see Speaker Mccarthy in my home state of new york celebrating the new job secured by democrats when he visited last month. Ive been there many times to. In fact it was from my own visit their and to other Companies Across new york that i saw firsthand the opportunity to invest in Companies Like this by buying america added to the legislation and help to shape the Inflation Reduction Act. As the speakers saw with his own eyes democrats and vestments are already bearing. Call. I know how this place works. Thank you. Yesterday, mr. President , we celebrated labor day, a day when americans come together to honor all the people who make this country work. I know the presiding officer, the junior senator from massachusetts, is one of the strongest supporters, not just of labor day but for the Labor Movement behind labor day. Whether you punch a clock, swipe a badge or earn a salary or make tips, whether youre caring for children or an aging parent, all work has dignity. For too many americans, we know hard work simply hasnt paid off the way that it should. Were working to change that. Were making real progress. Were taking historic steps to put workers first, to invest in American Workers, and to make our economy work for every american, not just ceos, not just wall street. Just last week the department of labor proposed a new rule to make millions, millions of workers eligible for overtime pay. Weve been working on this for years. If you put in extra hours, you should be paid for those extra hours. It will put money in ohioans pockets, more than a hundred thousand, more than a hundred thousand ohio workers will finally receiver the overtime pay receive the overtime pay when they put in overtime work. Imagine that they havent but they havent the way this congress and former president s have let this happen. Long time coming, the fight is not over. We need to pass my restoring overtime pay act to provide that workers financial to provide workers Financial Security by ensuring that overtime pay is permanently protected regardless of who is in the white house. The important step forward comes after we pass the most pro worker infrastructure bill in history with the strongest buy america provisions in history. It means more opportunities for workers in the trades all over ohio, repairing roads, laying broadband cable, replacing led pipes, building bridges, fixing water systems, more work for american factories making the goods used to build our infrastructure. We passed the chips act to bring our supply chains home, ensure the technology of the future is made in america. It provides protection meaning they get union wages and Union Benefits for the workers creating these stateoftheart factories like the one in Lincoln County, ohio, just east of columbus. We passed the Inflation Reduction Act with prevailing wage and strong buy america rules. These are big for workers. The biggest wins and most frequent wins for workers weve seen in a generation. The biggest steps weve taken in decades to create an industrial policy that puts our most valuable resources, American Workers first. Companies that recognize its workers who drive their success are the ones that will lead their industries into the future. Whether its Lincoln County where intel and project Labor Agreement with the trades, something we insisted on in this body. Or outside of toledo in Fulton County where art solar is building a solar farm with Union Workers or raising wages by 25 after we pushed toen gauge in the workers to engage in the workers union. I was talking with those workers at uaw local 1112. Theres a lot 6 history in that lot of history in that building. The pictures tell the story. The decades the workers spent building the industry, building the middle class. They tell the story of politicians who sold out ohio workers to corporations that wanted cheap labor. You see the last chevy cruise sign on the wall. But workers are resilient. Many of the workers i talked with last week work at the old chevy plant. Now theyre making the batteries that will power the next jerch ration of generation of cars and trucks. They are ready to lead the future. They just need protections on the job. The g. M. Crea company formed into a Company Called ultum, they need to enter into a fair contract that will be the Gold Standard and template for all contracts. That means honoring the uaw master agreement. A union card means higher wages, better benefits. It means greater Retirement Security. It means safer workplaces and more control over your schedule. It means a middleclass life. My wife at the inning of 16 growing up in the far Northeast Corner of ohio in ashtabula, at the age of 16 she had an asthma attack. Her dads union card allowed her to have an plans take her to the Cleveland Clinic for two weeks, about an hour drive. Without that union card she probably would have died. He was a utility worker and carried that union card for 35 years. We shouldnt have to settle for less. We lay down a new marker of the jobs of the future should be good paying union jobs. Jobs where you build a life and a career and see a future. For too long we havent had enough of those opportunities. Last week i joined the Building Futures in columbus for the graduation of their seventh class. Nothing quite like it. Theyre making more training programs, more apprenticeships, more opportunities to get people of all ages to fall in the trades. Most were Columbus City