Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. Senate U.S. Senate 20240712

Nomination for the director of office of management and budget. Live coverage. Senate here on cspan2. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. O god of light, as we approach independence day, we thank you for giving us the gift of true freedom. You have blessed us with freedom from sin, guilt, and shame. You have redeemed us. You have also given us freedom from fear, providing us with peace in the midst of the storms. Today, please guide our lawmakers so that they will fulfill your purposes as they face the challenges of these times. Lord, awaken them to your inescapable presence. Keep them from thinking that you are absent from our world or disinterested in it. Enable them to feel you in their midst, as they grapple with the problems of our time. We pray in your strong name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in the pledge. 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. Mr. Grassley mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from iowa is recognized. Mr. Grassley one minute for morning business. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley the department of defense is the only agency that cant get a clean audit. Sometime around 1990 there was an audit law passed directing departments to get to a point where they could get a clean audit. D. O. D. Is still the only one that hasnt. Sometime around 2010, i believe, we laid down a requirement that the clean audit data ought to be met by 2017. Well, that wasnt met. So for decades d. O. D. Has been saying that theyre almost there. Now they say it will be at least another five years before a clean opinion can be reached. One reason why they havent been able to do that is the outdated mess of hundreds of Financial Management systems. Yet the department of defense still wants to spend almost 200 million on an annual audit. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to pause the audit effort that is doomed to fail anyway and instead invest that 200 million in updating the department of defense Financial Management system because, until they get the Financial Management systems right, d. O. D. Will never be capable of having a clean audit. I yield. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader is recognized. Mr. Mcconnell before i discuss the legislation before the senate, i need to spend a moment on something broader. Our country needs to confront the democratic partys willingness to threaten our governing institutions themselves. Earlier this year as the senate disposed of the least fair, least thorough, and most rushed impeachment in modern history, i offered a broader warning. I said leaders in the opposite party increasing slay argue that if our increasingly argue that if our institutions dont produce the outcomes they like, our institutions themselves must be broken. No longer do disappointments for democrats mean that democrats need better arguments. Now disappointments for democrats are claimed as proof proof that our country is fundamentally broken or that James Madison messed something up. So while we have farleft mobs attacking statues of our Founding Fathers from coast to coast, we have farleft politicians attacking the institutions those founders left us. Now, step back and look at the landscape of fundamental changes that leading democrats or their close allies are demanding. Amending the First Amendment to restrict its protections, ending the electoral college, packing the Supreme Court with new justices, packing the senate with new states. And to accomplish all this, destroying the senates distinguishing feature that makes radical change hard by design. We have an entire Political Movement that is telling us literally outloud that theyve lost patience with playing by the rules and may well declare war on the rule book itself. A coalition of leftwing special interests are explicitly campaigning for, quote, 51 for 51. They want senators to vandalize the rules to pass legislation with a simple majority and then use that illgotten power to cement a presumed advantage by awarding the district of columbia two senate seats. They want to nuke the senate to pack the senate. This, mr. President , is naked politics. No neutral principle could explain why all these special interests prior prioritized its cause why want the nations 20th most populous city to get two senators to itself while the retroceding with maryland would satisfy their claims more clearly. Why House Democrats wasted floor time on a potentially unconstitutional show vote. Just days after democrats used the filibuster power to block senator scotts Police Reform bill, even colleagues who recently defended this important tradition have now bowed to the pressure to flirt with ending it. On a similar note, mr. President , you may remember that a kind of naked intimidation without modern precedent in modern memory took place a few months ago. The democratic leader stood by the steps of the Supreme Court and directly threatened justices if they ruled the wrong way in the june medical services case. This display aligned with a whole new tradition of Senate Democrats threatening judges. A year ago several wrote justices saying, quote, the court is not well and perhaps the court can heal itself before the public demands it be restructured. In other words, nice Judicial Independence youve got there. It would be a shame if something happened to it. Right on queue, a number of left wing groups are advocating to revive the discredited notion of courtpacking. Now following the Democratic Leaders dismakers the court ruled the way he wanted on that way case. They handed it down on monday of this week. Our colleague took to the floor cracking jokes, giddy giddy he had gotten his way. But just moments later the democratic leader picked right up where he left off impugning and pressuring one justice whose vote he disliked. So, us seekers mr. President , the so you see, mr. President , the accusations of i will legitimacy never end. No amount of rulings the democrats like will never be enough. The respect for an independent judiciary is simply not there. This is about outcomes, not institutionsment. And theres no limit to how far the left the goalpost will move. Well, the subject is not going away. But for today ill leave it there. This weekend, july 4, americans will celebrate our founding. Well celebrate the framers and their traditions and the institutions that they left us. We cannot let radicals tear down their likenesses or their legacies. We must preserve the gunfights and the institutions we celebrate so our grandchildren and their grandchildren can celebrate them as well. Now, mr. President , on an entirely different matter, the Senate Continues to consider the National Defense authorization act. I understand were close to a bipartisan structure for amendments and if our democratic colleagues will let us, i hope we can move forward today. All week ive discussed how this 60th consecutive ndaa will help our nation protect its people, stand with our allies, and keep pace with outer competitors. This legislation has global reach. But as all my colleagues know, the ndaa is also a profoundly local bill for communities in all 50 states. My home state is proud to support three Army Installations and the men and women of the kentucky air and Army National guard. Last fall i hosted defense secretary mark esper in kentucky to speak with the fort knox community. He called for a renewed commitment to supporting our allvolunteer force, including military spouses and their families. The ndaa advances that goal. It will authorize a New Elementary School at fort knox. This construction, paired with progress toward a new middle school at fort campbell, will continue making kentuckys installations a welcoming roam for military families. Home for military families. This comes on the heels of the new fifth corps headquarters. This mission brings more than 600 additional soldiers to kentucky in support of u. S. Operations over in europe. Theyll join fort knoxs already impressive list of significant commands, including the army recruiting, cadet, and Human Resources commands. The fifth corps will find a premier installation made even better by this ndaa. Our bill also authorizes the construction of a new headquarters for the Kentucky National guard. The facility will consolidate the guards operation to a central location. Just recently our citizens, soldiers, and airmen have stepped up to combat covid19. Im glad this legislation will deliver for them. At the Bluegrass Army depot, the ndaa will advance the disposal of legacy chemical weapons. Families in Madison County have lived for generations with these deadly agents practically in their backyards. For years i fought alongside them to support safe and responsible demilitarization. In just the in first year of chemical destruction activities, the depot has already completed a campaign ahead of schedule. An entire type of munition that be completely deleted from the u. S. Stockpile. Our legislation will help us safely consign more of these weapons to the ash heap of history. Now, ive also spoken this week about the growing boldness of our nations adversaries and the evolving threats our Service Members face. The men and women of fort campbell, including the 101st airborne, are among our nations among those our nation turns to first to handle serious challenges. Their recent deployments to europe, afghanistan and to support the covid19 response in new york and new jersey show their importance to our country. Pursuant to the National Defense strategy, this ndaa will encourage new capabilities so elite fighting forces like the 101st are equipped for success under any circumstances. The senate is grateful for the Courageous Service of our armed forces. The Bipartisan Legislation before us honors their sacrifices and authorizes the resources to carry out their missions. Its impact will not be just felt by our adversaries overseas bus by us at home. I would like to thank senator inhofe and Ranking Member reed for their serious work. Lets get this bill moving towards completion. 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, executive office of the president , Russell Vought of virginia to be director of the office of management and budget. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call mr. Schumer mr. President. The presiding officer the minority leader is recognized. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer now, mr. President , two numbers sum up the state of america today. Sorry. Two numbers sum up the state of america today. 52,788, the number of confirmed covid19 cases yesterday. And 1. 4 million, the number of unemployment claims filed this week. In the next few months these numbers will be far more important than the job numbers released this morning in determining the longterm health of our economy and the health of this country. The the statistics i mentioned would be harrowing during february, march, april, or may, during the initial surge and rapid spread of the disease. They would have been distressing even then, but here at the beginning of july, six months into the crisis, long after other countries have experienced a rapid decline of covid19, it is stocking that the United States is hitting ever grimmer milestones. There is no doubt that much of the responsibility for this debacle, the covid debacle falls on the shoulders of President Trump who failed to prepare our nation for the initial surge, failed to organize a National Supply chain of p. P. E. , failed to develop a National Strategy for testing and contact tracing, failed to even communicate the depth of the challenge our country faces. Much of this still proves true today. The Washington Post reported this morning that arizona, which has experienced a huge surge in cases, still doesnt have the testing supplies they need because of a National Supply chain failure. Even after 2. 6 million infections and 120,000 american fatalities, the president said yesterday, quote, i think were going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think at some point that its going to sort of just disappear. Can you imagine the bubble this man is in . Only concerned about scratching and stroking his own ego and not about whats going on in the country, so he can just dismiss the seriousness of this, the most Serious Health and economic crisis weve had in decades. Its amazing. So that was what President Trump said yesterday, were going to be very good with the coronavirus, on the same day the United States reported the most new cases of the coronavirus in a single day ever. The president is so eager to declare victory and pat himself on the back and then move on that hes ignoring reality completely. The june jobs report showed modest growth, but we know that conditions have worsened since the survey was completed in the middle of the month. Experts now believe that as much as 10 of the workforce has lost their job permanently. Americans of color counting for a disproportionate share. Again, in terms of the longterm health of the economy, the most concerning and important number is the number of new covid cases. The number of covid cases Health Related is the number one effect on the longterm health of the economy. President trump seems oblivious to that fact that almost everyone who has studied this issue knows. The president s own c. D. C. Director says the number of cases may be ten times higher than reported. Imagine that. We could have 26 Million People infected and likely many, many more to come, but the president assumes that the coronavirus and the economy will just take care of itself. If President Trump reacts to the jobs report like he has reacted to covid and says were in the clear, we dont have to do anything, well soon be in even worse trouble than we are today. Here in the senate, the republican majority has been out to lunch since we passed the cares act way back in march. Its been over three months since the Republican Senate has considered major covid relief legislation. Weekly unemployment claims are measured in the millions. States are shedding Public Service jobs in the tens of thousands. The number of new cases is accelerating in nearly half our states. Still, the republican majority in the words of its majority leader has yet to feel the urgency of acting. Still, the republican leader says we must, quote, assess the conditions in the country before providing relief to our citizens. Just how much more assessment do we need when we remember those two numbers . 