Housepassed government funding bill. Now, live Senate Coverage here on cspan2. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will open the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Almighty god, help us. Turn us back to the paths of integrity and faith. Be for our lawmakers a protecting rock of safety, rescuing them from the powers of evil. Help them to fix their hearts on you, trusting your guidance and wisdom. May love for you be reflected in the ordering of their priorities, as they seek to give you first place in every important decision. Lord, make them servants of your purpose, as they seek to increase the treasures of your kingdom. Satisfy the deepest longings of their hearts. And, lord, in these toxic times, bless america. We pray in your loving name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. 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 madam president. The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley Small Businesses are a very important part of the u. S. Economy. So we want to recognize this week marking the 57th anniversary of what we Call NationalSmall Business week. Proper recognition for a big part of the economy. According to the most uptodate government statistics, iowa had i better start over again 270,484 Small Businesses, and 651,635 employees. They account for 99. 3 of businesses and 48. 1 of the private workforce. Small businesses create jobs and export products around the world. Small businesses are the backbones of our communities, and i know that this pandemic has really hit Small Business very, very hard. I honor these hardworking iowa entrepreneurs, and, of course, their employees in celebrating the week of september 20 as National Small business week. I yield the floor and i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Mr. Mcconnell madam president. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell ive spoken recently in recent months about the tragic killing of Breonna Taylor in my hometown of louisville, the need for justice and the healing work needed ahead for our community. Daniel camron conducted the kind of thorough, impartial investigation that justice demands. Yesterday that chapter concluded and the grand jury conducted the handoff to criminal prosecution. I have full confidence in the attorney generals painstaking pursuit of facts and justice. Many kentuckians have channeled their continuing grief and anger into peaceful exercise of their First Amendment rights. But in louisville last night we saw more of the lawlessness, riots and violence that has plagued American Cities too often this year. Citizens businesses were vandalized, fires were set in the streets and two officers of the Police Department were shot and wounded while protecting Public Safety downtown. As of last night one officer was undergoing surgery but both were in stable condition. Were praying both will make full recoveries and one suspect is in custody. Peaceful protests honor the memory of Breonna Taylor, peaceful protests move us towards justice. Smashing windows does not. Setting fires does not. Rioting in the streets does not. And trying to gun down Law Enforcement officers who are bravely serving their community is the kind of cowardice that must be met with the law. I want to thank the Kentucky Police officers who continue to put their lives on the line every day. I hope and expect our governor will take the necessary step of justice, peace, law, and order that every kentuckian deserves. Now, on an entirely different matter, President Trump stated that he will announce his nominee to the Supreme Court the day after tomorrow. We do not know yet which legal all star from his list he will nominate. But strangely enough, we already do know exactly what the far left will start shouting the instant the instant she or he is introduced. Isnt that a little curious when you stop to think about it . A confirmation process is ostensibly about the qualifications and credentials of the nominee. Why is it that practically any citizen could sit down at the Kitchen Table right now days days before the nomination and write down in advance the list of ludicrous nominations that it is because year after year, decade after decade, the farlefts playbook stays exactly the same. To them a nominee makes no difference. Every time in 45 years 45 years, madam president , that a republican president has nominated someone to the Supreme Court, the exact same set of clenched Horror Stories are wheeled out of storage, dusted off and paraded past the American People. In 1975, president gerald ford put forward a nominee the left blasted for his, quote, consistent opposition to womens rights and, quote, an extraordinary lack of sense sensitivity to the problems that women face. Who was this farright ideology who was going to turn back the clock . It was the late Justice John Paul stevens who went on to lead the courts liberal wing for decades. In 1987, it was time for an encore performance, a nominee from president reagan was absolutely savaged by liberal groups. One person said he was a sexist and disaster for women. That, madam president , would be anthony kennedy. Once again the sky did not fall. In fact, when Justice Kennedy retired in 