school graduates. A few of them had Union Members in their families. Few of them had the kind of opportunity a union card brings. These apprentice programs means upon their graduation from this program, they will be able to become a brick layer or insulator or a mill right or a car ten terror plumber, a pipe fitter or operating engineer. It means good paid skilled union jobs are accessible to everyone and they look like america. Of course we know what workers are up against when they organize. Corporations unleash all their power to fight their own workers too often illegally. Thats why i will never stop fighting as i know the presiding officer is to pass the protecting the right to organize act. We honor the workers this week who b. The country and the progress who built the country and the progress weve made. I wear on my lapel a depiction of a canary in the cage, the mine workers 120 years ago took a canary down to the mines. If the canary died, the mine worker got out of the mines. They didnt have a union in those days Strong Enough or a government who cared enough to protect them. And look what weve done since then. This was given to me by a steel worker. Look what weve done since then. We passed child labor laws, collective bargain laws, passed Social Security and medicare and all the ciens of things that have made middle class workers, giving them the opportunity we should have as a country. This week we hon oar and celebrate that proud tradition. We recommit to fighting for the dignity of work, whether its the pro act, whether its the passing the Railway Safety act, whether its standing with workers in the picket lines. When work has dignity, every american is paid the living wage theyve urged. Just this week a group of us took on, if you will, in a labor dispute, workers were about to strike, workers were on the picket line, hospital workers, mostly lowpaid workers, not offered much from their employer, their big cleveland hospital. They came to an agreement in part because of public pressure, in part because theres a strong organized union, organized labor at the bargaining table. When workers have dignity, workers have Retirement Security and paid leave and power over their schedules and their lives. When you love this country, you fight for the people who make it work. Thats what lake day is about. Thats what organized labor is all labor day is about. Thats what okayed labor is all about. I ask for the following remarks be put in a separate place in the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Brown thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , i urge my colleagues to join me in confirming Philip Jefferson as vice chair of the Federal Reserve, lisa cak and Adriana Kugler to be board of governors to the Federal Reserve system. The senate will be voting on dr. Cook and dr. Kuglers nomination in the next few days. These three nominees are talented economists, dedicated public servants. They are historic nominees who will bring diverse perspectives to the fed. If confirmed our board of governors will better reflect the country and the people who make it work. Our economy works better when we have people from diverse backgrounds, people who brif new ideas and different perspectives, not just the same old wall street corporate consensus. Dr. Philip jefferson is a respected economist whose nomination no vice chair came out of our committee, the committee i chair, banking and urban banking, housing, urban affairs with unanimous support. When he was first confirmed last year, he had wide bipartisan support in the senate. Dr. Jefferson brings to the fed outstanding academic credentials, years of strong leadership experience. Hes a renowned scholar and leading expert in Monetary Policy and economics of poverty. Dr. Jefferson possesses a strong economically possesses a strong understanding of how lier prices hurt the most economically insecure americans and that access to good paying jobs is the best antidote to poverty. He will be the second black man to serve in the board of governors. Dr. Lisa cook is a well qualified economist who served with distinction since filling a vacancy last year on the bored of boofers governors. They brings a breadth of experience in banking and financial crises. Her experience in internationally economics has immense value as we continue in our economic recovery amidst global inflation. Prior to joining global inflation thats higher in most of the rest of the world than it is here. Prior to joining the fed, dr. Cook taught economies and International Relations at the Kennedy School of government at Michigan State university. During the Obama Administration she served as an economic adviser. Under the administration, of both president s bush and obama. She grew up in the south. She worked in the industrial midwest, a state just north of mine, mitch began. She understands the vital role that workers and local communities play in building a strong economy. I have faith in her judgment to set Monetary Policy that grows our economy from the middle out and bottom up. Last year her character was attacked. Her credentials were questioned. It was underhanded, unfair attack on an eminently qualified woman of color. Shes overwhelmingly proved her nay sayers wrong. She is data driven focused to policymaking. I want to thank senator rounds of south south dakota dak for hn mindesness. He listened to her answers, looked at her record and enthusiastically