52,000 new cases, 1. 4 Million People applying for unemployment. Every day this week, Senate Democrats have come to the floor to plead with our colleagues to take up legislation, to help millions of American Workers and Small Businesses that are struggling right now. Every day this week, Senate Republicans have blocked our requests. Rental assistance blocked. Food assistance blocked. Moratorium on evictions blocked. Resources for schools and nursing homes, state and local governments, Indian Country and elections, blocked, blocked, blocked, blocked, and blocked. Just how long, just how long will this Republican Senate majority prevent the American People from getting the aid they so desperately need . Now republicans are saying we have to do another bill before august. Im glad they are finally talking seriously about a fourth phase of coronavirus legislation, although the need has been obvious for months. But the republican leader at the moment insists that the next bill will, quote, be written in his office. Written in his office . Thats the same oneparty, take it or leave it partisan approach that delayed the cares act and utterly failed on policing reform. Leader mcconnell likes to remind us we need to make a law, not a point. Well, to make a law, leader, you need both parties, you need both chambers of commerce, and you need chambers of congress, and you need the signature of the president. Starting the next phase of covid legislation in the Majority Leaders Office is exactly what you do if you wanted to make a point, not a law. The house of representatives already has a bill that it has passed. It needs to be part of the equation here. In order to make a law, both parties in both chambers should have a seat at the table. Thats how we got the last phase of covid done covid legislation done, and its the best way to get it done this time. On another matter, we have serious disagreements here in congress. We trade impassioned words. Words sometimes get a little too hot under the collar. But there are times when we need to take a step back and really think about what were saying. Yesterday, speaking in opposition to d. C. Statehood, the senator the junior senator from montana said lawmakers should, quote, go out where the real people are across the country and ask them what they think. Go out where the real people are. Mr. President , 700,000 people live and work in the district of columbia. 46 of them are black. They hold jobs, just like everyone else. They teach and deliver groceries, care for our sick, work at our restaurants and churches. Many of them work here in the capitol, providing essential services to some senators who obviously dont consider them real people. My friends on the other side of the aisle would have you believe that every member of this city is a lobbyist or defense contractor or reporter. Not only is that comically false, but i dont remember the part of the constitution where it says your rights as an american citizen only apply if republican senators approve of your line of work. Ive noticed that its become fashionable for elements of the political right to accuse democrats of ignoring real americans. It seems that the political right has a clear idea of which americans are real and which americans are not. When republican senators are outright dismissing the person hood of thousands of american citizens, most of whom are black, its time for the political right to look in the mirror. D. C. Residents fulfill all the be obligations of citizenship. They pay federal taxes. They can be summoned for jury duty. They have served in every war since the revolutionary war. But they are denied real representation in congress. We can have a real conversation we cant have a real conversation about statehood without denigrating or dehumanizing these citizens, but the far right is so afraid of losing political power and so unwilling to appeal to anyone that doesnt already agree with them that their strategy has become restrict Voting Rights and deny equal representation in congress to hundreds of thousands of americans. Selfgovernance and equal representation arent democratic issues or republican issues. Voting rights shouldnt be a democratic issue or a republican issue. These are issues of fairness, of equality. Its not about right or left. Its about right and wrong. For a minute on rules changes. I heard the republican leader come forward and decry any attempt to change the rules. Hes not a good one to give advice. Leader mcconnell has shown that he will change the rules when it suits his purposes and defend the rules when it suits his purposes. Hes no icon standing in the way of any rules change. We all saw what happened in the last few years. So please, leader mcconnell, dont give us advice on rules changes when you are so inconsistent about which rules are okay to change and which rules are not. Now, one final matter on the president. Governing is a matter of priorities. In this moment of national crisis, as the covid pandemic rages on, Economic Hardship deepens, and the centuriesold struggle for Racial Justice is waged anew, our National Priorities have never been clearer. To everyone, it seems, but President Trump. This week has been one of the most out of touch weeks of an out of touch presidency. As the citizens of ruby red, oklahoma, voted to expand medicaid, President Trump this week advanced his administrations lawsuit to eliminate our Health Care Law and Medicaid Expansion along with it. As protesters continued to march in the streets for Racial Justice, President Trump this week attacked a Program Designed to end racial segregation in housing. As the state of mississippi, mississippi decided to take down the confederate flag, President Trump threatened to veto the National Defense bill, including a pay raise for our troops, in the name of protecting the confederacy. The president of the United States this week seemed more concerned with protecting the names of dead confederate generals than doing anything to help living american citizens. The president is so out of touch. Its as if he was dropped into the oval office from another planet, unaware and uncaring of anything going on around him, whether its the resurgent covid killing americans, a faltering economy, a Righteous Movement for Racial Justice or putins maligned actions endangering our troops. President trump has the same reaction stroke his own ego, then stick his head in the sand and do nothing. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from virginia. Mr. Kaine could i inquiry if were in a quorum call . The presiding officer we are not. Mr. Kaine thank you. I think rise to briefly discuss a matter that is contained within the ndaa bill that is currently pending before the senate, a matter that i sponsored as an amendment in the Armed Services Committee Markup on the bill that received a unanimous voice vote of colleagues. I just wanted to stress its importance. A few weeks back on a monday in may, Peaceful Protesters assembled in lafayette square. They were peaceful and they were in full compliance with a curfew ordinance that was then in place. It was before curfew. Federal Law Enforcement officials fired tear gas at them to disperse them, which i found very, very troubling, and i know many people did. But what concerned me even more was the president indicating that he might use active duty military against the protesters. That was happening during the same week that we were submitting amendments to the National Defense authorizing act. And so i wrote up a very simple amendment that said no funds under this act shall be used for any military program or personnel to instring upon peoples right infringe upon peoples rights to assemble or petition for redress. There is an act, the insurrection act, which sets forth circumstances under which the military can be used to do Law Enforcement activities for domestic purposes. But i want to have a strong statement that the military should not be used to infringe upon peoples rights to peacefully assemble and petition government. And i was proud that when i presented that to my committee colleagues, within a week after this event, they agreed and by a unanimous voice vote included it in the base bill. I wanted to just stress why i think this is so very, very important, and i appreciate my colleagues support to this point. Not only is peaceful protest protected in the First Amendment and i think the framers of the bill of rights when they protecting is, they sort of encourage it; i think the framers of the constitution, they got some things wrong, but they also got some things right, and one of the things ive always been interested in is they realized that while elections are important and elections and campaigns are in the constitution every two years for the house, every six years for the house, president ial lengths the framers knew that elections woulden wouldnt be enough. If they thought lengths elections were enough, they wouldnt if elections were enough, they would say, if youre mad, just wait two years, then you can vote out somebody bad and bringboweback2014. Com in somebody good. The framers who had been through experiences like the Boston Tea Party and other events, thats knew that to have a more Perfect Union and preserve the democracy, they needed to both have exwills, but they also needed elections but they also needed to give people the room and space to peacefully assemble and say, hey, i dont like this. It is a value thats so important, like the freedom of religion, freedom of press put in the First Amendment the First Amendment for a reason. The military, just as senators take views to support and defend the constitution of the United States, but in particular in today, 2020, we have a significant issue that i see cropping up sometimes, and that is thank goodness we as civilians appreciate the military. That thank you for your Service Attitude i think is widely shared. But theres often a gulf between the military and civilians. Because in the time of an allvolunteer military, only one percent of people serve in the military and that means those of us who havent servinged, often served, of course we might have a general appreciation but dont have an understanding. And there can starting to a gap and a gulf between the civilian and military. Secretary mattis has commented about this a lot, this gap that can grow im not challenging that an allvolunteer military is a good thing p l but there can be a gap of misunderstanding. We would never want to widen that gap. We should always do things to narrow that gapment. And there would be nothing nothing that would widen the gap more is if people perceive that the military was being now arrayed against them, against the civilian population. And so, it would not only endanger important First Amendment rights but would also potentially lead to a wider canyon between the civilian and military, and we should not do that. There can be uses of military assets in protest situations, sort of a standard way of thinking about it, for example, would use guard troops. The guard is often called up to protect protesters and then local Law Enforcement is used to police bad actors. So, to use a group like the guard to protect protesters, keep them safe, make sure theyre not doing things or being harmed by others. But the Law Enforcement activity should be carried out by police and not by the military. This is something we promote in the Foreign Relations committee all the time. I see my colleague from wyoming, whos here, whos on the Foreign Relations committee with me and does such a good job there. We are much encouraging foreign nations, dont use your military to do police work. Have a professional police work. Use your military to defend the country. The professionalizing of police is an important thing because thats not what a military should do. So that was the reason that i introduced the amendment was not solely to protect First Amendment rights, which are really important, but also to not allow a gulf that exists between the civilandan military to get even worse if civilians feel like the military is arrayed against them. The last thing ill say is this and then ill conclude i lived in a military dictatorship when i was young. I took a year off in the middle of law school to go to honduras and work with jesuit missionaries, in 1980 and 1981. There was a military dictatorship and people couldnt vote for anything. It was a shock to me seeing a society where people could vote and maybe sometimes not even or choose not to vote and then to go to a society where people couldnt vote. People prayed for the date they might be able to finally vote for the leaders, but they couldnt because the military was running the country at the time. And i saw there the reaction that people had toward the military, and the reaction that they had toward the military in that form of and that form of government was not thank you for your service. It was, you scare me to death. Military on every corner with automatic weapons, roundups they wouldnt do an organized draft. Sometimes they would just surround a Movie Theater and as young men came out, they would commandeer them to go into the military. And i experienced something so different from what i experienced here, which is a society where your first reaction when you see somebody in uniform in the military is fear. You are afraid of them. We would never want that to be we would never want that to be the prevailing attitude here. We would want our attitude to be, thanks for yore service. And i believe my amendment now incorporated in the ndaa will preserve the important roles that the military plays, preserve the important principles of Peaceful Assembly and petitioning government and the First Amendment. But will also make sure that we as a society dont find by pitting the military against civilians welling led to a we will be led to a situation where we will not be able to fully appreciate the sacrifices they make and the work they do for us. With that, mr. President , i yield the floor. I am excited that the bill on the floor now contains this provision and hope my colleagues will promptly and quickly pass the ndaa. Thank you, mr. President. I yield, and i note the i yield the floor. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from wyoming. Mr. Barrasso thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , i come to the floor today as we have seen incredible recordsetting job numbers. Its wonderful numbers for American Workers, for families all across the country. Its a stellar june jobs report. The u. S. Economy added 4. 8 million jobs, shattering all expectations. Its the largest monthly jobs gain in our nations history. So if you flip through the channels this morning, mr. President and i did see you on one of the morning shows doing a wonderful job as you always do talking about your home state and talking about our nation. But these are some of the comments about the job numbers. Cnbc jim kramer said theres an optimism in the country. People are hiring. Ed lawrence of fox business said this is amazing, a good report anywhere you look at it. Becky quick, cnbc, a trend from across the board of pretty strong numbers. Stephanie rule of cnbc, a big positive. Charles payne, fox business said even though the economists keep saying its impossible, the numbers are terrific. Steve leaseman, cnbc said bring a lot of folks back. Christine romans of cnn, big hiring. Rick santelli of cnbc, really solid numbers. Good news, americans are getting back to work. We need to make sure we reopen responsibly, smartly, safely, the things you were talking about, knowing what to do, how to do it, how to do it right. Because the health and safety, as you mentioned, of our families is important and it includes Economic Health as well. We have that report today with a stellar jobs report. Mr. President , i also wanted to point out today that yesterday the democrats in the house passed their 100 partisan version of a Highway Infrastructure bill. The, they coopted a bipartisan issue, completely cut out republicans, completely cut them out of the conversation. Not only that, but House Democrats added a laundry list of really leftwing proposals in what they passed yesterday in the house. In a sense, its groundhogs day for the Green New Deal. This farleft fantasy has become a recurring nightmare, and we saw it yesterday on the floor of the house of representatives. The democrats must be taking their cue from joe biden. The Biden Campaign is promoting the Green New Deal as, he said, a crucial framework. Biden has put the Green New Deal author, representative alexandria ocasiocortez, in charge of his climate tasks task force. This is where the democrats want to take the country. The truth is joe biden has just now become the trojan horse for the far, far left. And House Democrats partisan highway bill, to me, mr. President , is a road to nowhere. It is going to see no light of day in the United States senate. Infrastructure must be bipartisan, especially now. The house should follow the senates lead. Senate republicans in the majority have worked across the aisle with our democrat colleagues to make this serious issue into policy that is good for all of america. And our bipartisan bill is ready to go. Americas transportation infrastructure act passed the Senate Environment and public works, the committee that i chair, passed unanimously 210. The landmark legislation will fix our nations roads, bridges, and tunnels. We invest 287 billion in our highways over five years. Thats a 27 increase over current highway funding, and its important. Its especially critical to our economic recovery today. Mr. President , we still have close to 20 million americans out of work due to the coronavirusrelated lockdowns. Jumpstarting highway projects is going to speed the recovery and it will help fuel job creation. Our bill benefits the entire country, both urban areas, rural areas. Thats why we Work Together in a bipartisan way. And its i will tell you when i say its overwhelmingly bipartisan, because we have both Bernie Sanders and President Trump supporting it. In fact, President Trump called on congress to pass the senate highway bill in his state of the union address. No question, its the right medicine for our roads. It cuts red tape to speed up construction. It makes our roads safer, stronger actually as well because of the reinforcement efforts. And it sends money directly to states so people can get back to work. Americans deserve safe, reliable, efficient transportation system. So the democrats in the house of representatives need fo get serious. Their partisan bill, 100 partisan bill is going nowhere. It does seem that the democrats in the house are all about politics and nothing about progress, the progress we need to make as a country. They are over there pushing socialism and right here, mr. President , we are pushing solutions. The country needs less grand standing and it needs more governing. So im going to continue to work across the aisle. Well work with the administration and will not quit until our bipartisan Highway Infrastructure bill passes and becomes law. Together, mr. President , we can rebuild america. And now, mr. President , to the issue today on the floor of the United States senate. Were considering Critical National security legislation. The National Defense authorization act, ndaa, lays out americas defense priorities for the coming years. The ndaa supports our Brave Service Men and women and it sets policies to defend our nation. The investments made through this bill safeguard our country from foreign threats, and there are many, mr. President. This is why the ndaa has over the years become mustpass legislation. In fact, the defense policy bill has passed every year for decades. The Senate Continues this proud tradition in taking up this, the 60th annual National Defense authorization act. This legislation is bipartisan to its core. It reflects equal input from republicans and democrats. The senate Armed Services committee adopted 229 bipartisan amendments before approving the legislation this month by a vote in committee of 252. The ndaa will ensure a smart, strong strategic defense for our nation and it will maintain america is dominant in a dangerous world. The bill supports 741 billion in fiscal year 2021 defense funding, and thats in line with the bipartisan budget act of 2019. It implements the National Defense strategy to promote a Strong Military deterrent and to strive for a lasting peace. Youve seen it, mr. President. Youve discussed it with the world distracted, china has become emboldened. The Chinese Military has stepped up its aggression against its neighbors and in the South China Sea. Russia also poses a growing threat. China and russia will not put their ambitions on hold for coronavirus or anything else. They wont wait for us or for them to recover from the Coronavirus Crisis and resolve our domestic disputes. America must keep china and russia both in check. The ndaa promotes a winning strategy. It modernizes our nuclear defenses. It maintains our hightech edge over china and russia. The ndaa honors our commitment to our dedicated men and women in uniform. It delivers a wellearned pay raise for our troops as well as highquality housing, health care, Child Care Services for military families at home as well as abroad. The ndaa ensures our force is ready to fight and to win. That means to fight and to win todays wars as well as the wars of the future. It provides stateoftheart equipment and tools our troops need to defend america all around the world. The ndaa will help spur innovation. It invests in new technologies, artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons, biotechnology, cybersecurity. The bill modernizes our pentagons Financial Management system. It provides for greater accountability and transparency at the defense department. This works to protect taxpayer money. The ndaa also includes innovative legislation that promotes a cleaner environment. Now, in saying that, mr. President , i mean that my bipartisan bill with Sheldon Whitehouse of rhode island and Shelley Moore capito and tom carper of delaware, we have included as part of the ndaa the environment and Public Works Committee approved legislation unanimously. Its called the use it act. Its included in the ndaa. And use it is short for utilizing significant emissions with innovative technologies. Thats why im saying that were doing more to clean the environment. The use it act will help researchers find commercial uses for captured Carbon Dioxide emissions. It supports the use of carboncapture Technology Including direct air capture. This groundbreaking research is already happening in my home state of wyoming. Its taking place at the integrated test center outside of gillette. The use it act will further this important work. It will apply our nations brightest minds to take carbon from the air, trap it, and transform it into valuable commercial products. Captured carbon can be used to extract oil from wells, wells that would not otherwise be profitable. It is also used to make Building Materials and carbon fibers. It can also be used for medical purposes. The goal of the legislation is to innovate our way to a cleaner environment without onerous overregulation. So i want to thank the Armed Services Committee Chairman jim inhofe for bringing the use it act one step closer to becoming law. Mr. President , for the past four Years Congress has been able to pass the ndaa with strong topline defense funding. The bipartisan budget act sets overtall defense funding overall defense funding levels for fiscal year 2021. Longerterm funding is necessary, but its uncertain. Democrats have proposed stronger defense funding in the past they have opposed stronger defense funding in the past especially during the obamabiden administration. This history suggests that if democrats win the election, they will slow our nations critical defense investments. The ndaa strengthens americas hand to stand up to foreign aggressors, to stand up against those people who are against american values. Our ndaa will protect American Leadership in the world, enhance our standing with adversaries and allies alike. Above all, it sends a clear message to our enemies, cannot defeat the United States so dont even try. Every senator, mr. President , should support this smart, strong, strategic approach to americas defense. Lets honor this proud tradition. Lets support our troops, and let us once again pass the ndaa, this for the 60th time. Mr. President , i do ask unanimous consent that brook hornburger, an intern in my office, be granted floor privileges for the day. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Barrasso mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that macy tipton, an intern in senator pauls office, be granted privileges for the day. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Barrasso thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from california. Mrs. Feinstein im delighted to be on the floor with the distinguished senator from texas. In order for us to proceed, i ask unanimous consent the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 1253, and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. In legislative session. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk s. 1255, a bill to afly requirements relating to delivery sales of cigarettes, to delivery sales of electronic nicotine delivery systems, and for other purposes. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will be the committee is discharged, and the senate will proceed to the legislation. Mrs. Feinstein thank you, mr. Chairman. I ask further that the cornyn amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to, the bill as amended be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. Mrs. Feinstein i defer to the distinguished senator from texas. Mr. Cornyn mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from texas. Mr. Cornyn im delighted to be here today with my friend, the senator from california, with whom i have worked so closely on so many issues. We have the members of the senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Select committee on intelligence. Its always a pleasure to work with her and her staff. Today is really an important day. Its been long in coming, but finally the senate has now passed legislation that requires the same proof of age requirement that is needed for Tobacco Products for ecigarettes and vaping products, particularly those that are sold over the internet. Thats what were focused on here. But last december, i met a 16yearold young woman named an na carey, who is one of my personal heroes. She was one of the students at her high school who became addicted to ecigarettes. Ecigarettes are a nicotine delivery device, is really what it is. The only difference between that and smoking a cigarette is the is the fire, is the products of combustion, but its just as addictive as cigarettes. But she started seeing symptoms that are uncommon in an otherwise healthy teenager. She became extremely lethargic. She experienced random and severe chest pain. Two additional xrays came back clear so her doctors released her, but her Health Struggles continued. Eventually, she was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with chemicalinduced pneumonia in both of her lungs. While im glad to report that she has fully recovered and is now using her story to prevent more teens from going down the same path. And what she told me in fort worth not that long ago is that these ecigarettes and vaping devices are everywhere. Theyre everywhere. Even though youre not supposed to use Tobacco Products or nicotine under the age of 21. And so all this bill requires and its really rather modest. Its unbelievable it took us this long to get it here today, as modest as it is that at the time of delivery, if you buy a product online, that the buyer has to sign and show an i. D. Proving their age. Its the same thing you would have to do if you made a physical purchase at a Retail Establishment or if you were buying tobacco online. For some reason, ecigarettes and vaping devices have been operating on a different playing field, but no longer. So thats why im so pleased to be here with senator feinstein to pass the preventing online sales of ecigarettes to children act. Of course just to summarize, this legislation would put the same safeguards for ecigarettes as traditional cigarettes purchased online. So for those who think that we never can do anything on a bipartisan basis, that we cant pass laws because were hopelessly polarized and dysfunctional, maybe this will provide some source of encouragement to the American People, but also demonstrate that we are doing our best to try to protect childrens health, particularly against addictive substances that are delivered through ecigarettes and vaping devices. So thank you, senator feinstein, for your leadership on this and your partnership. I yield back. Mrs. Feinstein mr. Chairman. The presiding officer the senator from california. Mrs. Feinstein i thank the senator from texas. He has been i have the pleasure of serving with him on the Judiciary Committee. We have been there for a long time. I have come over the years to have Great Respect for him. So its a particular asset for me to be able to share this authorship of this bill. I rise to speak on the preventing online sales of ecigarettes to children. Our commonsense bill would treat ecigarettes the same way as traditional cigarettes and other Tobacco Products when it comes to purchasing them online. Can you believe it . You can buy ecigarettes online if youre 12 years old. There is no age requirement. This bill would help prevent children from illegally obtain ing ecigarettes by ensuring that online vendors are verifying the age of their customers, properly labeling packages, and checking identification upon delivery. Law exists today, as i said, for traditional cigarettes, and there is no reason that ecigarettes should be treated differently. An annual survey by the centers for Disease Control and prevention found that nearly 5. 