2008, the new head of the exact same liberal organization stated they were saddened and alarmed by his retirement. The exact same liberal outfit said the sky was falling in the 1980s because Justice Kennedy had been nominated and that the sky was falling in 2018 because he was retiring. In 1990, they got the band back together yet again. This time the sky was falling for sure. President bush had picked someone whose record was, quote, very troubling, whose jurisprudence would surely, quote, threaten to undo the advances made by women, minorities, dissenters, and other disadvantaged groups. This confirmation would mean, quote, ending freedom for women in this country. Talk about wearing out the volume knob. Oh, that was future Justice David souter, by the way. One slogan simply said listen to this stop souter or women will die. Stop souter or women will die. He, too, would go on to become a favorite justice of many of the very same groups, but it has still never occurred to them that their crystal balls checked. The same unhinged attacks pour out every time, the same absurd scare tactics every single time. These people are the farleft version of that broadcaster who spent 20 years predicting different dates for the end of the world, raising money, and just inventing a new date every time he was wrong. Justice scalia was unfit. Justice thomas hated the rule of law. Justice alito was hostile to the rights of women. Its all one big scam directed at the American People. In 2005, one leftwing outfit cut a Television Ad that tried to link our nowchief justice of the United States with a violent bombing of an abortion clinic. Just how despicable can you get . Before this disgusting ad was pulled off the air, it said a future Justice John Roberts would, quote, excuse violence against other americans. Chief justice roberts. Every similar time, madam president , no matter how upstanding, no matter how qualified, no matter their views, no matter their record, every nominee gets the same insane treatment so long as the president who nominated them is not a democrat. So long as the president who nominated them is not a democrat. Oh, but when democrats nominate people, none of this happens. When we confirmed Justice Ginsburg and breyer, i dont recall any angry mobs stalking senators. When we confirmed justice sotomayor, i dont recall weeks of character assassination. When we confirmed justice kagan, i dont recall Mainstream Media declaring it the death of democracy. For half a century, we have seen this double standard. When a democratic president makes a nomination, its a nonevent by comparison. The coastal Political Class and their friends in the media allow our National Life to go on like normal. But whenever, whenever a republican dares to nominate someone, the same people declare it a state of emergency. So sadly, we already know what the reaction we will see on saturday. Fill in the blank opposition. Remember, in 2017, we saw literal fill in the blank opposition. Demonstrators wanted to assemble outside the court before they even knew who President Trump would name, so they literally brought stacks of signs that says oppose blank, and they brought markers so they could scribble in the name during the president s remarks before the tv cameras cut to them. In 2018, moments after the president announced nowjustice kavanaugh, one leftwing Group Published a typically absurd statement declaring trumps announcement today is a death sentence, a death sentence, and, quote, white patriot patriarchal supremacists now have free reign. But the actual nominee was so relevant to their scam, they literally forget to fill in the blank. They forget to fill in the blank. The very first line of their press release condemned, quote, Donald Trumps nomination of xx to the Supreme Court. So, madam president , its safe to say the American People could start writing their bingo cards right now. We already know every outlandish claim and unhinged attack were going to hear. In fact, former Vice President biden has already cut to the front of the line. Just yesterday, he offered the following assessment prior to learning who he was assessing. Quote, womens rights as it relates to everything from medical health care is going to be gone. This is the Vice President former Vice President biden yesterday. Good luck deciphering what he is trying to say. It sounds like more of the same old junk. Perhaps the nation will soon watch this man in his late 70s condescend to explain Womens Health care to one of the brilliant women who President Trump indicates he is considering. Fortunately, the farleft scam artists do not get a vote. The special interest groups, fundraising appeals do not get a vote. The fate of this nomination will be determined by the United States senators whom the American People elected to do this job. A fair hearing, a fair process, and a fair vote on the actual nominee. Forget about filling in the blanks. Now, madam president , for the information of my colleagues, the vote on the confirmation of the young nomination will occur at 11 30 a. M. Today. The presiding officer the clerk will report the unfinished business. The clerk nomination, the judiciary, roderick c. Young of virginia to be United