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 troy d. Edgar of california to be chief Financial Officer of the department of Homeland Security, 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 troy d. Edgar of california to be chief Financial Officer of the department of Homeland Security shall be brought to a close. The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or wishing to change their vote . If not, the yeas are 62, the nays are 31. The motion is agreed to. The clerk will report the nomination. The clerk nomination, department of Homeland Security, troy d. Edgar of california to be chief Financial Officer. The presiding officer the senator from south dakota. Mr. Thune madam president , i ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule 22, the postcloture time on the edgar nomination expire at 4 30 p. M. Today. I further ask that if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senates action. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Thune madam president , i have four requests for committees to meet during todays session of the senate. They have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. The presiding officer duly noted. Mr. Thune madam president , were back for our second week in the senate after spending some time working remotely to help flatten the coronavirus curve. Were getting used to the temporary new normal, social distancing during hearings, floor votes, and meetings. Masks, a lot of Conference Calls and skype calls instead of inperson meetings, lots of hand washing and hand sanitizer, and as many staff working remotely as possible. Were committed to doing the essential work of the American People, and they are depending on us to do it in the safest way possible. Responding to the coronavirus continues to be at the top of the agenda. Last week, we held a number of coronavirusrelated hearings, including a hearing on coronavirus testing and a hearing on the impact the pandemic has had on the airline industry. When people think about what the senate does, they tend to think about voting on bills and debating on the floor, but the truth is committees committee work, i should say, is some of the most important work that we do here in washington. Committees are aware we review nominees qualifications, hearing from experts in various fields, develop legislation, and conduct essential oversight of government programs. The work we do in coronavirusrelated Committee Hearings will inform any future coronavirus legislation that we might consider. This week, the Senate Banking committee will be voting on the nomination of brian d. Miller to be Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery at the treasury department. If hes confirmed by the full senate, mr. Miller will be a central part of ensuring that the trillions that we have provided for Coronavirus Relief are spent properly. The Banking Committee will also be holding an oversight hearing with key federal financial regulators to learn about the steps that they have taken to ensure the safety and soundness of our Financial Sector during this challenging time. The Senate Judiciary committee will be examining the issue of liability during the covid pandemic and discussing ways to prevent frivolous lawsuits from damaging our economy once we reopen. The Senate Commerce committee, of which im a member, will be holding a hearing looking at efforts to maintain and expand reliable highspeed Broadband Access during this time when so Many Americans are relying on their internet for work, school, and connections with friends and family. And the senate health, education, labor, and Pensions Committee will be hearing directly from the leaders of our fight against the coronavirus, dr. Fauci, redfield, and hahn and admiral giroir. Senators will be talking to these experts about what we need to do to safely reopen our economy and our schools. Another big part of our Coronavirus Response is monitoring the implementation of the funds that we have already provided. We have delivered a tremendous amount of money to respond to the pandemic, equal to almost 50 of the entire federal budget for 2020, and its important that any future funding be carefully targeted. Were facing extraordinary circumstances, and they called for an extraordinary bold response from washington. But its important to remember, madam president , that every dollar of the trillions that we have provided for the pandemic is borrowed money, and our children and grandchildren are going to be paying for that borrowing. Now, that doesnt mean that were not going to provide more money if necessary, but it does mean that we need to make sure that were spending money wisely and well and only appropriating whats really needed. And that means monitoring the implementation of the funds that we have already provided which havent been fully spent yet. Once we see how and where those funds are getting spent, we will have a better sense of where we spend sufficiently and where more money may be necessary. Its also important that we make sure those funds are being spent in the most effective and efficient way possible. Again, these are all dollars that our children and grandchildren will have to pay for. We want to make sure that were not wasting any of that money. And finally, madam president , while coronavirus will, of course, continue to be at the top of our agenda, there are other important things that we have to do to keep the government running and to protect the nation. This week well take up legislation to renew and reform several key provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which the democratcontrolled house allowed to laps, despite to lapse, despite unanimous support for an an extension here in the senate. Our Law Enforcement officers are working every day to protect americans from terrorist threats. It is essential that we make sure they have the tools that they need to do their jobs while also providing critical protections for Civil Liberties. Were also taking up two nominations this week for Senior Administration posts, brian d. Montgomery to be deputy secretary of housing and urban development and troy edgar to be the chief Financial Officer at the department of Homeland Security. Madam president , the American People are relying on us right now, and we have a responsibility to deliver for them. We will continue to do everything we can to support our nations families and businesses as the country fights its way through this crisis and emerges on the other side. Madam president , i yield the floor. And i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Lee mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from utah. Mr. Lee mr. President , the the presiding officer were in a quorum call. Mr. Lee i ask unanimous consent to suspend the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Lee mr. President , the constitution of the United States contains a number of constitutional protections for the citizens of our great republic. Among the many provisions that it contains, in addition to the structural safeguards of federalism and separation of powers, separating out power along two axes one vertical, the other horizontal the constitution also includes a number of substantive restrictions, things that the government may not do and penalties attached to the government doing so things. Among those many protections can be found provisions of the bill of rights, including the Fourth Amendment to the United States constitution. The Fourth Amendment remind us that it is our fundamental inalienable right as citizens in a Free Republic to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures and that any warrants issued under Government Authority have to be backed by probable cause. And any probable causebased warrant has to include with particularity a description of the places and persons to be searched and to be seized. This is a tradition that reaches not just back a couple of centuries. It reaches back much farther that that. It has its origins not only in our country but in our mother country, in the united kingdom. By the time john wilkes was serving in parliament in the 1760s, there had been a longestablished tradition and understanding in fact, there had been a series of laws enacted to make sure that warrants were not abused and to make sure that the rights of english subjects would not be infringed. Among other things, there was an understanding and a set of laws in place that would make clear that those conducting searches and seizures would be subject to a warrant requirement. In other words, they would lose any immunity that they would otherwise have as government officials if they didnt obtain a warrant and if that warrant if not valid. In 1763, the home of john wilkes was searched aggressively. John wilkes, while serving as a member of parliament, had become critical of the administration of king george, and he had participated in the publication of a weekly circular known as the north britain. Although the north britain was not one likely to engage in excessive fun and praise of the reigning monarch, it wasnt until the publication of north britain 75 that the administration of king george decided to go after john wilkes. His home was searched. It was searched pursuant to a general warrant. A general warrant was something that basically said in that instance find out who had anything to do with the authorship and publication of north britain number 45. You see, north