supported her. I wish all of my colleagues into do that. She be the first black woman confirmed to the Federal Reserve board, first time first in over a hundred years. It was started in 1913, never been an African American woman thats been reconfirmed. She will be the first. Last, mr. President , dr. Adriana kugler is the nations labor economists, top labor economist with an impressive government with academic service. Shes unquestionably qualified. She possesses bipartisan support from Top Economists and civil rights organizations. She serve as executive director of the world bank. She was confirmed via unanimous vote in the u. S. Senate for that job. She has played a Critical Role in the Global Economic recovery. She was an economist at the department of labor and taught economics and Public Policy at georgetown. First generation american, the daughter of columbian immigrants. She has firsthand knowledge of runaway prices and limited employment opportunities. During her hearing, her nomination hearing testimony, she shared how witnessing adversity and poverty in the country she was born in deepened her understanding of the need for fighting inflation and promoting full employment. Shell be the first hispanic american to serve in the board of governors, again in the history of the Federal Reserve beginning in 1913. Her confirmation will be a critical step forward in bringing more diverse perspectives to our nations central bank, not just diversity in the way these nominees look, but diversity in the way they think, something we simply have not seen much of in the kind of elitist institutions like the board of governors, the Federal Reserve. I strongly urge my colleagues in joining me in supporting dr. Jefferson, dr. Cook and kuglers nomination so we could have all seven seats filled with qualified experts helping in our economic recovery. I spoke to Jerome Powell about this and other things. We discussed how important it is that the fed have all seven spots on the Federal Reserve confirmed. Its been a long time since weve done that. This week is our opportunity. I ask my colleagues to move forward on these nominations, and i yield the floor. The presiding officer the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. The clerk cloture motion we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 256, Philip Nathan jefferson of North Carolina to be vice chairman of the 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 Philip Nathan jefferson of North Carolina to be vice chairman of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve system shall be brought to a close. The yeas and nays are manned trid under the rule. Are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll. Vote ms. Baldwin, mr. Barrasso, mr. Bennet, mrs. Blackburn, mr. Blumenthal, mr. Booker, mr. Boozman, mr. Braun, mrs. Britt, mr. Brown, the clerk mr. Budd, ms. Cantwell, mrs. Capito, the clerk mr. Cardin, mr. Carper, mr. Casey, mr. Cassidy, the clerk ms. Collins, mr. Coons, mr. Cornyn, the clerk ms. Cortez masto, mr. Cotton, the clerk mr. Cramer, mr. Crapo, mr. Cruz, mr. Daines, ms. Duckworth, mr. Durbin, ms. Ernst, mrs. Feinstein, mr. Fetterman, mrs. Fischer, mrs. Gillibrand, mr. Graham, mr. Grassley, mr. Hagerty, ms. Hassan, mr. Hawley, the clerk mr. Heinrich, mr. Hickenlooper, ms. Hirono, mr. Hoeven, mrs. Hydesmith, mr. Johnson, mr. Kaine, mr. Kelly, mr. Kennedy, mr. King, ms. Klobuchar, the clerk mr. Lankford, mr. Lee, mr. Lujan, ms. Lummis, mr. Manchin, mr. Markey, mr. Marshall, mr. Mcconnell, mr. Menendez, mr. Merkley, mr. Moran, mr. Mullin, ms. Murkowski, the clerk mr. Murphy, mrs. Murray, mr. Ossoff, mr. Padilla, mr. Paul, mr. Peters, mr. Reed, mr. Ricketts, mr. Risch, mr. Romney, ms. Rosen, mr. Rounds, mr. Rubio, the clerk mr. Sanders, mr. Schatz, mr. Schmitt, mr. Schumer, mr. Scott of florida, mr. Scott of south carolina, mrs. Shaheen, ms. Sinema, ms. Smith, ms. Stabenow, mr. Sullivan, mr. Tester, mr. Thune, mr. Tillis, mr. Tuberville, mr. Van hollen, mr. Vance, mr. Warner, mr. Warnock, ms. Warren, mr. Welch, mr. Whitehouse, mr. Wicker, mr. Wyden, mr. Young. The clerk senators voting in the affirmative bozeman, brown, cantwell, cassidy, cot continue, duckworth duckworth, brand, markey, reid, ricketts, tester, vance, welch. Senators voting in the negative , paul, sullivan. Ms. Collins, aye. Mr. Warner, aye. Mr. Lujan, aye. Mr. Peters, aye. The clerk mr. Hagerty, aye. The clerk mr. Ossoff, aye. Mrs. Shaheen, aye. Mr. Carper, aye. The clerk mrs. Feinstein, aye. The clerk mr. Romney, aye. The clerk mr. Schatz, aye. The clerk mrs. Blackburn, aye. Mr. Moran, aye. Mr. Lee, no. Mr. Padilla, aye. The clerk mr. Bennet, aye. Mr. Scott of florida, no. The clerk mr. Fetterman, aye. The clerk mr. Sanders, aye. The clerk mr. Rounds, aye. Mr. Durbin, aye. The clerk mr. Wicker, aye. Mr. Merkley, aye. Ms. Cortez masto, aye. Mrs. Fischer, aye. Mrs. Britt, aye. Mr. Cornyn, aye. Mr. Grassley, aye. Mr. Thune, aye. Mrs. Capito, aye. Ms. Warren, aye. Ms. Stabenow, aye, ms. Ernst, aye. Mr. Tillis, aye. Mr. Budd, aye. The clerk mr. Daines, aye. Mr. Lankford, no. Mr. Schmitt, no. Mr. Van hollen, aye. Mr. King, aye. The clerk mr. Wyden, aye. Ms. Lummis, no. Ms. Hirono, aye. Mr. Tuberville, no. Mr. Rubio, aye. Mr. Kelly, aye. The clerk mr. Cramer, aye. The clerk mr. Braun, no. The clerk mr. Murphy, aye. Ms. Hassan, aye. Mr. Kennedy, aye u ms. Klobuchar, aye. Mr. Crapo, aye. Mr. Warnock, aye. The clerk mr. Casey, aye. The