States district judge for the Eastern District of virginia. Mr. Mcconnell i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Schumer madam president . The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent that the quorumming dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer madam president , our adversaries sow disinformation in our society and seek to influence our elections. Vladimir putin will stop at nothing to diminish western democracies. A resurgence in china wants to take americas place on our world stage. But the gravest threat to our democracy right now does not come from any foreign capital. It comes from our own. The greatest threat to democracy in america is president donald trump. Yesterday in a News Conference, President Trump refused to commit to the peaceful transfer of power should he lose the election in 41 days. Let me repeat. Yesterday in a News ConferencePresident Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the election in 41 days. Quote, well have to see what happens. Ive been complaining about the ballots and ballots are a disaster. Pressed further, get rid of the ballots. There wont be a transfer. There will be a continuation. Get rid of the ballots, there wont be a transfer there will be a continuation. Get rid of the ballots. Thats what he is saying. Now, everyone from School Children to the most senior among us know that the peaceful transfer of power is one of democracys core attributes. There is no democracy without it. And like the rule of law, the separation of powers, checks and balances, everything we have learned about our system of government that is great and noble, President Trump has sullied, diminished and now he plans to dismantle. The greatest threat to american democracy right now is donald trump. The president issued similar threats in the runup to the 2016 election, and hes doing it again now. If i win, he said if i win, he proposed, the election is legitimate. Argues the president. But if i lose, its rigged. Thats what hes saying now. Again, if i win, the elections legitimate, but if i lose, its rigged. Oh, and by the way, i may just stay in office and not count the ballots. Unbelievable. The gravest threat to american democracy right now is President Trump. And save for that few, the republican majority here in the senate practically brush its by it by. They dont know the full context. Oh, the president says crazy things. Maybe he was joking, they say. And they are willing to continue ramming a Supreme Court justice through who the president said was needed, quote, before the election because the election will be before the United StatesSupreme Court. Where are our republican colleagues . This is not a partisan issue. Democracy is at stake and every constituent from every corner of the land, regardless of party or ideology, should be asking their republican senators to speak out and demand that donald trump not be allowed to do what he says hes going to do and say they will join all of america in standing in the way if he tries. The most innocent interpretation of the president s comments is hes just trying to get people not to vote. Mailin voting is rigged. Im going to stay anyway, he cries. 12 more years they chant at his rallies. All to erode american faith in the election and discourage americans from voting. It doesnt matter how false, it doesnt matter how undemocratic, it doesnt matter how corrosive it is to our democracy. The president doesnt care. Its his own ego and nothing else. The president says it if he thinks it will help him win. That is the most innocent interpretation. If you take the president at his word, he wans to throw out ballots, reverse the Peaceful Exchange of power and pick the Supreme Court so it can rule in his favor if the election is contested. Thats him in his word. According to a new article in the atlantic magazine, some republicans are actually considering a scheme to overwill the voters. Under in nefarious scheme, it the president loses state, according to republicans, they would ignore the result, they would ignore what the voters asked for and send others to washington, deliberately provoking a constitutional crisis. Every american should read this article. And i ask unanimous consent that it be placed in the record. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer if you read the facts if you read these facts and a about belarus or hungary, you might not bat an eye, but this is america. And here in america, the peaceful transfer of power is our lifeblood. The rule of law is the very foundation of our society. These currents run deep in our veins and are far stronger than the flimsy authoritarianism of President Trump. President trump, you are not a dictator and america will not permit you to be one. We will not permit you to be one. This november well have an election. The votes will be counted. If may take a little longer than usual because so many people will vote by mail because of covid, but the votes will be counted. And there are numerous lawsuits making sure it happens and those lawsuits are succeeding. And the results of the election must be accepted. The peaceful transfer of power must follow otherwise we lose our democracy. At this peril perilous moment