britain number 45 accused, among other things, king george and those who served in his government of laying aggressive taxes on the people, taxes that they knew couldnt adequately be enforced or collected without intrusive measures that would involve kicking open peoples doors, rummaging through their drawers, and doing things that couldnt be justified for the use of a warrant laid out with particularity. John wilkes in that circumstance was arrested within a matter of a few weeks he won his freedom, albeit on something of a technicality at the moment. He asserted parliamentary privilege and was released. Eventually after becoming subjected to multiple searches, using general warrants, wilkes sued lord halifax and those who separated in the searches and seizures in question. He was able to obtain a large judgment consisting of money damages. John wilkes at the time became famous really on both sides of the atlantic. The name of john wilkes was celebrated in taverns, saloons and other Public Places in england and in the nascent United States of america. The colonies in north america that would later become the worlds greatest republic. John wilkes example was something that helped solidify a longstanding legal tradition, one that would in time make its way into our constitution through the Fourth Amendment. You see, because we have to remember that government is simply force. Its the organized collective official use of force. When john wilkes and those who worked with him on the north britain culminating in north britain number 45, criticized the king too much, questioned excessively, in their judgment, the collection and imposition of taxes, the administration of king george decided that that had gone too far and that it was time for john wilkes to pay a price. Fortunately for john wilkes and for people on both sides of the atlantic, john wilkes emerged victorious. Today we dont have general warrants, at least nothing masquerading under that title in the United States. The fact that we have a Fourth Amendment is a testament to his vigorous defense of the rights of english subjects. What we do have is something that ought to concern every american. We have a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which we know has been abused, and weve known for a long time is ripe for opportunities for abuse among government officials. In fact, what weve seen is that the current president of the United States has himself become the target of abuse under fisa. Back in 2016, when this started being abused and when we saw the emergence of things Like Operation crossfire hurricane, you had the campaign of a man who would become the 45th president of the United States targeted and singled out quite unfairly, using these practices, these procedures that were designed originally for use in detecting and thwarting the efforts of agents of foreign powers. As the name of the law implies, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is not something thats intended to go after american citizens. Its certainly not something thats intended to be used as a tool for bullying a president ial candidate. And now that it has been used to bully and surveil incorrectly, the 45th president of the United States, we need to do something about it. Thats what the leeleahy amendment does. But first a bit of background on this particular law. Weve got three provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that expire on march 15, 2020, just a few weeks ago. We have one provision known as section 215. Another provision known as lone wolf and no provision known as roving wiretaps. On march 16 the Senate Passed a bill to reauthorize those provisions through may 30, 2020, which would give us a few weeks to debate and discuss reforms that need to happen under fisa. In order to pass this bill, the senate entered into a unanimous consent agreement for votes on three amendments to the pelosinadlerschiff build passed by the house of representatives a few weeks ago. One of those amendments is the one that i referred to a moment ago, the leeleahy amendment, introduced by myself and senator leahy from vermont. Unfortunately, however, the house of representatives never passed that shortterm extension measure so that the three authorities that i mentioned lone wolf, roving wiretaps, and 2015 have been expired for a few months. This is not for lack of trying. The part of those of us who really want to see meaningful fisa reform. In fact, a few days before these authorities were set to expire, i came down here to the senate floor and i asked a series of unanimous consent requests to consider the housepassed reauthorization bill with a handful of relevant and i believe very necessary amendments. Unfortunately, my friend pannedd distinguished colleague, senator burr, objected. The department of justice Inspector GeneralHorowitz December report on crossfire hurricane proved what many of us reformers have been saying now for years in my case ive been working on this and tried to call out the dangers inherent in provisions of fisa now for a decade. But what the horowitz report in december demonstrated was that fisa really is ripe for opportunities for abuse. Inspector general horowitz not only found evidence that the fisa process was abused to target president Trumps Campaign, he found evidence that basic procedures meant to protect the rights of United States persons that is to say u. S. Citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States were not being followed. And so just as we see that john wilkes through his publication of north briton number 45 solidified a set of preexisting civil rights, we now see that president number 45, donald john trump, has the opportunity to strengthen this right protected in our Fourth Amendment, hearkening back to the example of john wilkes in the publication of north briton number 45. My amendment with senator leahy would make reforms to applications for surveillance across the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, including both section 215, the authority that recently expired, and under title 1, which happens to be the authority that was abused in order to surveil president Trumps Campaign. First the amendment would strengthen the role of the friend of court provisions, the amicus curea provisions we adopted in 2016 with the act introduced by senator leahy and myself back then. It would strengthen the provisions and make them applicable in circumstances in which there are sensitivities inherently at play. Now these amicus curiae or friends of the court are people who as contemplated under the proposed legislation would primarily be experts, would have at least some knowledge or expertise of fisa and of privacy, Civil Liberties, secure communications, and other fields that are important to the fisa court. They would also be people who would have clearance to review matters of concern from a National Security standpoint. These amicae are essential because the fisa court is a secret court which by its very design operates on an ex parte basis meaning without the presence of opposing counsel. Theyve got Government Counsel and the judges themselves, and thats it. The friend of the court provisions, amicus curiae im describing provides the opportunity for the fisa court to hear from a fresh perspective, a neutral, trusted perspective, one that comes with some expertise, with National Security clearance, but without presenting the threat to upending the National Security investigations entruchted to entrusted to te fisa court. Thats why the amicus are so necessary and so important. In the absence of opposing counsel, we have to strengthen the provisions that provide for this amici to ensure there is some evidence, somewhere in front of the court whos in a position to say wait a minute, what happens if we do this . Wait a minute, is this really what the law authorizes . Wait a minute, isnt there a constitutional concern implicated here, especially where theyre dealing with the rights of american citizens. The december 2019 Inspector General report on the surveillance of president Trumps Campaign staffer carter page demonstrates the significant need for an outside expert legal advocate, especially when a fisa application involves as sensitive investigative matter like the surveillance of a candidate for Public Office or an elected official or that officials staff. If the leeleahy amendment were in statute, it would have required the fisa court to appoint an amicus in the carter page case. If an amicus had been appointed in that case, would she have raised some of the issues we now see regarding the credibility of the steele dossier . Its quite possible. In fact, i think its quite likely. I think its almost unimaginable that had there been an amicus curiae present in the fisa court at that moment, somebody, likely the amicus, would have said, wait a minute, weve got a problem. Wait a minute, youve got evidence that is unreliable. Wait a minute, youve got huge credibility problems with the evidence thats backing up what youre asking for. Our amendment would require the fisa court to appoint an amicus when an application involves a quote, unquote, sensitive investigative matter such as the surveillance of candidates or elected officials or their staff, political organizations, religious organizations, prominent individuals within those organizations, and domestic news media. One of the arguments made by those who oppose fisa reform is that the appointment