3 Million Students are using ecigarettes. Five Million Students. Besides being illegal, the rate of ecigarette use among teenagers is growing. In 2019, almost 30 of High School Students reported using an ecigarette in the previous 30 days. Thats a 50 increase from the year before. So the popularity of them for younger and younger children is going up and up and up. According to the u. S. Surgeon general report, the developing adolescent brain is uniquely sensitive to nicotine. Other studies have shown that children exposed to nicotine may be at greater risk for experiencing deficits in attention and cognition, suffering from mood disorders, and engaging in drugseeking behavior. These effects may continue into adulthood, long after ecigarette use has stopped. Further, new Research Shows that young people who use ecigarettes are five times more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes within one year. So it clearly is a comeon for children to graduate from the ecigarette to the real cigarette. Given the effects of nicotine on children and the likelihood of them transitioning to traditional cigarette smoking, it is critical that we close any legal loophole that allow underaged youth to use these cigarettes. Studies show that the easiest ways for underaged users to purchase ecigarettes is online. Our bipartisan bill would require cigarette retailers to meet the same requirements as those that sell traditional cigarettes online. I believe we have 27 cosponsors equally divided between our two parties, senator, so im very pleased about that. And by applying the same safeguards, we have worked on with online sales of traditional cigarettes, our bill would ensure that online ecigarette sellers are verifying the age of their customers, properly labeling packages, and checking identification at delivery. While there is limited research on the effects that vaping has had on coronavirus patients, the virus is known to attack the lungs, and people with underlying conditions are particularly susceptible. Last year, we saw a mysterious lung illness sicken thousands of people that had a history of vaping. So it stands to reason that any damage already caused by vaping may further compromise a persons ability to fight off the coronavirus. I want to thank senator cornyn for working with me on this important legislation and our 26 colleagues who joined as cosponsors to address the epidemic of ecigarette use among american youth. Thank you, mr. President , and i yield the floor. Mr. Sasse mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from nebraska. Mr. Sasse are we in a quorum call . The presiding officer no. Mr. Sasse thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , i rise today with a heaviness in my heart for what we see happening in the last 36 hours in hong kong. Freedomloving people in hopping copping for the in hong kong for the last years have known the most basic human rights and we see the communist party of china coming in and trying to steele their dignity and steal their dignity and freedom. They have in real and tangible fear of what is going to happen tonight and this weekend and next week. Yesterday was july 1. July 1 is the anniversary 23 years ago of hong kongs return to chinese sovereignty under the sinobritish joint declaration. Understand that agreement, the communist party of china made a pledge, not just to hong kongers and the british, but to the watching world and they said that it would guarantee they would guarantee a certain level of autonomy and freedom to the hong kong community, that hong kong could not be forced to live under the kind of despotism that the mainland chinese are forced to experience. The communist party announced to the world in signing that declaration that hong kongers would be retaining a lot of freedom. Well, since that handover in 2007 and especially since 2003, the people of hong kong have been holding prodemocrats protests and celebrations every year on the july 1 holiday. And annually on july 1 they have reminded the world of what the pledge was of the communist party in that agreement of july 1997. Yesterday, though, protesting and keys manning basic human rights and freedoms from hong kong became a crime. Under the new National Security law, to speak out, to exercise your freedom of assembly, your freedom of speech, freedom of the press issues is considered an act of secession, subversion and terrorism. Thats what the new National Security law that the chinese have forced on hong kong stipulates. Thousands of people thousands of brave freedom lovers flooded into the streets anyway and they celebrated yesterday that anniversary and they demanded that their representatives whove sold them out to beijing would continue to testify to the pledges that were made 23 years ago yesterday. At the end of yesterday, several hundred of these freedomloving protesters were arrested and ten of them were charged with suspected violations your honor the new National Security under the new National Security law. Chinese government officials now seem to be saying that these folks, these ten, are going to be extradited to Mainland China and face their charges there. The protests weve seen in hong kong over the last 1516 months were specifically because of an extradition law and supposedly according to the government officials in hong kong, this rule, this intended legislation was going to be suspended. Well, instead, it looks like it is in effect connected to this new National Security law. So yesterday marks the beginning of a new reign of terror in hong kong. It is abundantly clear that the communist party seeks to turn hong kong into a police state, no different than tibet. The Hong Kong Government no longer derives any power from the consent of the people it governed but, rather, it seeks to rule solely by its cooperation with the c. C. P. s security apparatus. We are witnessing signs of the coming crackdown. Even before this was signed, activists including martin lee, had hong kongs father of democracy had been rounded up, and many are expecting the same fate for themselves in the coming days. Many folks have begun to say goodbye to their families in anticipation that theyre going to be rounded up and hauled off into another one of the chinese reeducation camps, or whatever orwellian euphemism we want to say for the new and potentially coming auschwitzs. Im grieved reading over the last several days what are especially painful and tearjerking farewell messages from many of these democracy activists in hong kong on social media heading up to midnight on june 30 before the new law took effect. My heart ached as i read joshua wong tweeting out psalm 23 verse 4, i may walk through the valleys as dark as death, but i wont be afraid. You are with me and your shepherds rod make me feel safe. This was mere hours after announcing that he and other members of a democracy Political Organization would be closing down their organizations. Prodemocratic parties and proindependence parties like the Hong Kong National front and student localism announced on social media that they too disbanded and will try to continue their fight for freedom from abroad. If you read the National Security law the communist party is imposing, it looks like theyre going to try to claim extraterritorial powers over hong kongers in compile regarding freedom of speech issues in other places in the world of this new chinese law. Videos of Restaurant Owners and cafe owners are up on social media and you can see them removing their prodemocracy posters. Their signs celebrating the freedom that hong kong has known in the past, these folks are tearing down these signs in their own restaurants and in their places of assembly because they assume that they are likely to be punish under the new National Security law if they keep up signs they have had in their places of business in communing and breaking bread over the past years. This serves as a chilling reminder of how the c. C. P. Rules through fear which it turns into selfcensorship. Hong kong based twitter accounts deleted in mass. Individuals fear for their safety if they continue to use the platform and they fear retribution for previous suites supporting democracy and accountable government, which is a fundamental human thing to be able to say or do or talk about or plead for. Like in Mainland China, twitter will undoubtedly become a actual reserved only for the oppressors, no longer for the oppressed. I feel joshuas request that, quote, if my vote will not be heard soon, i hope that the International Community will continue to speak up for the hong kongers and step you have concrete efforts fo defend our last bit of freedom, close quote. I i fear that joshuas request will be met with silence. I fear that we will fail Ronald Reagans challenge to us that we would be, quote, staunch in our conviction, that freedom is not the sole per rockive prerogative of the lucky few. For we are all created in gods image and our rights come to us from god via nature, not because of the benevolence of some government. I fear that we in the United States and those in the International Community will just simply move on from the kind of imminent crackdown in hong kong that we are going to see, that is going it to have echos of what happened in Tiananmen Square in june of 1989 and that so many people just decide to allow the Chinese Government to whitewash and pretend never happened. We us in not allow to had a a i pray that we in this body will live up to our convictions and speak out about the communist party is is going to do to the freedomloving people of hong kong. Thank you, mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from oklahoma. Mr. Inhofe mr. President , first let me make a comment about the brilliant remarks from my friend from nebraska. It happens that i was in hong kong when that took over, when that happened. I saw the people knowing what was going to happen to them after all the promises that were made and everything that we suspected and dreaded is has now happened. I appreciate the fact that there is somebody who cares enough to call this to the American People. Mr. Sasse mr. President , if the chairman would yield for a moment . Mr. Inhofe yes. Mr. Sasse i would like to praise the chairman for the work that he does, flying around the world can be hard on bodies when youve got all the work you have to do at home, and you go around the world and you encourage freedomloving people. And i know that many, many wonderful folks in taiwan who are fearful because of what they see happening in hong kong know that they have had aning be advocate in the chairman of the Armed Services committee for many, many years. To the people of taiwan who are also scared in this moment, jim inhofe is an heroic speaker and i want to thank him for the work hes done there. Mr. Inhofe thank you very much. Thank you. I appreciate that. Its been a tough time here. I would say hes made my day. Over the past few days weve been working on this National Defense authorization bill, one that we pass every year and have passed every year for 60 years. My colleagues have done good work on this bill so far. We took requests very seriously, and we put hundreds of them in this bill. We actually did. Over 700 of the papers and amendments have been put in this bill. One of the reasons we wanted to do this is because we didnt used to do it. But we actually this time did. A problem that existed last year didnt exist this year. There is resistance on the floor for getting amendments. That resistance is gone now and i think were going to be able to do it. Nonetheless, this bill was written by the democrats and republicans in the United States senate. They did a very good job. But when you stop and consider that we have as many, we actually have a few, over 700 amendments that are part of this bill now. So this was made by the members here, not by, you know, any other group. Its not the way its always been done. And we had a great markup. In fact, our markup ended up, i call it unanimous because it was passed by a 252, and the two who voted against it are not big on the military anyway. So i call it unanimous, and thats unusual. Unusual. You get a bill this size to pass unanimously out of committee to the senate floor. And this is going to happen today. I feel very good about the progress were making. When we come back from this fourth of july recess, were going to able to finish it and it should be in good shape. In a few moments ill be asking for unanimous consent on adoption of the managers package and to make six amendments in order. By my estimation, this is the first time in the last, well, at least the last few years that weve really considered and voted on this many individual amendments on the floor. Senator reed, i have to Say Something about senator reed. Sure, we differ on some things, but weve reached agreement on virtually every issue. I was glad weve been in agreement on amendments of. We were pushing hard to have more and. We wanted to consider as many as possible and we wanted every member to have a say in this bill, and thats exactly what happened. Im glad we were able to