every republican in this chamber should stand up and say that a president who isnt entirely sure if hell commit to a peaceful transfer of power isnt a president at all. Stand up and say hes wrong and that you dont want to live in a country where hes right. Pledge to uphold the pillars of our country. If republicans stand up and say this is wrong, that may may be able to sway this president or his followers from repeating these attacks. And there is something every citizen can do, particularly those that are alarmed or discouraged by what President Trump said this week. Vote. The president cannot deny your right to vote. The answer to these naked threats to our democracy is more democracy. Vote. Dont let trump intimidate or discourage you. Vote. Vote like our democracy is on the line because it is. Vote, vote, vote. On another matter. In 2016, scotus, leader mcconnell and Senate Republicans held a Supreme Court vacancy open for nearly a year on the supposed principle that, quote, the American People should have a voice in selecting the next Supreme Court justice. Now, 41 days before a National Election in which we might have a new president , leader mcconnell cannot even mention his supposed principle. Another speech on the floor today, never mentioned never mentioned and all of the soaf diversionary arguments doesnt deter the fact that and the overwhelming majority of americans want us to wait until a new president is elected before we choose a Supreme Court justice. Yesterday the presiding officer confirmed that the senate has never never confirmed a Supreme Court nominee this close to the election. Again, all the history, all the off relevant facts dont deny it. A neutral figure, happened to be a republican, confirmed that the senate has never never confirmed a Supreme Court nominee this close to the election. We hear a lot of talking points from the other side, some twisted readings of precedent, but facing a simple question, has there been a senate presence dent from confirming a justice this cloture to this close to an election, he confirmed no such precedent exists. Leader mcconnell and the republican majority are not following their principle and are not following precedent. This is nothing more than brute force and it may very well destroy the already waning sense of collegiality in the senate, once hallmarks in this chamber. It may have done an end to it unfortunately and sadly. And for what . Why do we go to such Great Lengths . Why go to such Great Lengths to ram through a justice mere weeks before an election, making a complete mockery of their previous position . Because this is the only way for republicans to achieve their radical, rightwing agenda that the public will abhor. Unable to get their legislative agenda passed through congress, they have to rely on the courts to erode bit by bit the rights the American People now enjoy. Republicans would say, oh, thats not true. They are hysterical, trying to scare voters. But this is what the president has said. He wants to nominate a justice who will terminate the Affordable Care act. His administration is right now suing in court right now to invalidate the law. A case that will be heard one week after the election, a case that could rip away health care from tens of millions of americans in the middle of a pandemic. And leader mcconnell says this is hysterical. Go tell a mother or father whose son or daughter has cancer and cant get insurance because they no loren have the no longer have the protection. Shame. This is real stuff. This is not specks. There is speculation. There is a lawsuit before the Supreme Court on this issue. Speculation, was it not President Trump who said women should be punished for having an abortion. Was it not the republican majority who confirmed a majority of judges to the federal bench with disturbing views on a womans right to choose . Was it not the republican leader who admitted he hopes to, quote, pick away at womens rights through the courts . What about workers rights . What about Voting Rights . The Supreme Court, even with Justice Ginsburg, slowly eroded the workers rights in the janus case and in the Shelby County case. Opening the door for a flood of Voter Suppression efforts. Just imagine, america, what another rightwing just, justice, a solid 63 majority would mean to a court that has already eroded your rights. This is not specks, oh, no. This is about the right and freedom that americans hold dear. Its no wonder its no wonder that President Trump and Senate Republicans are afraid to test this in an election, are so eager to rush this nomination through. Final matter. On Breonna Taylor and her unfortunate death. Yesterday a grand jury in kentucky declined to charge three officers in the shooting of Breonna Taylor. One was indicted on minor charges of wanton endangerment, the other two will face no charges at all. Today, i and millions and millions of americans grieve for the family of Breonna Taylor knowing that justice will not be served in the murder of their daughter. The fact that an africanamerican woman can have her life taken while she sleeps in her own bed and those responsible are not held accountable is a harrowing reminder that something is very, very broken