of an amicus would smow slow somehow slow down the surveillance and the fisa order application process, which, so the argument goes, could then harm our National Security in those instances where there could be an imminent attack. Any time this argument is made, its important for the American People to listen, listen carefully. Its an important argument. Its not one that we want to treat lightly. At the same time we have to remember the immense harm that has been inflicted not only on our sown society, but else on our own society but elsewhere when people suggest dont worry about this, its a matter of National Security. Dont worry about it, we have the experts covering it. Dont worry about it, your liberty is not to concern you. We know the risks, mr. President. We know that we have to ask the difficult questions, and thats what were doing here. In any event, the argument doesnt work here. The argument falls apart under its own weight here. You see, because our amendment allows for the fisa court to have flexibility. In fact, the fisa court under the amendment may decline to appoint an amicus if the Court Concludes that would be inappropriate to do so under the circumstances. All it has to do is make that finding. Is this too great an intrusion on the ability of the u. S. Government to collect information on u. S. Citizens . I think not, especially as here where were dealing with the sensitive investigative matter, one involving an elected official or candidate for elected office or religious officials, media organizations. We know in our hearts, mr. President , that these are areas where our foreign Intelligence Surveillance authority ought to give way, ought to at least recognize the rights of individual americans. Our amendment always provides the amicus with more access with regard to applications and requires the government to make available the supporting documentation underlying assertions made in applications if requested by the amicus or by the fisa court itself. Now, this information is, to be sure, required by the f. B. I. s internal operating procedures, including its socalled woods procedures to be maintained in a series of documents known collectively as the woods files. But the f. B. I. s failure to correctly maintain the supporting documentation, or in some cases even to assemble it in the first place, the the documentation underlying these fisa applications to surveil u. S. Persons, that is, this failure was itself the subject of the Inspector Generals most recent memorandum to f. B. I. Director christopher wray. That memorandum proved, among other things, that the failure to provide all of the evidence, especially the evidence that undermine the governments case before the fisa court when considering the application to surveil Trump Campaign advisor carter page was not an isolated incident. Quite to the contrary. After sampling 29 f. B. I. Applications for fisa surveillance of u. S. Persons, the Inspector General, mr. Horowitz, found an average of 20 errors per application with most applications having either missing or inadequate woods fails leading the Inspector General to conclude, quote, we do not have confidence that the f. B. I. Has executed its woods procedures in compliance with f. B. I. Policy. Close quote. This, mr. President , is absolutely unacceptable in any republic, but in but especially ours with the existence of the Fourth Amendment. Were not talking about the failure to create or maintain some obsolete piece of paperwork just for the sake of having them. No, no, no. This is much more than that. And were not talking here about exculpatory evidence being withheld as to suspected foreign terrorists. These are applications to surveil United States citizens and lawful permanent residents, who themselves have Constitutional Rights and also have an expectation that their government will not secretly spy on them in violation of that which is rightfully theirs under the constitution of the United States. So you cant look at this and credibly, reliably say its okay, let the f. B. I. Take care of it. The f. B. I. Is working on it. Weve been hearing that for years. Ive been hearing that for ten years, the entire decade ive been in this business. And what has happened . What happened is that we have seen time and time again there have been abuses of the very sort many of us have been predicting for a long time would inevitably and repeatedly arise in the absence of former. It doesnt require us to take a dismal view of humanity. No, its not that at all. Its simply that government is best understood as the organized official collective use of force officially sanctioned as part of a a government and as James Madison explained in federalist 51, if men were angles, we wouldnt angels, we wouldnt need government and we wouldnt need rules about government. Were not angels and we dont have access to them and so we have to rely on humans. Humans are flawed, they make mistakes and they also sometimes decide for nefarious, political, or other reasons to flout the law, hence the need for the night watchman, hence the need for rules to restrict their ability to do that. So i find it entirely unsatisfactory when people say, just let the f. B. I. Deal with this. Because, first of all, they havent dealt with it. They havent dealt with it even as abuses have become more and more known under various provisions of fisa. And even as were still coming to terms with language that was adopted nearly two decades ago that itself was overly broad at the time and has been abused since then. No, were not going to just trust that an organization that is able to operate entirely in secret with the benefit of protection of National Security laws, with the benefits of over classification of documents. Were not going to assume lightly they are going to fix it because they havent, because they wont, and because they dont want to. I understand why they might not want to. All of us can appreciate when we do a job if somebody else adds requirements to that job, we might be naturally resistant to it. That doesnt mean we dont need to do it here. It doesnt mean our oath to uphold and protect the constitution of the United States doesnt compel us to do so here. We know the f. B. I. Is not going to fix it, because the f. B. I. Has adopted laws this, including the woods procedures and yet we know the woods procedures have been openly flouted. So can we walk away from this and pretend the 45th president of the United States didnt have his own rights abused, his own campaign surveilled abusively by the f. B. I. Itself . No, we cant. And i dont know anyone, democratic or republican, liberal or conservative or libertarian or something else, who could look at that and say, yeah, that makes a lot of sense, it makes a lot of sense that we should leave unfettered, unreviewable discretion in the hands of those who can operate entirely in secret. The leeleahy amendment would require the government turn over to the fisa court any and all Material Information in its possession, including information that might undermine its case as part of the fisa application. As i said earlier, this information would be made available to the amicus curiae upon request. As an added protection, our amendment would require any federal officer applying for an application for physical search under fisa to certify the officer has collected and reviewed for accuracy and for completely supporting documentation for each factual assertion contained in the application. If were going to require people to go to the fisa court at all to get an order, if were going to call it a court, ought we not require that such evidence be assembled and at least made available to those whose job it is to make sure the job is actually being done . The leeleahy amendment also requires these officers to certify in each application that theyve employed accuracy procedures put in place by the attorney general and the fisa court to confirm the certification before issuing an order. Finally, the leeleahy amendment requires the department of justice Inspector General to file an annual report regarding the accuracy of fisa applications and the department of justices compliance with its requirements to disclose any and all material evidence that might undermine their case. Now, mr. President , while i have a lot of ideas for reform, many of which are included in the u. S. A. Freedom reauthorization act that senator leahy and i introduced a couple of months ago, we were limited in this circumstance of for our purposes to just one amendment to the pelosinadlerschiff bill, that is this amendment, the one ive been describing, the leeleahy amendment. We believe our amendment is a very measured approach to enacting those reforms that we believe to be most essential to protecting the rights and the privacy of americans from a system that by its very nature, in some instances by design, is ripe with opportunities for abuse. Its not perfect but it will go a long way if we pass it toward forestalling this kind of abuse. We have to remember that although we live in the greatest republic ever known to human beings and although our rights are by and large respected in this country, were by no immune to the type of abuse that can take hold in any system of government, especially a system of government with a whole lot of resources at its disposal to gather information, including efforts to gather information in that governments own citizenry. If we remember