reach a bment path forward to complete consideration of this bill right after the recess, and thats exactly what were going to do. Going over a lot of reasons this bill is so important over the past week, so ill keep it simple. Heres why we need to pass this bill. First of all, it gives our troops the needed and deserved raise. It authorizes more than 30 kinds of special pay for our troops at various levels of hazard, things that havent been done before. It makes sure our military family this is a big thing. I hear people, and i have a very close friend in here that was talking about the fact on the floor that while our main problem we are facing as a nation as a threat, our problems are china and russia. And yet, made the comment and observation that we spend more on military than the two of them put together, and thats true. But i did want to remind him and i did on the floor yesterdan for that. The reason for that is the most expensive thing we have in the military that we deal with every year are people. We take care of people. Remember last year one of the main thrusts of our bill last year was to get all of those housing things that were privatized ten years before where they havent been performing very well, to take care of our troops and their families. We spent time doing that. You take a communist country like china or russia, they dont care about the troops. They give them a gun and say go out and kill people. No wonder we have to spend more. Thats the reason were going to continue to do that. And this bill does that. There are countries out there who hate everything america stands for and want to do us harm. We know thats right. I get tickled sometimes when i hear people talking about, well, we dont want to do this because thats going to upset them. We dont want to keep gitmo open because that might upset the terrorists. Well, welcome to the real world. So this gives our troops the equipment and the training and the resources they need to defend this nation. I never want to put ourselves in a position where you have a fair fight in america. We dont want fair fights. We want to go into combat with a clear advantage over our adversaries, and this bill does that. It makes sure that the pentagon is situated to support our troops wherever they are. But it also protects taxpayer dollars and ensures accountability to the taxpayer. Its very important, this bill does that. This bill also does a lot of good things, things that we all support. And so thats why were passing the bill today. Its a nobrainer. Its not a matter of if were going to pass it. Its a matter of when. Its down now to the hours. Well be set up so when we come back from the recess well be able to pass this bill. Now keep in mind we pass it and thats not the end of it because the house has to pass their bills, and of course then the president would sign the bill. We go into conference between the house and senate, and before the president siebz the bill, we have signs the bill we have to have not just a conference but likely it will go to the big four. If it does that, thats another process. Very likely it could be november when we actually end up passing this bill. Our absolute deadline has always been december 31. Well be well in advance of that. I know the president has strong feelings about one of the provisions of the bill. He says if thats in there, hell veto the bill. We all know what that is. Its controversial. Its the one, the worn amendment that was put in. All but one republican opposed that. I have to say that so people can hear that and understand it because that was true. Thats why passing the bill, its not a matter of if. It is going to pass. This is a very good bill. Its a mustpass bill. One of the things that happens with a mustpass bill is everyone who cant get their bill in other interest areas passed, they know this bill is going to pass so they try to put amendments on. And a lot of amendments, we have taken a lot of amendments that have nothing to do with defense, but nonetheless we know its necessary. And its been necessary for 60 years. This is nothing new. So id remind our colleagues that we have a long ways to go yet, and well make sure that the conference report is a bipartisan one when we get to that point so that both parties can support it. Its exactly what we have right now. I have to say with senator reed, we very carefully weighed our portions of the bill as well as amendments to make sure that we were fair to both sides, both the republicans and the democrats. And thats the product that we have in front of us. So we have the brave patriots who fought for our nation, 250 years ago, to the 2. 1 million who serve today, and this bill is by them and its for them. This weekend as you celebrate independence day, think about what this holiday stands for. Think about what it takes to protect the freedom that we celebrate. Theres no doubt in my mind that this bill will give our troops what they need. The bill will make American Families safer. It will enable us to stand up for our Democratic Values around the world, and we will be passing this bill and be very proud of it. With that, i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from pennsylvania. Mr. Toomey mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that we dispense with the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Toomey thank you, mr. President. Im here on the senate floor and with my colleague from maryland. Im here this morning in part to condemn Chinese Communist partys actions, their efforts to swallow hong kong into the mainland, and silence the dissent of the people of hong kong, but im also here to do something about that. You know, for decades, hong kong has been one of the most successful, thriving societies on the planet. An indispensable part of their success has been their freedom. Hong kong has enjoyed a vibrant free press, free speech, freedom to worship. They have had an independent judiciary and a partially Democratic Electoral representative system of government for a long time now. Hong kongs one of the freest places in asia, and because of these freedoms and the hong kong peoples natural entrepreneurial spirit, hong kong is just one of the most successful and vibrant cities there has ever been. And yet for years, maybe because of this, the Chinese Communist party has pursued a Systematic Campaign to snuff out these basic freedoms in hong kong and bring the hong kongers who live there into line. And the intensity of the Chinese Communist aggression appears to be growing by the day. Their campaign shouldnt be very surprising. Just look at the recent actions, the genocidal action towards the we juries, or the aggressive action towards neighboring countries in the South China Sea or toward the entire world since the covid19 virus was first detected in wuhan. The just rule of law, these ideas are entirely antithetical to the core of the Chinese Communist partys commission. I think several years from now we will look back on july 1 of 2020 as a milestone in the Chinese Communist partys aggression and hostility towards hong kong. Yesterday, mr. President , was the first day of the Chinese Communist partys new socalled National Security law went into effect. News reports described the law as, quote, tailormade to bring hong kongs prodemocracy movement to heel. This picture was taken in the last 48 hours. Thousands and thousands of people of hong kong taking to the streets to simply demand their freedoms, peacefully, to protest, to insist that they continue to have the freedoms that help make their society such great society. But tragically, 300 of these people were arrested last night simply because they were protesting the Chinese Communist party. Some of the arrests were made because hong kongers possessed items that called for hong kongs independence. Thats right. People arrested simply for holding a sign, arrested for holding a flag. Among them was a 15yearold girl. 15yearold girl. Her crime she held a flag that said hong kong independence. Another was a 19yearold young man. His crime was that he had a prodemocracy sticker on his phone. Imagine. Imagine the nerve of wanting to have selfdetermination and expressing that with a sticker on your phone. So he was arrested. His parents attempted tovisi their son in jail and bring him dinner, and the police refused their visit. Its not at all clear if this young man will be able to get out even on bail. So the Chinese Communist party has very rapidly started enforcing this new law, and i think its because they realize whats at stake. They know that hong kong the people of hong kong fervently believe in the importance of an open and free society. They believe in and they want the ability to practice liberal values, and they want a system of transparent, accountable government, one thats elected by and responsive to the people. You see, the vision of the people of hong kong for their own city, for their own society is anathema to the Chinese Communist party because the Chinese Communist partys deepest fear is that mainland chinese citizens will demand the freedoms that hong kongers enjoy. And that quest for freedom on the mainland would pose an unacceptable risk to the authoritarian control of the communist regime. And so the Chinese Communist party is cracking down. We have been witnessing it just in recent hours. This new socalled National Security law is unilaterally imposed on the people of hong kong without any input of the people of hong kong, and that is in direct contravention to chinese commitments to hong kong and the International Community. The law was also purposefully written in a very vague and ambiguous manner, designed to essentially criminalize any behavior or speech on the part of a resident of hong kong that the Chinese Communist party does not approve of. Now, the law may be ambiguous, but the message behind it is not. If a 19yearold can now be imprisoned for having a sticker on his phone or a 15yearold girl can be imprisoned for having a flag, then no one is safe, and thats the message that beijing wants to send to the people of hong kong. We can arrest you. We can imprison you if you misbehave, so think twice about what you say, where you go, with whom you meet, what you read, what you write, maybe even think twice about what you think. This law sadly looks like it means the end of hong kongs autonomy and the freedoms which underpin this its social and economic vibrancy, and were seeing the effects. As i said, hundreds of arrested that occurred just yesterday as tens of thousands of courageous hong kongers here we see some of them pouring into the streets to shout and chant and demonstrate peacefully to tell the Chinese Communist parties that they are not going to back down, but we have also seen hong kongers who have been forced to scrub their social media history, booksellers who are intending to remove books from their shelves, hong kong prodemocracy political figures saying that they have to lessen their activism and rethink their strategy, and how can you blame them . How can you blame them . They could face years in prison if the hong kong authorities at the bidding of the people in beijing choose to target them. I think we can fully expect independent media voices in hong kong to be shuttered and beijing censorship and surveillance apparatus to flourish in the coming months and years. The fact is hong kongs vibrancy is being throttled by the Chinese Communist party. So im on the Senate Floor Today to request passage of a piece of legislation that responds to this, mr. President. Im pleased to report its already received unanimous support from both chambers of commerce. I introduced this legislation with my colleague, senator van hollen of maryland, to create real penalties on those responsible for this campaign by the Chinese Communist party to end hong kongs free way of life. Its called the hong kong autonomy act, and the bill would impose mandatory sanctions on anyone involved in taking action to attack the basic freedoms that were promised to the people of hong kong. Critically, our legislation also takes another step. It penalizes banks that choose to finance the erosion of hong kongs autonomy, banks that would put marginal profits ahead of basic human rights of the people of hong kong. And i am really pleased that we are here this morning, i think were on the verge of sending this legislation to the president s desk, because America Needs to take meaningful steps like this to push back on the Chinese Communist party. And we should remember that this aggression towards hong kong is not limited to hong kong. The Chinese Communist party is intent to spread its influence and power worldwide, and in the process it is meant to simultaneously undermine and challenge free and open societies. I should point out the spread of the Chinese Communist party influence around the world poses a very real threat to us, to americans, to our national and economic interests, and thats part of why the hong kong autonomy act is so important. Its not only an effort to shield freedomloving hong kongers from this continuing escalation of aggression by the Chinese Communists, but the bill is a larger signal to china. Its a message that the United States and the free world are no longer willing to look past some of the worst behavior thats been occurring. Its a message that our patients has run out. China is being warned to expect stiff resistance, stiff resistance to stealing intellectual american property, to committing genocide, to militarizing artificial islands and infringing on other nations sovereign waters, and trampling on the basic freedoms of the people of hong kong. I could go on, but suffice it to say, mr. President , that this is occurring in the context of a great battle, a great battle about what model the world is going to pursue. Will the citizens of the United States and other democratic nations around the world continue to foster the liberal democratic model that spread around the world after world war ii, with open societies, the just rule of law, greater Economic Freedom underpinned by respect for private property, basic human rights like the free speech and the freedom of free press and the freedom to worship, all of the prosperity and the elevation of Human Dignity that comes from human freedom and Democratic Values from our model, that is the model that is up against the dark shadows of the authoritarian governments that are constantly pushing to systematically