in our system. Another reminder that we are in desperate need of comprehensive policing reform. A few months ago in the aftermath of George Floyds death, Senate Democrats introduced the justice and policing act. It would ban noknock warrants in drug cases. It was the noknock warrant that killed Breonna Taylor. It would ban choke holds and it would make it easier for americans to hold Police Departments accountable when they violate their constitutional rights. The house passed this important bill in june. Here in the Senate Leader mcconnell typically refused to take it up at all. We will not stop fighting until we bring that lasting change that our nation needs. Changes that protesters, civil rights organizations and the families of george floyd and Breonna Taylor are still tragically waiting for. I yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from indiana. Mr. Braun in 2002, 18 years ago, senator tom daschle raced a similar resolution raised a similar resolution, a resolution on the importance of the pledge of allegiance. With unanimous support from the u. S. Senate. It passed on the floor uneventfully without amendment. Today this body can choose to do the same to reaffirm our support for the pledge of allegiance. I rise today also to honor a hoosier who understood the innate value of the pledge of allegiance to civic education. In 1969, red skelton, an american comedian and entertainer, who was well known for his program on cbs, the red skelton hour, wrote a speech on the importance of the pledge. Reflecting on his time in vincennes, indiana, he wanted to talk about how important the value instilled by it is still applicable today. And after the performance of his speech, cbs received 200,000 requests for copies. The speech would go on to be sold as a single by Columbia Records and performed at the white house. I think it would be an honor to repeat this, and i will do so after i yield my time now and get it back to my colleague, senator rick scott, from florida. The presiding officer the senator from florida. Mr. Scott first i want to thank my colleague, my friend from indiana, for his absolute commitment to try to make a positive impact on whats going on in washington. We both came up here at the same time, and i have enjoyed every day working with him. Madam president , i had the opportunity to pursue the American Dream. I got involved in politics because i saw that dream slipping away for far too many. Every, every american should have their shot to live their version of the American Dream. For me, i grew up poor. I never met my by logical father. My adoptive father was a bus driver with only a sixth grade education. We did all jumps with the 82nd airborne in world war ii. We lived in public housing. Even though my mom had no money, she was optimistic and hopeful. She told us we were breasted because good and our founders created the greatest country everywhere anything was possible. Unfortunately, the left has worked hard over the last 50 years to discredit the values of the america i was raised with and the values of the america i want my grandchildren to grow up with. Central to those values is faith and family. The pledge of allegiance explicitly acknowledged that our creator is central to this american experience. Unfortunately, the left is trying to undo the foundational principles of this country. The left rallied against our soldiers during the vietnam war and is calling to defund our Law Enforcement. The left discredits those who believe in a supreme being or the commitment of marriage and doesnt place value in family. The left doesnt care about our enormous debt and pushes for socialism. The left thinks its okay that our schools dont teach about the Founding Fathers or free markets. They want you to think america was never great. We all acknowledge that americans, our country, and our institutions have flaws, but the left has worked to discredit our founders, our institutions, our crutches, our Law Enforcement, our morals, and almost everything my mom taught me. But today we join to honor the pledge of allegiance, the very spirit of our nation. One nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That is the america i, along with my colleagues here, are fighting for. The values that i grew up with, the ones that my tough love mom taught me, are becoming a way of the past. But i believe these values, these virtues can and should be part of our countrys future. I love it when my grandchildren pray before eating, recite the pledge of allegiance, ask to visit military museums, thank Police Officers and soldiers for their service, and place their hand over their heart when they hear the national anthem. I hope they memorize the declaration of independence and the 23rd psalm. We will not give up on the American Dream and a nation where anything is possible. We wont let the radical left take away our freedom and opportunity. I want to thank again senator braun for leading this effort today. Freedom is fleeting and worth fighting for, and we wont stop fighting for the country i was raised in because that is the country our children and our grandchildren deserve. I yield back to senator braun. Mr. Braun thank you, senator scott. That emphasis on