Speech. Thats what real leadership looks like. Its difficult to express the moment we find ourselves in. Our countrys been hit by a strange and contagious disease, infecting millions. Killing over 100,000 of our people. Our economy was put to ice, put on ice for several months, shuttering scores of businesses, casting millions of americans on the unemployment rolls, and, according to government estimates, taking 16 trillion out of our economy over the long term. And then this nation suffered another trauma, the deeply pain of another African American sensely killed in police custody. Another reminder of the racism that can not only affect our Law Enforcement an criminal justice and criminal Justice System but our entire society. George floyds killing spurred justifiably overwhelming protests from minneapolis to new york to atlanta to here in the nations capital. Americans are angry and upset at the country they see and they want to change it. Can you blame them . It is a good thing that people protest and want to mack our country better, especially when it comes to the scourge of race, the poison thats been racism, especially when it comes to the scourge of racism, the poison thats been in american bones for far too long. The millions of americans of all races and backgrounds who have taken to the streets in peaceful protest are doing something noble. Reminding powers that the decades long failure to Police Police departments is unacceptable. That that is on the minds of tens of millions of African Americans. They are reminding the country that black lives matter, holding their arms up in silence for two minutes and 53 seconds, the length of time that george floyd was unresponsive while the Police Officer continued to press him into the hard pavement of that minneapolis street. The small minority who have exploited the protests to wreak havoc and violence are wrong. They are not taking part of the grand american tradition of First Amendment protests. They are not peacefully assembling, they are destroying businesses already struggling to recover and putting their fellow citizens in danger. They do a great disservice to themselves, their country, and the righteous cause that so Many Americans are now engaged in. But while over 4,000 protesters have been arrested over the past week, only one of the four Police Officers involved in George Floyds death has been arrested. It does not excuse the violence in any way, but explains, in part, why so Many Americans are angry. There is accountability for every day citizens and protesters when they violate the law. But there isnt always accountability for Law Enforcement when it does the same. Violence, wherever it occurs is wrong, but not prosecuting Law Enforcement when they break the law with the same intensity as protesters when they break the law is wrong as well. The first year of this new decade has brought plague and Economic Disaster and a vivid reminder of racial injustice. Testing testing the capacity of our country to endure what only a few months ago would have been considered an unimaginable series of challenges. We need leaders who will pull us together and help us heal and turn the righteous anger and the land into action and progress. Senate democrats are not going to wait to take action on Law Enforcement reform. We are going to confront and address these issues right now. Several of my colleagues are working on legislation, including senators booker and harris, guard inn, duckworth, schatz, and many others, as a caucus were going to listen to experts on Racial Justice like brian stevensson and hear from our constituents who suffer from discrimination and bias on a daily basis. And we are going to propose and push for bold action. What matters is that we respond to a National Wave of unrest with action. I am repeating my call to leader mcconnell. Leader mcconnell, commit to putting Law Enforcement reform legislation on the floor before july 4. A divided nation cannot wait for healing, for solutions. At the same time our nation needs calm and steady leadership, a sure hand and a big heart, qualities that President Trump has never displayed in office. I repeat my request to President Trump. President trump, watch joe bidens speech that he gave this morning. Thats what leadership is. Not what youre doing. We are living through a tale of two crisis, covid and protests and trump was been a failure at handling both of them. Last night the scene in washington, d. C. , might have provided the enduring portrait of the trump presidency. While peaceful, lawabiding citizens were exercising their constitutional right to protest in a public park across from the white house, President Trump ordered federal troops to clear those peaceful crowds with tear gas and rubber bullets so he could trudge a few blocks from the white house to stand in front of a church, not to go inside but for a photoop. The president s relentless need to make a weak man feel strong led him to order federal Law Enforcement officers to gas peacefully assembled americans so he could sneak his way to a church photoop. It led him to order federal officers to gas peacefully assembled americans so that he could sneak his way to a church for a photoop. After the gas came the horses, a modernday calvary with clearing the battlefield. The purpose, so President Trump could wave a bible, not read a bible, not even his bible, as a prop. It was appalling. It was an abuse of president ial power. It may well have been illegal and it was blatantly unconstitutional. The president of the United States ordered troops to attack peaceful american citizens, exercising citizens exercising their Constitutional Rights by tear gassing them in a public park while military helicopters flew overhead. The president Must Immediately cease this behavior. Secretary esper and general milley should not let the u. S. Military come within a country mile of these stunts. Let me say that. The president must cease this behavior immediately. Secretary esper, general milley should not allow the u. S. Military to come within a country mile of these ugly stunts. The administration is using the military as a tool to intimidate american citizens and the department of defense i. G. Must immediately launch an investigation into how the u. S. Military was used and whether it was consistent with the laws of our nation. Republicans on both sides of the capitol should be as outraged as we are. The last time we had a president who wantedly disobeyed the laws, the members of congress stood up to him. Not so much this time. Not so much this president. Leader mcconnell just spoke here on the floor and we didnt hear a word from him about the president s disgraceful use of force on nonviolent protesters last night. Senate republicans who remain silent about the president s abuses are once again betraying the rule of law and the constitutional basis of this country and the reason, fear of a vindictive president who demands they never criticize. After the president s reality show ended last night, while the nation nervously watched the chaos that engulfs us, President Trump probably laid in bed pleased with himself for descending another rung on the dictatorial ladder. He probably wore out his Remote Control watching the clips of general milleys victory over the unarmed battle in la if hate square. Its its all so sad, so pathetic, so weak. The president could have led during the covid crisis which still looms over us. He could have led in economic recovery, providing realistic hopes to people. Even now, he could be spending his time decrying the absence of justice for george floyd, calling for the investigation or prosecution of the other three officers who were involved, or for Breonna Taylor or for countless other African Americans who have been killed extrajudicially because of the color of their skin. Our nation is desperate, desperate for real leadership. Theres no one home at the white house, and the lights are off. I fear for the future of our country, that in this time of immense difficulty, our president is only capable of contributeing more division, more fear, more chaos. I yield the mr. Schumer mr. President. The presiding officer the minority leader is recognized. Mr. Schumer thank you. First let me thank my friend and colleague, the senior senator from minnesota for her