about 45 years ago there was a committee put together headed by a senator from idaho named frank church that looked at abuses of telephone surveillance by the government and it concluded in basically every administration dating back to the rise of the common usage of the telephone that our intelligence gathering resources within the United States have been utilized to engage in what was essentially political espionage. Now, since the late 1970s when the Church Committee issued its report, we have had exponential growth in the ability of government and the ability of everyone else for that matter to obtain and process data and information and most in most ways this has been a real blessing. Its a great thing. Its also important for us to keep in mind the extent to which our persons, our papers, and effects are no longer found exclusively within physical file cabinet files within someones home or office. In many instances they can be found elsewhere in electronic form. Our security and our liberty need not ought never to be viewed as irwreck irrock sighably at odds with each other and as many Civil Liberties an privacy experts join together in an effort known as the pclause, the privacy and Civil LibertiesOversight Board concluded a few years ago our privacy and our liberty are not at odds with each other. In fact, our privacy is part of our liberty. We are not truly free unless our personal effects are our private information can belong to us and not simply be open game for the government. It is sad and tragic that in order for this come to for this to come to light it took an assault on freedom so bold and so shameless as to loop in the president of the United States. With this and other revelations that have come to light in recent days and weeks and months and over the last few years we cant forget that these entities are still run by human beings with their own political views, with their own agendas, and in some cases, unfortunately, rare cases, i hope, people who while charged with protecting the people and their liberty may in some cases be inclined to be at odds with it. Its unfortunate that the 45th president of the United States has quite tragically become the victim of this, pu i ask the but i ask the question, what if your information with were on information were on the line. What if you were targeted, maybe for political reasons, maybe for reasons that had nothing to do with politics, maybe just for a personal vendetta someone had against any american . Its far less likely that the abuse would ever have come to light. In this circumstance it did come to light. We cant ignore it nor can we pretend that it couldnt happen to any one of us, and i dont mean as members of the u. S. Senate. I mean as americans. In fact, each and every one of us is less capable to standing up to this and less likely to discoffer the abuse discover the abuse in the first instance, not all of us happen to be the president of the United States. Im grateful that the president has been willing to speak truth to power and call out the flagrant abuse of fisa and other abuses within the government. Its our solemn duty and pleasure to do something about it. The leeleahy amendment does something about it and i invite all of my colleagues in supporting it. Thank you, mr. President. Mr. Lee mr. President , i would note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Inhofe madam president . The presiding officer the senator from oklahoma. Mr. Inhofe madam president , i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call in process be vitiated. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Inhofe and i ask unanimous consent i use whatever time i shall consume. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Inhofe madam president , by now i think people are pretty much aware of something that happened back in about two weeks ago. An f. C. C. Approval of an application that was very, very significant and yet not many people knew that it was going on. And i think, madam president , by now it shouldnt be a surprise to anyone that i opposed this decision by the federal Communications Commission to approve an application by lagado networks. Lagado, its plan would use federal spectrum in a way that will interfere with g. P. S. And Satellite Communications. And the f. C. C. , despite near unanimous objection from the rest of the federal government, has just said, okay. When i said near unanimous, it was near unanimous. The in a letter that was received by the f. C. C. A week before the decision was made by the f. C. C. , they sent a letter outlining all the reasons that everyone should be opposed to the application made by lagado to the f. C. C. And their statement was, lagados statement is not feasible or technically excusable. It goes on to say why this would be highly how destructive this would be. How the whole country uses g. P. S. And how this would alter the g. P. S. It could no longer be used with predictability. When i say nearly everyone, its not nearly. It is everyone objected to it ive never seen anything like this happen to have something approved that was objected to by all of government. In this letter, it was signed by the department of the army, the department of the navy, department of commerce, nasa, department of interior, department of justice, department of Homeland Security, department of energy, National Science foundation, department of transportation, the u. S. Coast guard and the federal aviation administration. Thats everybody. I mean, ive never seen anything that was thats ever had that unanimity in finding in objecting to. For that reason, its never been approved. Until the 9th what is the date of that . April 20. Until april 20 by the federal Communications Commission. G. P. S. And satellite functions support everything, the equipment that our troops use in the field, navigation for First Responders, airlines thats how airlines keep from running into each other. They are using g. P. S. Cell phones, it goes on and on. The f. C. C. Is jeopardizing g. P. S. Signals that americans rely on every day. I chair the Senate Armed Services committee. And when you are conducting warfare, youre using g. P. S. Youre using g. P. S. Every day. And, simply Public Sector the f. C. C. And simply put, the f. C. C. Is jeopardizing g. P. S. , which we rely on for both our national and Economic Security for the benefit of Just One Company and its Hedge Fund Investors. Ligado may be a new name, but the problem goes back a decade when lightsquared was created in a hedge fund deal worth 5. 3 billion. The investors put billions on the table. And the only way to get a return was to repurpose lightsquareds satellite spectrum for the terrestrial cell phone network. In 2011, when lightsquared asked the f. C. C. For permission to do just that, g. P. S. And satellite communication users strongly objected due to the interference of the g. P. S. Signal. Now, thats the problem. The signal is in that in the same area that that purchase took place by a company at the time named lightsquared. Now, federal agencies like the department of defense, the department of transportation, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration echoed these concerns. In 2012, after it was clear that there was no way to mitigate the g. P. S. Interference in their proposal, lightsquared declared bankruptcy. So its gone. Years later lightsquared got enough new wall street hedge fund money to einternational from bankruptcy and be renamed to emerge from bankruptcy and be renamed ligado and again pushed for repurpose of the satellite spectrum for its network. Thats exactly the thing that the Predecessor Company tried to do for a long period of time and they were denied. And they were justly denied. There was never any idea that an application by an operation like this would be acceptable. And after extensive testing and analysis, experts at nine federal agencies have unanimously con cliewppedded that ligados concluded that ligados proposal even with updates would interfere with g. P. S. Signals and Satellite Communications. Thats the one i just read, theyre unanimous in doing this. We read the names of the individuals and agencies involved. We cant find anyone who disagreed with it except ligado itself, the ones who would end up with a lot of billions of dollars, and im not sure where it would go. But they relied on g. P. S. For navigation, precisionguided missiles in training and on the battlefield. But at the end of the day, this is about much more than risking our military readiness and capabilities. Ligados proposal will hurt the american economy, our farmers rely on g. P. S. To harvest their crops. Our truckers, our airlines rely on g. P. S. To move supplies and people safely. Our maritime industry depends on g. P. S. To place channel markings, weather forecasting relies on Satellite Communications to save lives and property when tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods strike our communities. Im from oklahoma. Wu know what hurricanes are. In fact, we were in our basement two times in one day about a month ago with those threats. Thats how you determine where they are and how serious they are, and they save lives. The f. C. C. , federal communication commission, has put all of this at risk by approving ligados application. Nobody thought there wasnt a lot of opposition out there talking about it because they didnt, they had not been approved for a number of years. Its never been