faith, family, community, freedom, liberty, equal opportunity. Its what makes this country great. We can never forget it, and its embedded in the pledge of allegiance. I will return now to reading the point of view from red skelton. This goes back in terms of his recollection when he was a kid back in vincennes, indiana. He says i heard, i think one of the most outstanding speeches i ever heard in my life, i think it compares with sermon on the mound, the gettysburg address, socrates speech to the students. We had just finished the pledge of allegiance, and he, mr. Lazwell, the principal of vincennes high school, called us all together, and he said boys and girls, i have been listening i have been listening to your recitation of the pledge of allegiance all semester, and it seems you are repeating it in a monotonous tone. Or could it be you do not understand the meaning of each word . If i may, i would like to recite the pledge and give you a definition for each word. I saw this many years ago myself, and when i looked at the video again, i think it would bk in his own words back when he did it on cbs. I, me, an individual, a committee of one. Pledge, dedicate, all my worldly good to give without selfpity. Allegiance, my love and my devotion. To the flag, our standard, old glory, a symbol of courage. And wherever she waves there is respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybodys job. Of the uniteed, that means we all have come together. States, individual communities that have united into 48 great states, 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause. And thats love of country. Of america, and to the republic, a republic, a sovereign state which powers vested into the representatives chosen by the people to govern. And the government is the people, and its from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people. For which it stands, one nation, meaning so blessed by god. Indivisible, incapable of being divided. With liberty, which is freedom, the right of the power for one to live his or her own life without fears, threats, or any sort of retaliation. And justice, the principle and qualities of dealing fairly with others. For all. That means, boys and girls, its as much your country as it is mine. Afterwards, mr. Lazwell asked his students to recite the pledge of allegiance together with a newfound appreciation and reinvigorated for the words. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. Skelton concluded his speech by saying since i was a small boy, two states have been added to our country. Two words have been added to the pledge of allegiance. Under god. Wouldnt it be a pity if someone said that this is a prayer and that it be eliminated from our schools, too just as those students that day, red skelton concluded, recommitted to the meaning of the words of the pledge of allegiance, i call upon the United States senate to recommit to the meaning of these words. There are times today that the words of the pledge are tossed around without too much care. Other times, they are altered to remove what today is deemed offensive or antiquated. But americans should not misuse or abuse the pledge of allegiance. The pledge is meant to remind americans of our Guiding Principles and inspire adherence to those ideas which make our country great. Equality under the law, recognize rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of Senate Resolution 715, submitted earlier today. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk Senate Resolution 715, expressing the support for the pledge of allegiance. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding . Without objection. The senate will proceed. Mr. Braun i ask unanimous consent 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 . Without objection. Mr. Braun i yield the floor. The presiding officer the senator from texas. Mr. Cornyn madam president , i just want to say how much i appreciate the senator from indianas resolution. It reminds me of discussions i know all of us have had about the teaching of American History and civics in our schools, and frankly a collective concern that our children are being raised and educated without learning both about our founding principles and how unique we are as a nation. And i think, as modest a step as this may seem, i think its an important one, and i congratulate our friend from indiana for taking it. Madam president , in a letter to our democratic colleagues earlier this week, my friend, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, pointed out the vastly different treatment of Supreme Court nominees by the respective political parties. He said compare the treatment of robert bork, clarence thomas, samuel alito, and Brett Kavanaugh to that of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, sonya sotomayor, and elena kagan, and its clear that there is one set of rules for a republican president and another set of rules for a democratic president. This double standard is not just fiction or our imagination at play. Two years ago, we saw the outrageous Smear Campaign that our democratic colleagues waged against justice Brett Kavanaugh and his family. Ive noted that its not just enough to defeat a nomination. They actually were