clerk mr. Barrasso, aye. Ms. Smith, aye. The clerk mr. Mcconnell, aye. Mr. Marshall, aye. The clerk mr. Young, aye. The clerk mr. Menendez, aye. Mr. Mullin, yea. Vote the clerk mr. Coons, aye. Mr. Johnson, aye. Mr. Cruz, aye. The clerk mr. Hickenlooper, aye. The clerk ms. Rosen, aye. The clerk mr. Blumenthal, aye. The clerk mr. Manchin, aye. The clerk mr. Heinrich, aye. The clerk mr. Hawley, no. The clerk mr. Schumer, aye. The presiding officer the yeas are 83, the nays are 10. The motion is agreed to. Mr. Schatz mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from hawaii. Mr. Schatz mr. President , last month, on august 8, people on maui experienced one of the worst days of their lives. What started as a bright, sunny, windy summer day turned into a long, hellish nightmare as wildfires burned down the town of lahaina. There was little sign of the tragedy to come. People showed up to work as usual, children enjoyed their summer vacation, tourists stroald down front street, snorkling charters set out for the day, surfers hit the waves. All of that changed in an instant. By now, people around the world have seen the photos and the video from that horrific day. But the devastation up close, on the ground, is even more chilling. Its unlike anything ive ever seen. Whole neighborhoods leveled. Piles of ash and debris sit where homes once stood. Hollowedout cars, burnt to a crisp, cover the streets. To date 115 people have been declared dead and many more are still missing. For a tightknit Community Like lahaina where everyone knows each other, these losses are crushing. They were mothers and fathers, aunties and uncles, friends and neighbors, kids as young as 7 and seniors who couldnt escape in time. We mourn every one of them and the lives they lived and would have gone on to live. Even for those who were lucky enough to survive, their lives will never be the same again. They are grieving the loss of their family and their friends and confronting the loss of their homes and their livelihoods. Theyre wondering where their kids will go to school and how theyll get health care. Those who still have jobs are trying to figure out how to get to them without their car. The people of maui have had their lives turned upside down, and it will be years before their lives return to some semblance of normalcy again. To understand the scale of this tragedy and how it happened, we need to go back to the beginning because what happened in lahaina on that day was not normal. Hawaii is no stranger to natural disasters. Weve seen floods and weve seen hurricanes, tsunamis and value cantic volcanic eruptions, even smallscale wildfires, but nothing like this. The conditions for a disaster had been slowly building. Over the past several decades, lahainas old sugar plantation land had been replaced by dry, invasive grass that was prone to fires. And as the area got hotter and saw less rain, the grass dried up even more. The air got drier too. Under normal circumstances, these conditions are manageable. But the final piece of this awfully perfect storm came from hundreds of miles away. Usually in hawaii when the public is told that a hurricane is passing to the south and we wont get any rain, were grateful to avoid the direct hit. No rain, just heavy winds. A good outcome. But Hurricane Dora was different. Without making landfall or producing a single drop of rain, it whipped up the powerful winds that spread the deadly fire. Flames barreled down the hillside and crossed the highway and plowed into town fueled by 70 Miles Per Hour winds. With that kind of force, it only needed an hour or two to decimate lahaina town. The winds left the Fire Department without a critical tool helicopters to fight the fires from the air. So all they had were the standard fire trucks and water hoses, but this was a whole town on fire. Not a block, not a home. That wasnt going to cut it. The fire spewed ash and embers p in every direction. The afternoon skies darkened until they were pitchblack. The air was heavy with thick smoke. Cars exploded, power lines fell, engine blocks melt the and homes were ripped apart. People were not prepared for this, because no one watching a fire a mile and a half away from their home thinks its going to reach their streets. And worse, that it could happen in 10 or 15 minutes. For those of us who werent there in that hour of panic and chaos, it is hard to fully understand the kind of splitsecond decision that people were forced to make. Many grabbed their kids, their pets, whatever they could physically carry and took off. It was the last time they saw their homes. In a race against the fires, some of them jumped in their cars to get out of town, but the one road out of lahaina was blocked because of downed power lines. So hundreds of cars piled up bumper to bumper on the streets with nowhere to go. Many people abandoned their cars to escape on foot. Others didnt make it. An entire family and a man tried to protect his dog died in their cars. Dozens of people jumped into the ocean to escape the flames. They stayed for hours struggling to breathe through plumes of smoke. Others were crouched by the seawall using wet blankets to shield themselves from flying embers. People didnt know how long they would be there or if they would be rescued at all. But many found help in strangers and even people like benny renekey, who saw an elderly woman unable to cross the seawall and he carried her on his back. He stayed with her and her daughter in the water for hours and hours. Or juvie bedoya who found a family of seven from california on the shore line and carried their 2yearold on his shoulder for hours in the water as they floated on a piece of plywood. They were among the 17 people that the coast guard rescued that night. All across town heroic First Responders put their own lives on the line to fight the inferno and bring people to safety. 