approved before. And all of that, is now at risk just as of a week ago. This is a complex issue. Heres an easy way to think about how ligados network would interfere with our g. P. S. Signals. Once ligado turns its service on, it will be this is a quote, by the way. Once ligado turns its service on, it will be like trying to hear leaves rustle over the roar of 100 jet engines, according to the secretary of defense for research and engineering, dr. Michael griffin, an expert in this field. The f. C. C. Has included certain mitigation measures in approving ligados application, but these are fundamentally flawed in every practical sense. They would make ligado the fox guarding the henhouse. How can ligado be impartial in deciding whether its own system is causing interference . Its not going to happen, and Everybody Knows that. And ultimately the taxpayer and consumer will be left to pay, to fix interference. Ultimately the people of america would end up paying for this. Now, what im most upset about is the failure of the process behind this decision. A few people made a hasty decision over the weekend. Keep in mind, it was the middle of the National Crisis. We have a National Crisis. Everybody knows thats going on right now, and everyone is having to live differently than they ever lived before, so people are concentrating on that. No one was looking. It was against the judgment of unanimous conclusion by Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee which included nine federal agencies as well as private sector stakeholders dependent on g. P. S. And Satellite Communications. As far as i can tell, this is the first time that the f. C. C. Made a decision over the weekend completely discounting the universal opposition to the proposal. Now, a week before this decision was made, it was universal, they decided and this is a group in the hearing that we had. We had really talented people there, scientists making all the decisions, and they talked about how the decision was made over a weekend, during a National Crisis that were dealing with, on a sunday, i went back and checked and we could not find any time a decision was made by the f. C. C. On a sunday or on a weekend. They dont do that on weekends. On top of that, this was a decision that was opposed by everybody by a letter they received a week before by a group. Everywhere i mean, just look in the wall street journal. Mark esper, the secretary of defense, mark esper had the article there where they talked about the f. C. C. Had set conditions to ensure g. P. S. Wont be affected. Dont be fooled, it would be affected. Independent testing and analysis conducted by nine federal departments and agencies showing that allowing ligados proposed system including proposed modifications to operate in close proximity to the g. P. S. Spectrum would cause harmful interference to millions of g. P. S. Receivers across the United States. Actually the band that is used for g. P. S. Is called the l band. This gets a little bit complicated, but the l band, the area that people are concerned about and ligado was trying to say theyre correcting was an area thats in a different band altogether. I think theres a c band and the s band. I think this is the first time a decision has ever been made, even discounting the universal opposition to the proposal. In response to this unprecedented and unwise decision, the f. C. C. , im lending a letter, leading a letter to the f. C. C. Outlining critical National Security concerns and urging the f. C. C. To rescind the order. And, by the way, for the purpose of the presentation that im making right now, i do ask unanimous consent that the letter by the mtia be made a part of the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Inhofe and that the f. C. C. Article in the wall street journal be made a part of the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Inhofe and we cant allow this to stand. All of america agrees. In the last three weeks stakeholders from across the country and across the economy have expressed their opposition to the f. C. C. Decision. Not just the military, but all of government and the private sector including airlines, pilots, farmers, truckers, marine manufacturing, conservationalists, equipment manufacturers and distributors, road builders, weather forecasters and g. P. S. Device makers are opposed to ligados application. I know my colleagues here in the senate have heard from all these groups representing jobs and americans from every single state who use the g. P. S. Satellite Services Every day. This has happened naturally. People realized, all of a sudden they found out that g. P. S. Would be, would be affected by this. I would ask my colleagues to consider who supports the ligado Hedge Fund Investors. No one is supporting it. Its my understanding from talking with people close to the f. C. C. Is that the f. C. C. Is expected to reject, was expected to reject the ligado proposal once and for all. They had already rejected it before. Its been there. The unanimous opposition from the Interagency Review Committee was not surprising but the final outcome was shocking. With all this opposition how could the f. C. C. Decide in the cover of darkness over a weekend that the unanimous concern of g. P. S. Interference was worth the risk to support the investments of Hedge Fund Investors . I cant figure out what happened, nor can the former f. C. C. Commissioners. Why did the f. C. C. Change its course and in such a dramatic fashion . We may never know. But we do know that ligado spent 1. 3 billion put up the chart, if you would, please. 1. 3 million in just 2020. Thats the company that were talking about. They have spent 1. 3 million on lobbyists trying to convince congress that their proposal is a good idea. This chart shows, there it is. Theres the list of all the lobbyists. It comes up to 1. 38 million. Now keep in mind thats just for three months. Over a period of a year, you can multiply that by four. Ligado is hiring whoever they can to convince you to support the Hedge Fund Investors. One of the reasons im talking about this today is that theres going to be an effort im not sure what form that will take to reverse this decision. And people have to hear from people before they realize how bad this is. And when you have this many people, you know, one of the individuals was a former chairman of the house Armed Services committee turned lobbyist, a guy that spent his career building the military, and then obviously he is supporting, he is one of the lobbyists supporting this thing. Ligado has said this order is about winning the race for 5g and beating china. Those who claim ligados proposal is necessary to defeat chinas 5g push are deliberately mixing up two different and important spectrum issues in order to sell their product, the share of the midband 5g spectrum by d. O. D. With industry and harmful interference of ligados signal with the low band, thats the l band that were talking about, the l band that is right next to g. P. S. With signals that would be used in nearly every aspect of life. Ligados spectrum that they are repurposing is not in the prime and midband spectrum. Its being considered for 5g. Ligados low band spectrum was not a part of the f. C. C. s own plan to accelerate 5g Development Release in september of 2018, socalled, called the l. G. Fast plan. Id like to say that its complicated, but that isnt what they did at all with this thing. Their concern was with only the l band which is next to g. P. S. So reliable g. P. S. And Satellite Communications is important to everyone in america and drives much of the nations economy. We shouldnt sacrifice g. P. S. Reliability for the sake of lobbyists and Hedge Fund Investors on wall street. I ask my colleagues to join me in urging the f. C. C. To withdraw its approval of ligados application. Instead of moving ahead with this order, weve got to reverse the order, and thats the effort thats taking place right now. If you deny ligados application the same as they have done for the last ten years, there would not be a problem today. So we have people that, with an interest in this. The hearing that we had just on the 6th of may was with people like, headed up by danas d. C. D. O. D. Chief of information officer. In the private sector he was the c. I. O. Of three of the largest corporations of america. We had dr. Michael griffin, intersecretary of research and engineering, retired u. S. Coast guard admiral thad allen, who is now nasa space based position navigation and timing board. And general jay raymond, the chief of Space Operations space force. Now thats everyone who is really knowledgeable about this, and theyre all unanimous in their opposition to this program. So i would ask that the members keep advised of the opportunities they have to reverse this decision, and we would like to have that unnecessary, and try to get the federal Communications Commission to do that on their own. With that, i yield the floor. I ask unanimous consent that the vote scheduled for 4 30 this afternoon start at this time. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. The question is on the nominations. Mr. Inhofe i ask for the yeas and nays. The presiding officer is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll, please. Vote vote vote the presiding officer is there any senator in the chamber who wishes to vote or change their vote . If not the yeas are 62, the nays are 31 and the nomination is confirmed. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senates actions. The senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley iowa is home to 88,000 family farmers. These farmers make up the Economic Foundation of our rural communities, and farmers are the leaders that make up the councils and the School Boards across our state. So when we see economists estimate a 20 drop in livestock and grain producers revenue due to covid19, it isnt just our farmers who are concerned. Its our whole state. In the cares act, we provided usda with 24. 5 billion to address this loss in revenue. However, we know that even with this funding, the supply chain disruptions from covid19 will force some agriculture producers to miss payments and ultimately some will be forced to sell their family farms. The consequences of covid19 shutdowns have injected uncertainty that we havent seen since the farm crisis of the 1980s. During my time in the senate, ive always tried to be a vocal advocate for the importance of a safe, affordable, and secure supply of food. But now our countrys Food Supply Chain is facing disruptions never envisioned beforehand. As processing plants have shut down due to employees being sick, the supply chain disruptions are being felt by farmers and of course by consumers. And i ought to tie the two together because its so important. The old saying that were only nine meals away from a riot. We havent had that in the United States yet, and i hope we dont have it, but when you see short supplies of toilet paper and people fighting over toilet paper in the supermarket, it wouldnt surprise you that they would fight more for food. With as much as 40 of the slaughter capacity at our packing plants down for the past month, beef prices have doubled for the consumer. That has caused meet shortages in fast food chains and Grocery Stores across the country and they have been forced to limit meat purchases per consumer. If thats not bad enough, at the same time, livestock producers have been turned away by meet by meat processors with livestock that is ready to sell. Even if producers are lucky enough to sell, the prices they are getting are well below the cost of production, and they are losing money on every animal they sell. I have received a large volume of calls and emails from iowans and member organizations expressing concern that the current discrepancy between high shelf prices and decreaseed losses for cattle producers, that this just doesnt make any sense. I share the concerns of these farmers, and i take their claims of market manipulation very seriously. This past week, President Trump is on top of this issue, and he echoed a request that i made of the attorney general last month to examine the current structure of the beef meatpacking industry and investigate potential market and price manipulation. Holding the four large meatpacking Companies Accountable is the least that we can ask of federal officials, and i thank President Trump for talking to barr about that as well. The fact is over 80 of the feed lot cattle in the u. S. Are slaughtered by the four largest meatpacking companies tysons food, g. B. S. , cargill, and number four, national beef. Because these Companies Control a large percentage of slaughter and processing capacities in the United States, they have the unique ability to influence the price of live cattle. They use tactics such as bottlenecking, process speeds, importing foreign meat, utilizing private formula contracts, and piling up meat in cold storage to delay the need to purchase live cattle from the family farmer. Im glad the president asked the department of justice to look into these schemes to see if any of this behavior is illegal, the same request i made to barr about a month ago. Independent producers will always struggle with negotiating prices when there are only four large multinational corporations that control prices. However, in iowa, its a little different. Our producers sell 50 of cattle to negotiated gas through negotiated cash prices. This allows for market transparency so producers know the market price of cattle and the price more accurately reflects the costs that the producer incurs when raising livestock. However, this isnt the case across the entire United States as more than 80 of all cattle are sold through formula contracts and or the cattle futures market. These price contracts dont allow for Price Transparency and hide the true value of production from the rest of the marketplace. It happens that this is not a new problem. In fact, 18 years ago, i introduced a bill with former senator feingold from wisconsin that would have helped producers gain leverage by mandating that percentage that percentage of a packers weekly slaughter come from a negotiated cash price. I introduced that bill every congress until 2009, but sadly at that time not enough of my colleagues saw the need for a transparent marketplace. That need is much more obvious today because conversations across the country have started to shift and peoples opinion about four big meatpackers controlling 80 of the market looks like more of a problem. When farmers are losing a lot of money when they sell their cattle and the price for the consumer goes up at the supermarket. Lawmakers have begun to realize that in order to have a sustainable supply of meat in our country, we need to restore transparency in the marketplace and protect the market from collapsing when there is a supply chain disruption. Let me repeat something i said at the beginning. Nine meals away from a riot, and people fighting about whos going to buy the last roll of toilet paper at the supermarket. We cant let that same thing happen in food. So today i come to the floor to submit my bill to foster efficient markets and increased competition and transparency among packers that purchase livestock from our producers. The only change to that feingoldgrassley bill is to increase the amount of mandated negotiated cash trade to 50 from the original 25 , and that in that bill that feingold and i cooperated on. This change is needed to increase price discovery for producers across the country. Im proud to lead this effort with senator tester of montana and will work with my colleagues in the senate and particularly those on the Senate Agriculture committee to make sure that this bill becomes law. Without significant action by congress, our independent beef producers will not be able to stay in business. I believe the time to act is now. Failure to act is failing our independent producers. If there is one Silver Lining that could come out of covid19, it may be that consumers will start to understand where their food comes from. Food does not come from Grocery Stores. It comes from the tens of thousands of farmers and independent producers who bust their back day and night to ensure families across the country have an adequate supply of food. Farmers are 2 of the population who provide for the other 98 . And even provide more than the 98 of the americans. A lot of it is exported. I urge my colleagues to support my legislation being introduced today and do right by the producers who provide the food that we all eat. Madam president , id like to continue on one other subject for a few minutes. Today i do it to salute and thank our nations Law Enforcement officers during this Years National police week. Its notable that this week dedicateed to the brave men and women in blue is in the midst of the covid19 pandemic. Im grateful to all working on the front p front lines right now, whether they are doctors and nurses or teachers and Grocery Store clerks. Were grateful to all of them, and a lot of jobs that i havent even mentioned, but this week we have the unique opportunity just to settle on one group of people to thank in a special way as National Police week, and thats our Police Officers. Now more than ever, we appreciate your service and dedication. Being a Police Officer isnt just a job. Now, im in public service, so i havent been a Police Officer, but i think its fair to assume that they put their life on the line more than those of us that are members of the United States senate, so its not just a job. Its a calling. Each officer has answered that call and is dutifully serving during these very trying times that we call this virus pandemic. For that, im and im sure everybody is forever grateful. Im particularly thankful for the men and women in blue who serve my fellow iowans. Id also like to recognize the officers that serve in washington, d. C. The capitol police, meaning those that serve here on the hill, work to ensure our safety and protection, not only from criminals but also from a virus that is that has drastically changed the way we work in the United States senate to serve our constituents, the American People, and for me, for the people of iowa. Thank you to the policemen on capitol hill here for your selflessness and dedication. Covid19 knows no bounds and has unfortunately affected hundreds of Police Officers. As of may 11, 101 officers have died in the line of duty from the virus. We must continue to honor members of the Law Enforcement community who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The circumstances of loss are a little different now but no less heroic or devastating. As a senator, my actions often speak louder than my words, so im pleased to show the members of the Law Enforcement community how much i support and appreciate you through legislation. Every