out to destroy his reputation. And while i hope its something no nominee will have to endure again, i worry that history will repeat itself. The president has yet to even announce his nominee for the Supreme Court for the vacancy created by the death of Justice Ginsburg, but our democratic colleagues are already reflexively taking pot shots at potential nominees. One of those potential nominees is judge Amy Coney Barrett who is a wellrespected federal judge with an impressive background as a legal scholar. While serving on the seventh circuit, judge barrett has shown that she will faithfully and impartially apply the law to cases and controversies before her. But in the eyes of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, her stellar resume has one glaring flaw. Her strong catholic faith. During judge barretts confirmation hearing for her current position on the circuit court, the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee asked judge barrett if she could separate her religious beliefs from her legal duties, saying, quote, the dogma lives loudly within you. And thats of a concern. Close quote. Madam president , during my time in the senate, i dont recall any similar application of a religious test to a nominee or such intrusive questions about how their faith might impact their duties to carry out their their abilities to carry out the duty of a justice. But apparently some on the other side of the aisle believe that a christian woman is unable to separate her religious beliefs from her role on the bench. Yet again theres a different standard for nominees of a republican president. But the constitution provides that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. In other words, it is unconstitutional to impose a religious test on a nominee or on any person who holds public office. Unfortunately, our democratic colleagues efforts to destroy conservative nominees are getting more and more outrageous. False accusations, religious tests, threats to upend institutions like packing the court. Its tear trying to imagine what might come next. Its terrifying to imagine what might come next. In 2016, the American People elected President Trump knowing the type of nominees he would send us, because he advertised and released a list of potential nominees to the Supreme Court, were he elected. At the same time, the American People also reelected a Senate Majority committed to supportings the president s nominees to the federal bench. And on both counts, we delivered first with the confirmation of Justice Gorsuch and then with the confirmation of justice kavanaugh. We are once again prepared to deliver on our promise to the American People and to consider another highly qualified jurist to the Supreme Court. We will not rush this process. My colleagues and i on the Judiciary Committee will do our job and thoroughly examine the nominee, just as we would any other nominee to the court. Then every Single Member of the senate will have the chance to debate and vote for or against that nominee right here on the senate floor. This confirmation will be as thorough as it always has been, but my hope is this time it will also be civil and that the threats and religious tests end today. Madam president , on another matter, i had the great honor of representing nearly 29 million texans. Roughly 40 of whom are hispanic. I consider myself for the into the have fortunate to have experienced the tremendous influence of the Hispanic Community on our country and on our culture. Much of that culture, of course, dates back to a time long before the lone star flag or the American Flag flew over texas. The First Sovereign flag planted on texas soil was spanish, and that sprawling spanish colony extended all the way to modernday chile. When mexico won monopolies from spain in 1821 it won all of texas as well. And when texas fought for its independence, soldiers of mexican and european descent stood together on the texas side in support of an independent republic. Its unfair to say that hispanic culture has influenced texas because, in reality, hispanic culture is as much a part of our States Foundation as the ground that our cities are built on. Today texas is home to more than 11. 5 million hispanic americans, some of whom have lived there for generations and others who have contributed to the recent rapid growth of the population of the lone star state. Since 2010, hispanic population has grown by more than two Million People in my state, and the positive impact of latinos across our state continues to grow. Every year during this month in particular im proud to join millions of my fellow texans in celebrating the heritage that is uniquely woven into the fabric of our state and our nation. During hispanic heritage month, which officially commenced last week, we honor and celebrate hispanic and latino americans and the traditions and contributions these men and women and those that came before them have made to our country. For the past 12 years, ive joined our colleague, senator menendez from new jersey, and a number of other bipartisan cosponsors in introducing a resolution to formally recognized september 15 through november 15 as hispanic heritage month. It is a time we take