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 secu