year during police week, the Senate Advances various bills focusing on the needs of the police community, so this year is no different. To that end, i recently introduced the bipartisan bill with the title safeguarding americas First Responders act. This bill addresses the unfortunate reality of officers exposure to covid19. To ensure benefits through the Public Safety officers benefit program, my bill creates a presumption that if a First Responder is diagnosed with covid19 within 45 days of their last day on duty, the Justice Department will treat it as a lineofduty incident. Loss of a Family Member in the line of duty isnt only emotionally devastating but also means loss of wages and tough times. This bill recognizes the challenges posed by the pandemic and better ensures that officers families will get the financial help, as promised other Police Officers who are killed other ways in the line of duty. This bill enjoys wide support from multiple Law Enforcement groups and a group of bipartisan cosponsors here in the United States senate. The senate is considering two other police bills that i support. Police officers have demanding jobs and experience events that often impact their Mental Health. The next bill is named the confidentiality opportunities for peer support counseling act, or we call it cops, cops, cops counseling act, for short. This bill builds off the recommendation provided by the Justice Department. In their recent report on Law EnforcementMental Health and wellness issues. Specifically you the bill provides confidentiality to federal Law Enforcement officers by restricting individuals who participate in peer support counseling sessions from disclosing Communications Arising out of these sessions. So with that prief privacy, it encourages more people to get the help they might need. Peer support programs serve as a valuable role in providing Mental Health to Law Enforcement and First Responders. But, as ive indicated, confidentiality concerns have left these programs and these professionals underutilized. This bill also encourages best practices for officers and for First Responders on peer support programs across the country. I want to thank senator cortez masto for leading this bill and teaming up with me on this important issue. Lastly, im proud to cosponsor senator hawleys bill with the title Law Enforcement suicide Data Collection act. This bill seeks to address Mental Illness and increasing suicide numbers among Law Enforcement by requiring the f. B. I. To open a voluntary Data Collection program to track suicides and attempted suicides within local tribal, state, and federal Law Enforcement by providing accurate and detailed information on these issues of suicide. More effective prevention programs can be implemented. I urge my colleagues to support all three of these bills. Passing them into law is one way of saying a big thank you to the brave men and women who serve us so selfishly selflessly in Law Enforcement. We owe them a debt of gratitude, particularly during the ongoing covid19 pandemic. I yield the floor. I have something i have to do, so i dont yield the floor. I ask unanimous consent for the leader i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business withh senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call a senator madam president. The presiding officer the senator from illinois. Mr. Durbin i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin thank you, madam president. Madam president , americans owe a great debt of gratitude to the Health Care Heroes in the front lines of the fight against the covid19 pandemic. Today id like to spend a few minutes talking about one special group of Health Care Workers, immigrants. Consider this one in six health care and social service workers, 3. 1 million out of 18. 7 million, are immigrants. These immigrants are playing a Critical Role in the battle against the pandemic, and yet our broken immigration system does not allow many of them to fulfill their dreams of becoming part of americas future. Ive come to the floor today to tell a story of one of our immigrant health heroes, and i will continue to highlight these stories in the coming weeks. Im also inviting my colleagues from across the nation to come tell their own stories on social media or on the floor with hashtag immigrant health heroes, on this chart. Thousands of immigrant Health Workers are suffering because of a serious problem in our immigration system. Its the green card backlog. This backlog puts them and their families at risk of losing their immigration status, and it hinders their ability to participate in the fight against covid19. Under our current laws, there are not nearly enough immigrant visas, also known as green cards, available each year. As a result, immigrants are stuck in crippling backlogs, not just for years but for decades. Close to five million future americans are in line waiting for green cards. Hundreds of thousands of them are already working in the United States on temporary visas while many more are waiting abroad, separated from their american families. Only 226,000 family green cards and 140,000 employment green cards are available each year. The backlogs are really hard on these families who are caught in this immigration limbo. For example, children in many of these families age out and face deportation as their parents are waiting in line for their green cards. The green card backlog includes thousands of doctors, medical doctors who are currently working in our country on a temporary basis. These doctors face many restrictions due to their temporary status, such as not being able to volunteer at hospitals in covid19 hot spots where they are so desperately needed. The solution to the green card backlog is clear increase the number. In 2013, i joined a group of four republicans and four democrats who authored a bipartisan comprehensive Immigration Reform bill. The bill passed the senate with a strong vote 6832, and it would have eliminated the green card backlog. Last year, i introduced the relief act, legislation based on the 2013 comprehensive Immigration Reform bill that we clearly clear the backlog for all immigrants waiting for green cards for five years. I will keep fighting to help all immigrants who are stuck in this backlog. Last week, i joined with my colleagues, republican senators david perdue of georgia, todd young of indiana, john cornyn of texas, and Democratic Senators chris coons of delaware and pat leahy of vermont to introduce legislation to quickly address the plight of immigrant doctors and nurses who are stuck in this green card backlog. This backlog poses a significant risk to our ability to effectively respond to this pandemic. Our bill, the Health Care Work force resilience act, is a temporary stopgap bill that will strengthen our Health Care Workforce and improve Health Care Access for americans in the midst of this crisis. Our bill would recapture 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused visas for doctors. These are visas that congress previously authorized but we never used. Our bill would quickly allocate these visas to doctors and nurses who can help us today in the fight against covid19. It is important to note that our bill requires employers to attest that any immigrant from overseas who receives these visas will not displace an american worker. We want to ensure that all beneficiaries of this bill complement our american Health Care Workforce. As Congress Begins to work on the next legislation to address this pandemic, i will push for the Health Care Workforce resilience act to be included. Today i want to tell you the story of one immigrant Health Care Worker who is stuck in this green card backlog and would benefit from the act i just described. This is dr. Rahm sanjiv alouv. Dr. Alouv was born in india. As a child, he survived a bout with meningitis, a disease that is often fatal. This experience inspired him to become a doctor. He went to medical school in india, then trained in internal medicine in the united kingdom. Dr. Alouv came to the United States in 2007 for medical residency training. In 2011, he began working as an internist and hospitalist at the Marion Veterans AffairsMedical Center in marion, illinois. Dr. Alouv has led the emergency room and inpatient unit for the last three years, and now hes on the front lines of a pandemic as a member of his hospitals covid19 response team. Dr. Alouv lives in maryland with his wife and three kids. Their ages are 12, 8, and 6. He sent me a letter, and listen to what he said about his life in southern illinois, living in marion. I consider the opportunity to work at the Veterans AdministrationMedical Center as a blessing. To serve the veterans is an honor, responsibility, and satisfaction that enhances anyones life. I found my calling and hope to spend the rest of my career and raise my family here. I would like to see my children blossom in this community and grow into successful, responsible citizens. Unfortunately, dr. Alouv is one of thousands of doctors struck in this green card backlog. He has been forced to renew his temporary visa four times since he started working serving our veterans at the marion v. A. Facility. He has been approved for a green card, but will have to wait decades, decades because of the backlog of people just like him waiting for their green cards. In the meantime, dr. Alouvs oldest daughter would age out. She is 12 now, but she would age out