18 firefighters lost their own homes while they were fighting the fires. And in the weeks since, they have worked around the clock to contain fires across maui. We cant thank them enough. But even a thank you from me or anyone else feels inadequate. They didnt do it for us. They did it for each other. They are fighting for their friends, for their family, for their neighbors, for their town. Rescue teams have worked day and night to search for remains and identify victims using dna evidence. Its a painstaking process. For friends and family, its an agonizing wait to hear something, anything about what happened to their loved ones and where they might be. Lahaina was known as an Historic Town that had been the seat of power for the sovereign Hawaiian Kingdom in the 19th century and it also served as a major hub for whaling with hundreds of ships from around the world anchored there. And later its sugar plantation brought immigrants from china, japan, portugal and the philippines who came to work on it and made lahaina their home. Before the fires, you could see symbols of that rich history throughout the town. A general store, pioneer inn, wyola church. It looks like a war zone now. Streets still reek of burned metal and chemicals. Smoke lingers in the air. 2,200 structures destroyed. Most of them were homes, some passed down from generations. Roads and bridges, historic buildings, the harbor, all of it destroyed. The people of maui are mourning unimaginable losses, but they are also confronting an uncertain future. How long will it take to find a permanent home. When will they find a stable job again . Or will their kids go to school this fall . But if there is any reason for hope in all of this devastation, its that people arent carrying this burden alone. Anyone who knows hawaii knows that in a crisis, we all pitch in and we help each other. When the fires engulfed the town that terrible day, people from the island saw the clouds of smoke and drove their boats 16 miles across the channel to rescue people. In the days and weeks since, even those who have lost their homes or jobs or loved ones have given everything theyve got to each other to make it all a little less painful. Everyday people taking it upon themselves and springing into action to help. At the hawaiian homestead the Community Came together and converted homes into supply Distribution Centers for necessities like water and gas. Another center in nape liu set up a power and satellite station in the back of a truck so people could get in touch with loved ones. At the university of Hawaii Maui College dozens of volunteers gathered to prepare meals for people in shelters. A crew from owe what you oahu a crew from tour buses helped bring people to shore. These people were not led by a nonprofit organization. They just saw the community in crisis and mobilized. Thats what hawaii is all about. While the individual stories of generosity and Community Give us some heart, the reality is that everyone in lahaina needs and deserves help. People of every age and every background have been devastated by these fires, and their needs are so enormous they simply cannot do it alone. So its our responsibility here in congress to provide relief in any way that we can for as long as people need it. In the past few weeks following the president s quick disaster declaration, weve seen the most robust mobilization of federal resources in hawaiis history. Over 1,000 fema personnel have been on the ground assisting survivors and nearly federal agency from the Small Business administration to the 2ke79 transportation to hud has taken steps to deliver aid. My staff and i are in daily communication with our hawaii congressional delegation, stait state and local officials, Senior Administration officials and dozens of federal agencies who are all in to help maui recover. Last month the president and first lady came to maui to show support and hear directly from survivors. Speaker mccarthy and several bipartisan members of congress have also come to see the devastation firsthand. Many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have reached out asking how they can help. It has meant a lot, and i want to thank everybody for that. But given all that was lost, it will take years for maui to fully get back on its feet and more help will be needed from congress in the months ahead. Nearly 1,900 homes were destroyed including an Affordable Housing complex. Over 5,000 people have been displaced and are living in temporary housing, hotels and air bnbs. They will need hem finding permanent homes. Three Health Care Clinics including a Satellite Office were destroyed. They provided Critical Health care, access to all of west maui. Adult medicine, pediatric care, dental and Behavioral Health totally lost. Providers are doing the best they can using hotel ballrooms or tents in parking lots to get people care, but people need more than just urgent care. They need comprehensive care like checkups and counseling