erode, corrode, and warp the values and freedoms that we cherish. Mr. President , through this bill, the u. S. Senate makes clear which side were on. And at this point i would like to yield to the senator from maryland. Mr. Van hollen mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from maryland. Mr. Van hollen thank you, mr. President. I want to salute my friend and colleague from pennsylvania, mr. Toomey, for his remarks and for his leadership on this very vital issue of standing up for the rights and freedom of people in hong kong and, as he said, sending a signal to others around the world who would like to stamp out human rights and political freedom. When senator toomey and i saw that the Chinese Communist party was taking its more recent steps to crack down on freedom in hong kong, we introduced the hong kong accountability act. That act just passed the United States Senate Unanimously last week and was sent to the house of representatives. This is a very fast turnaround from either of the chambers here in the United States congress, and i want to thank Speaker Pelosi and her republican partner and all the democrats and republicans in the house of representatives for coming together so quickly on this legislation. The legislation before us made a technical fix to the bill that senator toomey and i introduced and which this Senate Passed out last week, a technical fix to comply with the constitutional requirements as to where a bill that might generate revenue begins. But with that technical fix, Speaker Pelosi and the Republican Leadership sent it right back. And why did they send it right back owe quickly . So quickly . Because this is an urgent moment. In fact, our timing could not be more critical. On tuesday, president xi imposed the National Security law on hong kong by fiat. It was only after the law was passed that beijing unveiled its provisions. Even hong kongs chief executive and president xi loyalist lam said she had been allowed to see a draft before the laws passage. And as senator toomey indicated, this law is written broadly enough that it will criminalize speech and Peaceful Assembly. Anybody who publishes antibeijing viewpoints could be punished by life imprisonment. Saying anything seen to be undermining the ruling communist partys authority would be a violation. This is consistent with Mainland Chinas approach, which has virtually eliminated independent journalism and severely restricted n. G. O. s. Here are some highlights of the law that was just passed i should say imposed. It now mandates that the Hong Kong Government undertake, quote, National Security education, unquote, in school, social organizations, and media outlets. The law mandates that anyone entering Public Office in hong kong swear allegiance to beijing. Whats more, the law applies to anyone anywhere. It can even apply to offenses committed outside the region by a person who is not a permanent resident of the region. That means a United States citizen penning an editorial that argues for sanctions against china. That person could technically fall afoul of the new law for, quote, inciting hatred, unquote, against beijing. Legal experts believe that this is even broader than the chinese criminal law applied in Mainland China. As senator toomey said, despite this despite this threat, despite passage of a law that would punish people for up to life imprisonment for expressing their views, thousands of protesters took to the streets yesterday and staged the largest rally in hong kong this year. Hundreds of Hong Kong Police officers moved in swiftly to squash the dissent and implement the law. They fired pepper spray and Water Cannons to disperse them. Some protesters were chanting, quote, hong kong independence the only way out, unquote. The statement said such slogans are, quote, suspected to be inciting or abetting others to commit secession, unquote, and may violate the new law. Mr. President , the United States must stand with the people of hong kong, and thats what this bill says. This bill says, we stand with the people of hong kong. As senator toomey indicated, it would impose mandatory sanctions on individuals and firms who violate chinas obstacles to the people of obligations to the people of hong kong under the joint declaration and the basic law. Rights of freedom of speech and freedom of association and the right from arbitrary or unlawful arrest, detention, and imprisonment. It goes beyond that to impose mandatory sanctions on banks that do business with individuals who are complicit in undermining these freedoms and the rights of the people of hong kong. So, mr. President , im glad we acted quickly. As you can see, the government of china is moving by the day to squash the rights and freedoms of the people of hong kong. We need to move with urgency to send a statement that we stand with the people of hong kong. In a moment im going to be joining my colleague, senator toomey, in asking for unanimous consent. Before i turn it back over to him, let me just say, assuming we get that it looks like we will i hope that President Trump will sign this immediately immediately. As a country, republicans and democrats together need to send a strong signal that we will not stand for the actions of beijing undermining their own agreements, agreements under International Law which they are bound to. And we will not stand still and silent and do nothing while they crack down on freedom in hong kong. And now, mr. President , i yield to senator toomey from pennsylvania. The presiding officer the senator from pennsylvania. Mr. Toomey thank you, mr. President. And again let me just administration how grateful i am for the stress how grateful i am for the passionate persuasion and advocacy of senator value hollen throughout in entire effort. I am very grateful to him, as i am to other colleagues who helped headache this happen. I ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h. R. 7440, which was received from the house. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk h. R. 7440, an act to impose sanctions with respect to foreign persons involved in the erosion of certain obligations of china with respect to hong kong and for other purposes. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding to the measure . Without objection, the senate will proceed. Mr. Toomey mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from is recognized. Mr. Toomey i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection, so ordered. Mr. Toomey thank you, mr. President. I note the absence of a quorum. Selfofficer the clerk will call the the presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call ms. Collins mr. President in. The presiding officer the senior senator from maine. Ms. Collins mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Collins mr. President , i see there are those colleagues and friends on the floor waiting to speak, and i just want to assure them that i will be very rapid. First, mr. President , i would ask unanimous consent that megan mcclullogh be granted floor privileges throughout the remainder of this congress. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Collins thank you, mr. President. Mr. President , today im pleased to be joined by my colleague from west virginia, senator joe manchin, in introducing the advancing uniform transportation opportunities for veterans act. Our bill, known as the auto act, would lessen the financial burden for severely disabled veteran whose require special adaptive equipment to drive a Motor Vehicle by increasing the access to the department of Veterans Affairs automobile grant program. Mr. President , the v. A. Is currently authorized to provide eligible veterans with a onetime grant of approximately 21, 400 to be used to purchase a new or used automobile and necessary adaptive equipment, such as specialized pedals or switches. The grant is often used together with the v. A. Special adaptive equipment grants, which help veterans purchase adaptive equipment such as powered lifts for an existing automobile or van to make is safe for a veterans use. Although veterans can receive multiple specially adaptive equipment grants over the course of their lives, they are for some reason limited to a single grant for the vehicle. The current limitation fails to take into account that a disabled veteran will need more than one vehicle in his or her lifetime. In fact, the department of transportation reports that the average useful life of a vehicle something 11. Is 11. 5 years. According to the v. A. Independent budget prepared by the disabled american veterans, paralyzed veterans of america, and the veterans of foreign wars, the average cost to replace modified vehicles ranges from 40,000 to 65,000 when the vehicle is new and 21,000 to 35,000 when the vehicle is used. These are significant costs for a severely disabled veteran to bear. To replace his or her primary mode of transportation. That is why veterans should be eligible to receive an automobile grant once every ten years. And our bipartisan bill would do exactly that. Mr. President , one disabled veteran in maine, Neil Williams from shirley, use add v. A. Automobile grant in 1999 to purchase an an adaptive vehicle, a ford ecoline van. He has had to purchase several adaptive vehicles since 19ment, with each one since 1999, with each one lasting 250,000 miles until they were no longer roadworthy. Thats a lot of miles particularly over maines roads and highways. Neils current vehicle now has over 100,000 miles, and he probably only has a short time before he will need a new one. He told me that purchasing a new van, which he uses for his wheelchair and then he transfers to the drivers seat hes such an extraordinary person in what he is able to do. But hes told me that that new van will cost him well over 50,000, which is more than he paid for his home in rural maine. This is an enormous burden on veterans like neil who need to purchase expensive adaptive vehicles in order to drive safely. And also in order to maintain their independence. Our nation, mr. President , owes americas veterans our deepest gratitude. We must continue to honor that commitment to our veterans by supporting their needs, including the needs of disabled veterans who need Adaptive Technology for their vehicles long after they are discharged or retire from active duty. The auto for veterans act is an important step in helping those who have served our nation so honorably and sacrificed so much for our freedom. I urge all of my colleagues to join senator manchin and me in honoring and supporting our nations disabled veterans. Thank you, mr. President. And i would send the bill to the desk. The presiding officer the bill will be received and appropriately referred. Ms. Collins mr. President , i would suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the presiding officer the senator from iowas recognized. Mr. Grassley i made the presiding officer were in quorum call. Mr. Grassley i ask the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley i made a career in the senate of fighting against government waste, fraud, and abuse. And most recently i have found this waste in an office within the department of defense called the office of net assessment. Its purpose is to produce an annual net assessment, which is a longterm look at our militarys capabilities and those of our greatest adversaries. Im here to say to my colleagues that office has lost its way. When i began a review of stephon helpers contracting work at the office of net assessment, something didnt look right. So i asked the Inspector General to look into it. For those who are unaware, stephon helper was a central figure in the debunked collusion investigation. Stephon helper secretly recorded Trump Campaign officials during cross fire hurricane. Helper also received over 1 million taxpayer from the office of net assessment for several research projects. But the Inspector General found some problems with that contract. Office of net assessment didnt require helper to submit evidence that he actually talked to the people he cited in his work which included russian intelligence officers. Secondly, the office of net assessment couldnt provide sufficient documentation that helper conducted all of his work in accordance with the law. And, three, the office of net assessment didnt maintain sufficient documentation to comply with all federal contracting requirements and office of management and budget guidelines. The Inspector General also found that these problems were not unique just to helpers contracts, which indicates then systematic issues within the office of net assessment. Moreover, its been reported that some of the individuals that helper cited as sources in his research have denied contributing to helpers work. Oddly now, office of National Assessment director james baker has repeatedly told me that helpers deliverables were highquality, quote, unquote, high quality, and then another quote, qormd to the conformed to the requirements set in the contract. Quote, unquote. So what planet does the office of net assessment live on . The office spends almost 20 million a year of taxpayers money every year yet according to a deposition of mr. Baker, the office of net assessment hasnt performed any annual net assessments since 2007. A net assessment is the office of net assessments core mission. It even says so in the title. And so its purpose of doing net assessment got lost along the way. Moreover, after i began my oversight work at the office of net assessment, a department of defense directive regulating the office of net assessment was changed to provide cover for the units lackluster performance. Now isnt that convenient . When your work is to do net assessment and youve been in existence for decades and since 2007 you havent been doing your net assessment, you change issue a directive with what the office of net assessment is all about. They did it pretty simply on april 18, 2020, the move shell was removed from the december 23, 2009 version of the directive that required the office of net assessment to produce what their title said, net assessments. The new version also changed the office of net assessments Research Scope to generic research, steamingly untethered to seemingly untethered to a net assessment. How convenient. This swamp needs to be drained. Last week i introduced an amendment to the defense bill that does several things. First it reduces office of net assessments budget to 10 million a year instead of 20 million a year. Second, my amendment requires the secretary of defense to create a comprehensive plan to ensure that the office of net assessment performs what the title of the agency says its supposed to do, an annual net assessment and complies at the same time with every dollar they get federal contacting requirements. So this would take it back to the reason why it was first created decades ago. Third, the amendment would require the department of defense Inspector General to study and report on the office of net assessments contracting failures and determine if the net assessment can be done for less than 10 million. And, fourth, it requires the Government Accountability office to perform an audit of the effectiveness of the comprehensive plan. Right now its pretty clear the office of net assessment lacks leadership and discipline and it and its also pretty clear it has wasted tens of millions of dollars over the years. Congress must take a stand. Thats why im here to encourage my colleagues to support my amendment. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from utah. Mr. Lee mr. President , before we break for the 4th of july recess, i think its important for the senate to go on record condemning the rising tide of mob violence we see across the country. And the increasingly prevalent mob mentality thats fueling it. The violence struck home for me this week when one of my constituents was shot after an armed mob surrounded his vehicle in provo, utah. This resolution is not controversial. Even in these divisive times, i think its something we can all agree on. I want to read through some highlights right now so you can get a feel for it. Quote, the United States of america was founded in 1776 on universal principles of freedom, justice, and human equality. Throughout our nations history, americans have struggled to realize those ideals, but nonetheless make greater progress toward them than any other nation on earth. The United States is a diverse nation committed to cultivating respect, friendship, and justice across all such differences and protecting the godgiven equal rights of all americans under the law. Americas Law Enforcement officers do an extremely difficult job extremely well, and despite the inexcusable misconduct of some, the overwhelming majority of such officers are honest, courageous, patriotic, and rightfully honored public servants. In recent weeks, people across the United States have organized legitimate, peaceful, constitutionally protected demonstrations against instances of Police Brutality and racial inequality. The presiding officer will the senator suspend for a second. The senate will be in order. Lets take our conversations out of the chamber. The senator from utah. Mr. Lee some of these americans have organized these peaceful protests. Asking for investigations into Serious Problems meriting investigation and reform. Some americans, unsatisfied with peaceful and positive demonstrations, have instigated and indulged in mob violence and criminal property destruction, not in service of any coherent cause but simply as an arrogant, bullying tantrum of selfrighteous ill liberalism and rage. These mobs have demonstrated not only contempt for Public Safety as evidenced among other things by unprovoked physical assault on a wisconsin state senator and the more recent shooting of a motorist in provo, utah. And common decency as evidenced by their obscene berating of Law Enforcement officers standing their posts and protecting their communities. But also their manifest ignorance and historical illiteracy as evidenced by their destruction of public memorials, to historical heroes like ulysses s. Grant, miguel servaf servafes, George Washington, hans christian, and a reported attack of a statue of abraham lincoln, financed in 1876 financed by entirely private donations from freed African American slaves. It is the sense of the senate that the rising tide of vandalism, mob violence, and the mob mentality that feeds it, including its cruel and intolerant cancel culture, should be condemned by all americans, that Peaceful Demonstrations and mob violence are different in kind. That physical assault and property destruction are not forms of political speech but Violent Crimes whose perpetrators should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And that the innocent Law Enforcement officers, public officials, and private Senior Citizens who suffer these mobs violence and endure their scorn while protecting our communities from them deserve every americans thanks and appreciation. As i say, mr. President , very straightforward. As we saw in seattle this week, these mobs are not going to stop until they are stopped. A nonbinding resolution is the tiniest first step of a response, the merest exercise of the senates atrophied institutional muscles. We need to do much, much more, and i look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle developing legislation to do it. But in this divided political moment, heading into the 244th birthday of the greatest, freest, most tolerant and prosperous nation the world has ever known, i think showing Senate Republicans and showing Senate Democrats can Work Together and be able to speak with one voice against woke mob violence and in defense of equal justice and civic peace would be a welcome step. And therefore, mr. President , as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of Senate Resolution 645, submitted earlier today. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer is there objection. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator is recognized. Mr. Menendez reserving the right to object. There are nuggets in the senators resolution certainly recognizing that overwhelm willingly Law Enforcement does a honorable and valuable job in our society, its a tough job. The bad ones make it difficult for all the good ones. I would agree with that. But i have to be honest with you. There are all elements of this resolution that are not as straightforward as the gentleman would have you believe. First of all, the very first paragraph it says we were founded on universal principles of freedom, justice, and human equality. Of course slavery existed at the time. Theres no mention of americas original sin, which is slavery. Certainly we cannot think of slavery as human equality. And then to go on to suggest in his third paragraph that we are morally committed to justice across all such differences and protecting the godgiven equal rights of all americans under the law. Well, i can tell you in my home state of new jersey, and across the nation there are Many Americans who clearly do not believe that we are morally committed to justice across all such differences. As a matter of fact, we saw that in how the majority responded to the George Floyd Death and others across the nation. A lot of rhetoric, very little reform. So we would be hard pressed to believe that that paragraph has legitimacy as well. And then the resolution reeks of is supremacy, manifest ignorance and historical illiteracy. It reeks of a supremacist view we know better. Now, even with all of those problems, and even with the fact that its come at the last moment. There is no effort to work with anyone to offer a bipartisan that would encaptain usual all of this encapture all of this and it seeks to overwhelm the peaceful protest of people in the nation, i would consider not objecting to the senators request if he also recognize and added to his resolution the fact that we have a president of the United States who ultimately provokes provokes insightful language and violence. I mean, we have a president who retreats a video of retweets a video of people saying white power, white power. We have a president who retweets a video of armed citizens pointing them at Peaceful Protesters who at the end of the day thats their right to peacefully protest. We have a president who said that there are good people on all sides, including the White Supremacists in charleston. We have a president who used violence the armed forces of the state and violence against Peaceful Protesters in Lafayette Park who were doing none of what the senator suggests in his resolution. But despite all of that if the senator would modify his request and include the following language insert at line 15, make a new section 5, our elected officials, especially the president of the United States, should not insight violence or legitimatize those who engage in hatefueled acts. I would consider allowing the senators resolution to move forward and not to object to it. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer does the senator so modify his request . Mr. Lee reserving the right to object. As i look at the language proposed by my colleague from new jersey, i could accept it except for the words especially the president of the United States. The rest is unobjectionable. We should not point to one specific individual. We should be able to acknowledge as a sense of the senate we do hold these truths as selfevident. That our country was founded on these very strong ideals, even if, as the resolution itself acknowledges, we have failed at times to live up to them. Weve still done it. So i would accept the modification but only with the removal of especially the president of the United States. Mr. Menendez mr. President , it is especially the president of the United States, the person who leads our nation that should be a unifying force, not one who incites violence. Therefore i object. The presiding officer objection is heard. The senator from utah. Mr. Lee mr. President , whats happening here . This is the United States senate. Just so everyone is clear about the inspired insanity we just witnessed, i just proposed a nonbinding resolution condemning mob violence and Senate Democrats objected. I dont know whether to be outraged or embarrassed for them. This isnt even a bill. Its just a statement that says mob violence is bad. That democrats cant say mob violence is bad without simultaneously taking a jab at the president of the United States. By the way, what about the mayor of seattle, what about the countless other people who have perpetuated or could theled thats why we will not engage in this task of al political tit of a political titfortat. Innocent americans are being attacked or threatened. Lives are being ruined. Communities are burning, literally burning. So whos side on are you on . This was designed to be unifying. The presiding officer the senator from hawaii. Mr. Schatz may i ask the presiding officer to remind us of rule 19. The presiding officer the chair will remind senators of both parties that rule 19 provides that no senator in debate shall directly or indirectly by any form of words impute any senator any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming of a senator. Mr. Lee the resolution was designed to be unifying, it avoided controversial subjects. All it asks of us was basic dignity and respect. As long as were on the topic of rule 19, its unbecoming to accuse a using language of supremacy simply by using the language of the declaration of independence and the intoll ability of mod violence. Mob violence. That is too much to ask today. I guess we should be thankful for clarity and now we know. We dont have to ask. They told us how they feel about this resolution. You cant really oppose this, it seems to me, without being on the side of the mobs, of mob violence, of mob mentality of cruelty and intolerance and terror. Now we understand what this resolution is about. I dont think one can oppose this without being comfortable with those things. These mobs are not progressive. These mobs are not enlightened. These mobs are not edgy. They are not hip. They are fraud. They are dimwitted phony drama addicts. Mr. Menendez mr. President , parliamentary inquiry. Is this line not in direct violation of rule 19 . The presiding officer the chair concludes that pointing tout that mob violence is out that mob violence is dangerous is not contrary to rule 19. Mr. Menendez its not a question of mob violence, the question is imputing to members who did not agree with the framework be language of this resolution that they are supporting mob violence. That must be in violence of rule 19 if this is going to be a deliberative body. The presiding officer the senator is more than entitled to express his views in the course of debate, but other senators will likewise express their views in the course of debate. Mr. Lee failed by an Education System and addled by a social media culture that taught them to be victims instead of citizens. A privileged selfbeabsorbed cre syndicate with trophy graduate degrees trying to find meaning in empty lives by destroying things that other americans have spent honest Productive Lives building. And today we learned today we learned that there are those who are comfortable with this. There are those who are at least not inclined to vote for this resolution which simply condemns mob violence. Now we know, mr. President , now we know. And i want all of my colleagues to know that when we return from recess, were coming back to the senate floor and were not just going to be debating nonbinding resolutions. Its long past time to expose the shiftless of the antiamerican, antiscience, antiestablishment mob and remove their snouts from the federal trough. Colleges and universities that punish free speech and discriminate against conservative and religious students, City Councils who Defund Police departments. States that force doctors to mutilate confused children without their parents consent. Scoo School Districts that embrace the 1619 project. The sneering privilege of all of the above and much more, the whole garbage fire that is the woke ideology depends on federal money. The mob hates america on americas dime. Its time to cut off their allowance. I think the American People would be very interested to know who stands for them and who stands for subsidizing the mob. I intend to show them. Mr. President , this debate is not ending today. Its only be the sing. The beginning. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from new jersey. Mr. Menendez mr. President , we have learned something today. We have learned that my colleagues are unwilling to call out the president of the United States when the president of the United States uses language that incites violence, says that White Supremacists in charleston are as good as everybody else, retweeting a video of white americans saying white power. Retweets a video of two individuals with guns pointed ought Peaceful Protesters. Uses the force of the state to clear out Peaceful Protesters in Lafayette Park. Goes and says, after, in fact, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. That has an Historical Context to it. And the list liberate virginia. It is under siege. And so, so much more. So, yes, i look forward to that debate because i have legislation to deal with the rising tide of white supremacist s actions that at the end of the day that have been recognized by some of our Law Enforcement entities as a growing national threat. So i look forward to having that debate. Look forward to having that legislation on the floor, and we will see how our colleagues act then. But it is totally unacceptable to cast ainspectors generals aspersions of those who does not lead our country and we should recognize that. What it shows me is that i guess President Trump is right. He could shoot someone on fifth avenue and get away with it and certainly my colleagues here would not hold him accountable. The presiding officer the senator from utah. Mr. Lee mr. President , all i asked in my counter was that we removed the words especially the president of the United States. Why . Because thats different than the entire approach taken by the resolution. As long as were calling each other out on casting asperisons intentions, there is no ones intention to shield anyone from anything. As my proposed modification would have provided, it would have said our elected officials should not engage those in hatefueled acts. Last i checked the president of the United States was and is an elected official. This would apply to him. My counter in no way insulated not him, not any elected official. Not any of us from this resolution which condemns mob violence. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from hawaii. Mr. Schatz i will be very quick. I understand that we have work to do on the National Defense authorization act and a vote coming up. Im glad the majority leader is on the floor and so many senators are on the floor. We have a problem of the uneven enforcement of rule 19, and it is hurting this body. I have just by happenstance been on the floor for various violations being called by the presiding officer usually with the advice of the parliamentarian. And it is very clear to me that the rules are not being applied equally to each party, and i think thats something were going to have to wrestle with if were going to continue to be worthy of the moniker worlds greatest deliberative body. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell id like for senator inhofe to be able to lock in an agreement on the ndaa, and then the discussion could resume. I ask consent that senator inhofe be recognized. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Inhofe i thank the leader, and i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and resume consideration of s. 4049. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Inhofe i ask unanimous consent that. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk calendar number 483, s. 4049, a bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities, and so forth and for other purposes. Mr. Inhofe i ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the democratic leader, the following amendments be made pending en bloc and the senate vote in relation to the amendments in the order listed with the, a 60 affirmative vote threshold for adoption and that there be two h hours of debate on each amendment equally divided between the two leaders or their designees prior to the vote in relation to each amendment. Those amendments are schatz 2252, inhofe 2411, sanders 1788, cornyn 2244, shaheen 1729, and tester 1972 as modified. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Inhofe and i further ask that the following amendments be adopted en bloc and the senate vote on adoption of the amendments en bloc with no intervening action or debate. And, mr. President , im going to read the entire list so that each member knows the status of his or her amendment. Moran 1694, hydesmith 1881, romney 1883, peters 1753, warner 1803, coons 1808, portman 1891, kennedy 1987, warner 1907, romney 2018, sullivan 2391, tester 1968, bennet 1977, johnson 2077, smith 2058, wicker 2178, cortez masto 2186, king 2215, merkley 2251 , fishcher 2251, gardner 2241, hirono 2269, portman 2243, menendez 2270, inhofereed 2248, peters 2275, toomey 2277, inhofe 2204, cantwellmanchin 2417, jones 1797, lankford 1825, loeffler 1878, tester 1966, tester 1971, kennedy 1991, markey 2053, cruz 2138, durbin 2168, feinstein 2217, heinrich 2220, rounds 2235, brown 2257, sasse 2287, boseman 2298, harris 2317, klobuchar 2319, inhofe 2326, young 2327, shelby 2331, wyden 2341, blackburn 2370, blackburn 2378, moran 6789 sanders 2419, lee 2084, van hollen 1849, hassan 2103, and rubio excuse me, rubio 2422. The presiding officer is there objection . The senator from new york. Mrs. Gillibrand mr. President , i am reserving the right to object. This amendment list does not include my amendment 1932, a bill you, mr. President , and i worked on, a bill the majority leader has voted for. This amendment, its so simple. It professionalizes how the military prosecutes serious crimes, serious crimes like sexual assault, rape, murder. It removes the systemic fear that survivors have in reporting these crimes. According to the pentagons most recent survey, almost 21,000 Service Members were sexually assaulted in 2018, a 30 increase from the year before. And the current climate is not good for survivors. Most survivors are retaliated against when they come forward and report these crimes. In fact, the rate of retaliation is that twothirds of all survivors, unchanged from past years. And worse than that, of the cases that the command considered for action, of those unique few, only 10 of those went to trial. Year after year we have hearings , mr. Chairman, mr. Ranking member, we have hearings. And commanders, generals come forward and say, maam, weve got this. Let us take care of this. Weve got this. We know what were doing. We understand. Were going to take this crime so seriously. Were going to prosecute these cases. Leave it to us. We know what were doing. Its infuriating. They think they know what theyre doing or theyre just lying to us. Its one or the other. But either way theyre failing. The failure rate is so high. 20,000 rapes last year. Less than 10 going to trial of the small number that are even considered. The rate of conviction is going down. So no measurable, in the entire system of military justice for these survivors is getting better. Not one aspect. Weve got this, maam. Leave it to us. Its just not true. They dont have it. They never have. And if they dont look themselves in the mirror and recognize their failures, they never will. Year after year thousands of Service Members are raped and sexually assaulted and assailants are not held accountable. Its not just a few bad apples. In many of those cases the assailant is someone in the survivors chain of command, the same chain of command that decides the case. They pick the judges, the juries, the prosecutors, and the defense counsel. Thats the system. That system is so weighted that if a commander has a view before they go in, your chance of success is very little. Theres no other judicial system in america that would ever allow this to happen. And that commander is not even trained. Hes not a prosecutor. Hes not a lawyer. This system is not delivering justice. People in the military do not have the benefit of Civil Liberties because of this. They dont get justice. Theyve never had it and they never will. This amendment, this bipartisan and commonsense reform leaves the majority of uniquely military crimes within the chain of command. It would only remove the Decision Making over whether to prosecute serious crimes to independent, trained, unbiased, military impartial prosecutors. It is the senates job to provide the oversight and accountability to the u. S. Military. We owe our u. S. Service members everything. Every year that we dont address this fundamental scourge, its another year we are failing them. Ive asked for a vote, mr. Chairman and mr. Ranking member, for five years in a row. This is the fifth year im denied a vote. Its the fifth year you are saying to our Service Members you dont care. And you dont want to fix the system. Weve tried every smallball reform you can imagine. Every study, every panel, every recommendation. We have made sure those recommendations go in in the underlying bill every year. Theres just not working. So id like us to look ourselves in the mirror and say are we doing our job . Are we standing by our Service Members . When they need us . And sadly the answer is no. So, mr. Chairman, i would like to modify your request to include amendment 1932, to just get a vote on it. The presiding officer does the senator so modify his request . Mr. Inhofe reserving the right to be 0, let me just make a comment first. This is the first step. We have a lot of things happening after this. Were going to be on the senate floor hours and hours. Youll have ample time to entertain your amendment, and i would be very happy to assist you in that. For that reason, i would not want to jeopardize those 60 names of amendments that ive already passed to jeopardize their efforts by adding your language. And so i do object. Mrs. Gillibrand thank you, mr. Chairman. I will release my objection, and i look forward to working with you on the floor. The presiding officer is there objection to the original request . Without objection,so ordered. Under the order just entered, the 33 amendments are now pending, and the question now occurs on those amendments. All in favor say aye. Those opposed no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The amendments are agreed to en bloc. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i send a cloture motion to the desk for the substitute amendment 2301. The presiding officer the clerk will report the cloture motion. The clerk cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on amendment number 2301 to calendar number 483, s. 4049, an original bill toking authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military be activities and so forth and for other purposes, signed by 17 senators as follows. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i send a cloture motion to the desk for the underlying bill. The presiding officer the clerk will report the cloture motion. 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 calendar number 483, s. 4049, an original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the department of defense, and so forth and for other purposes, signed by 17 senators as follows. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask scend the mandatory quorum calls for be waived. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i consent is not with standing rule 22 the cloture motions ripen following the tester amendment 1792 as modified. The presiding officer without objection. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from missouri. Mr. Hawley i ask unanimous consent to speak for five minutes. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Hawley mr. President , i ask unanimous consent to add my amendment number 2352 to the list of amendments to be voted on under the previous agreement. The presiding officer is there objection . Objection is heard. Mr. Hawley mr. President , three weeks ago my colleagues across the aisle tried to pull a fast one on the American People. Behind closed doors, with no public hearings, no public debate, they decided that some of the names of our nations military bases must be removed. Stripped, replaced, erased. And they decided that War Memorials to Fallen Soldiers should come down. I objected to that effort then and i object to it now. The National Defense legislation that we are considering, the legislation that funds our military and protects our citizens, should not be turned into a vehicle for cancel culture. The cancel culture that i think you know what i mean. The cancel culture that is tearing down statues of George Washington and ulysses s. Grant, abraham lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt now, for heavens sakes. This seeks to divide us, not unite. To erase our history rather than to reckon with it, to turn away from our long and shared struggle to forge a more Perfect Union and instead to build an entirely different america on a kind of woke fundamentalism. Mr. President , i am here to advocate for a better way. All ive asked for is a vote on an amendment, to have this discussion in public, toss have the discussion about renaming our military bases, about the future of these War Memorials in public, to conduct open hearings where military families and veterans and the local community can be heard, where we can seek and find Common Ground together. Thats all im asking for. And all im asking for is a vote on this. But yet, mr. President , here today on the floor of the United States senate, ive been told we cant even have a vote. No votes we cant even call the roll on this. No, weve just got to swallow it and move on as the woke cancel culture moves on, steam rolling our history and our traditions and, yes, our best traditions as americans. You know, our military bases are more than walls and fences. They are more than lines on a piece of paper in a 1,000page bill. Our bases are full of life and history. Theyre Hallowed Ground for the soldiers and veterans who have trained and served at them. They enrich local communities with their legacy. They form fond memories, and they help relationships endure. They have meaning that transcends any one person or even a place. And that history belongs to all of us. So all of us should debate this together and move forward together. And im sorry, mr. President , that weve been denied an opportunity to do so today. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. The clerk cloture motion we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of Russell Vought of virginia to be director of the office of management and budget, 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 Russell Vought of virginia to be director of the office of management and budget shall be brought to the a close. The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote vote