and be forced to leave the country before he is legally entitled to become a citizen of this country. Think of that. Heartbreaking situation. Breaking up this mans family because he has been approved for a visa but has to wait to make sure he meets the quota each year, and he will end up waiting for decades. In the midst of this pandemic, dr. Alouvs immigration status puts him at a great risk. If, god forbid, god forbid he contracts covid19 and becomes disabled or dies, his family would lose their immigration status and be forced to leave the United States. Tell me thats fair. That this man who is serving our veterans, whos waiting patiently to become a citizen of the United States and be part of our future, should he get sick or die, his family would be deported. Heres what he said to me about this. The pandemic shook our family. Being a temporary worker on a visa never stared us in the face more. This lack of protection is every frontline immigrant doctors nightmare. The doctors temporary immigrant status also prevents him from working parttime in a covid19 hot spot like chicago. He said its depressing to watch the medical system stretched while the pandemic takes its toll and not be able to help or participate. Its like a soldier sitting out a battle, a player sitting out a game, a fireman sitting out a house fire. His familys plight led dr. Alouv to start physicians advocate for health care. A Nonprofit Organization for underserved communities that are stuck in this green card backlog. Madam president , i can tell you, in southern illinois, we are desperate for good doctors. We need them not just at marion v. A. , but we need more specialists around the entire region. This is a rural area of our state, smalltown area, and they need these specialists more than ever. How we could take a good man like this who is willing to serve our veterans and do more in this covid19 epidemic and tell him hes not welcome to be a citizen of this country, i just do not do not understand. When i heard dr. Alouvs story, it inspired me to work with my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to introduce this law that i mentioned, the Health Care Worker workforce resilience act. Under our bill, the doctor and thousands like him could receive their green cards. They and their families would get permanent immigration status that they deserve and be able to use their skills to serve on the front lines of the pandemic if they are needed, and they are. I hope that even in these divided times, we can come together in congress to quickly aid these immigrant Health Care Heroes. Madam president , i would like to make a separate statement to be placed in a separate part of the record with unanimous consent. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin madam president , on monday, in this season of great mourning, last monday, america lost a man who had tried for years during some of our darkest moments to comfort our griefstricken nation. His name was greg zannis, but he was known as the cross man. One month ago, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Last friday, mr. Zannis, his wife sue and their grown children watched from inside the zannis family home in aurora, illinois, as a parade of neighbors drove past to show their love and respect for greg. This caravan of caring stretched for a mile and included more than 320 cars, trucks, s. U. V. s, and motorcycles. It was a fitting tribute to a quiet man whose compassion and sacrifice helped ease the grief of countless americans over the last 25 years. You may never have heard his name before, but chances are you may have seen his work. After the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, and nearly every mass shooting and Natural Disaster since then, greg zannis crafted wooden memorials to honor the fallen. Over nearly 20 years, he made and personally delivered some 27,000 handmade memorials to communities across america. Most were crosses, but he also crafted wooden stars of david and crescent moons to honor the fallen. He drove to sandy hook, connecticut, after 26 children and educators were murdered in that grade school. He drove to florida to honor the victims of the pulse nightclub shooting and returned a heartbreaking short time later after the Parkland High School mass shooting. He drove to las vegas after 58 people were killed at a music festival, to the First Baptist church in sutherland springs, texas, after 26 worshipers were killed. To pittsburgh, pennsylvania, to honor the 11 worshipers killed at the tree of life synagogue. Greg considered his work a ministry. It cost him financially and emotionally. He was a master carpenter who gave up much of the work he did otherwise to make and deliver these memorials. When he heard of a mass shooting or a deadly Natural Disaster, he loaded up his truck with crosses and drove, sometimes leaving in the middle of the night so he could get there as quickly as possible. One friend said that mr. Zannis often wasnt sure when he left home how he would get the gas money to get back to aurora. Somehow he always did. He was in aurora a little over a year ago, february, 2019, when the epidemic of Mass Shootings came to his hometown. Five workers were killed, five Police Officers wounded in a mass shooting at a warehouse. The tragedy hit mr. Zannis hard. As he told a reporter for the new york times, he could drive away from all the other tragedies, but he said im not going to be able to get away from this one. His ministry didnt only take him to places of mass suffering and death. He also made crosses for individuals. He made 700 crosses carried down Michigan Avenue in chicago to honor those who died in that great city in one year. He made his first cross in 1996 to honor his fatherinlaw who had been murdered in a shooting. He learned from that experience that transforming wood into symbols of faith helped to make grief more bearable. Thats the gift that he tried to share with others. The mass shooting at a walmart in el paso last september shook him deeply. Among the 22 killed and 23 wounded were little children shopping for School Supplies with their parents. Between the heat of the south texas sun and the enormity of their losses, mr. Zannis struggled to make enough crosses. He decided after that that he had to retire from his ministry. 69 years old. A few years later, cancer was diagnosed. In this time when so many of the usual customs of grieving must be suspended, may we all find some consolation and inspiration in this extraordinary ordinary man who helped ease the grief of so many. Madam president , i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call quorum call mr. Mcconnell madam president. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that following leader remarks on wednesday, may 13, the senate proceed to the consideration of h. R. 6172, under the order of march 16. I further ask that at 12 00 noon, the senate vote in relation to the mcconnell sidebyside amendment to the daines amendment, if offered. Finally, i ask that following disposition of the mcconnell amendment, the senate vote in relation to the daines amendment. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 00 a. M. Wednesday, may 13. Further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning business be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. Further, following leader remarks, the senate proceed to consideration of h. R. 6172 under the previous order. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell so 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 the presiding officer the in the u. S. And has gaveled out pretty earlier today, kristin from the nomination of Brian Montgomery to be deputy housing urban secretary. Also nomination of chief Financial Officer for the Homeland Security office. Tomorrow we authorizing the fine intelligence fact known as fisa pretty far down in. Reformed by and through decembe. Follow the senate live its when lawmakers return. The house will vote more than 3 trilliondollar coronavirus package and friday. Over 1800 page bill include state and local government funding for First Responders and as workers and money for individuals and families. They provide 75 billion for coronavirus testing, Contact Tracing and treatment. The legislation also includes additional funding for food assistance. As at 93, live coverage on cspan, online at cspan. Org or listen with a free cspan radio app. Washington journal, runtime, and evening edition from the washington journal. Our guest doctor lena former Baltimore City of to measure and a visiting professor of Public Health at George Washington university, possibility for subsequent waves of the coronavirus as state leaders look to reopen our economy. Also joining the program, Mexico Democratic congressman, diseases impact on her state pretty to the conversation, washington journal problem time tonight in 18 eastern. On cspan. Watch testimony from doctor, former high ranking federal scientists but his focus was Vaccine Development and was recently removed from his post as National Institute of health. The House Energy Committee will hear from him on scientific integrity and the response pretty much hearing, wife, thursday at 10 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan. On nine cspan. Org. Or listen live on the free cspan radio app. Earlier today on the senate floor, several members talked about the coronavirus. The federal response to the pandemic and its economic it