and they need to get it in a real clinic. King kamehameha the third Elementary School which educates k through 5 students damaged beyond rare. The cost of a new campus is estimated at 175 million. Three other schools in the area are closed and under inspection for air, soil, and water safety. Under normal circumstances we would already be a few weeks into the school year by now, but as of last week 1,200 students have not enrolled in another public school. We need resources to get them back into schools in person and quickly. Some people still dont have access to clean Drinking Water and the Wastewater Treatment plants were knocked offline creating environmental and health risks for the community. We dont yet know what the costs for repair of Critical Services will be. Roads and bridges were torn apart and need to be repaired. Over 1,000 electrical poles and 500 transformers are being replaced and highspeed Internet Access not fully restored to west maui. Before that can happen fema will need to complete the most combleks debris complex debris removals in history. It may take up to a year and cost up to 1 billion. This is just some of the work ahead and none of this will be easy. And while the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, we know that the federal share of costs for recovery will be in the billions of dollars. Americans all share the responsibility of providing relief to these survivors. Because while maui is todays victim of extreme weather, it may very well be another state tomorrow. We have already seen so much damage this summer in florida, california, vermont, louisiana, and more. These catastrophic events are unfortunately becoming more common and more severe. In the weeks after the fires, i visited maui every three days and i talked to First Responders and survivors about what it was like on that harrowing afternoon and in the days since. Their resilience and determination in spite of their pain and their grief was striking. When i ask people how are you doing, i was struck because i often get the same response. I lost everything, but im alive. I lost everything, but im alive. They know that they are the lucky ones, and theyre trying to find a way to get through this disaster. I know that the people of maui can recover and chart a new future, but they cannot do it alone. They need help from everyone, in hawaii, in congress, and across the country. With time, scars will heal. Lahaina will be restored and we will be there to support them every step of the way. Mahala. I yield the floor. Mr. Schumer mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session, 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. Schumer i ask unanimous consent that the committee on judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the senate proceed to the consideration of s. Res. 327. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk s. Res. 327, designating august 16, 2023 as National Airborne day. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding to the measure . Without objection, the senate will proceed. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer and, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 00 a. M. On wednesday, september 6, following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. That upon the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the jefferson nomination, postcloture. Further at 11 30 a. M. All postcloture time be considered expired and the senate vote on confirms of the nomination. Following the vote on the wilcox nomination until 2 15 p. M. , to allow that the Senate Recess following the cloture vote on the wilcox nomination until 2 15 p. M. To allow for the weekly caucus meetings, if cloture is invoked that the senate vote on the confirmation of the wilcox nomination. If cloture is invoked on the cook nomination at 5 15 p. M. , all postcloture time be considered expired and the senate vote on confirms of the nomination. If any nominations are confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senates actions. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer for the information of the senate. There will be two votes at 11 3t 2 15 p. M. And two votes at 5 15 p. M. If there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. The presiding officer the Senate Stands adjourned until Senate Stands adjourned until and the senate today working on the nomination of Federal Reserve vice chair. Later this week the work on scc and National Labor Relations Board nominations. When the Senate Returns watch live coverage here on cspan2. Cspan is your unfiltered view of government. Funded by these Television Companies and more including charter communications. Metro charter is proud to be recognized as one the best internet providers. We are just Getting Started it. Building 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. Charter Communications Support cspan as a public service. Along with these other television providers. In giving you a front row seat to democracy. Annexed Senate Minority leader Mitch Mcconnell speaking on the senate floor for the First Time Since freezing up in front of the porters at an event in kentucky. The capitol attending physician cleared senator mcconnell to return to work after confirming he did not suffer a stroke or seizure. Prior to the senators remarks majority leader schumer welcomed him on other lawmakers back from the august recess. Discuss the upcoming senate