to honor latinos who for a time have served in the military, held elective office, and fought in big and small ways to make our country better. Today texas is proud to have incredible hispanic american leaders who are shaping our states and our nations future and inspiring the next generation. At the highest levels of Public Service in my state, we have incredible leaders like ruth hughes, our secretary of state; justice eva mmusmon, who served on the Supreme Court. Our communities are learning from Inspiring Women like the executive director of Catholic Charities of the rio grande valueland led the creation of the Respite Center in mcallen to help care for migrants coming across our border. Theyre seeing the incredible work of organizations like Buckner International led by dr. Albert rejes, which has set up hope centers around the world to help families become selfsufficient. And entrepreneurs who are looking to Business Leaders like my friend ramiro cav asez, president of the United States chamber of commerce. It has been a resource for hispanic Business Leaders across the state. An they have been invaluable during the covid19 crisis. Earlier in summer, i was able to virtually connect with leaders across texas in four major pieces of legislation as well as to learn more about the challenges that they were facing and what more we might be able to do. Ive also been able to speak with Hispanic Health care leaders who are instrumental in texas fight against this virus. Over the summer, we saw a dramatic increase in positive cases and fatalities in the rio grande valley, which is predominantly hispanic. Last month i visited the valley for conversations with local officials and Health Care Leaders about the impact of the federal cares act funding that we passed in four separate pieces of legislation as well as the hurdles they continue to have in fighting and are fighting to overcome. During our discussion, i heard from hispanic leaders in the Health Care Industry like manny vala and chris rivera, c. E. O. Of the rio grande regional hospital. Strong leadership at the local level has never been more important and i am grateful for those who are continuing to help our communities through this crisis. For nearly a century, our state has also benefited from the work of the league of united laton american citizens, otherwise known as lulac, led by Domingo Garcia and for years has benefited from the leader of roger larocha. Lulac is an avid supporter of hispanicserving institutions. Last week the Senate Passed a resolution to honor these institutions which are helping hispanic students achieve their dreams through a quality education. Despite the fact that these colleges and universities only represent 17 of nonprofits and universities, they enroll twothirds of all latino students, totaling more than 2. 5 Million Students nationwide. Texas is home to 100 hispanicserving institutions more or less, and these colleges and universities are helping to prepare the next generation of leaders for our future. This month is the perfect opportunity to celebrate their incredible work and acknowledge the Important Role these institutions play in my state and in our country, and im glad this resolution passed with unanimous support. I hope we can also pass legislation i introduced to honor the contributions of hispanic americans for generations to come. When americans of all ages visit washington, theyre able to learn the stories of great americans through the smithsonian museums, which welcome more than 22 million visitors last year. These museums House Pricing pieces of American History, from the star spangled banner, which inspired the national anthem, to the hat president lincoln wore the night he was asenior senator h. Assassinated. Assassinated. Unfortunately, these museums dont represent the diversity of the american story, but that is slowly changing. In recent decades, the Smithsonian Institute family has grown to include the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of african American History. But, madam president , its time for another addition. More than a decade ago, in 2008, president bush signed into law the National Museum of the american Latino Commission act to study how to establish a new museum. The results of that study found that the latino representation within the Smithsonian Institution is far from what it should be and challenged us to provide their story and to make sure its represented there. Im thinking of the u. S. Latino community as a whole, which numbers some 60 Million People. But im also thinking of individual men and women, people like juan segine, who in some ways was a predecessor of mine. He came from mexican descent but helped lead the texas revolution. Then he was a texas senator before texas even joined the union. So in many ways he was one of the forefathers of my state. And his contributions, like so many others, are an important part of our multifaceted american story. We need to ensure that every american has the opportunity to learn about people like juan segine, and the countless other latinos who have played pivotal roles in our history. Senator menendez and i authorized a bill which would authorize the Smithsonian Institution to create a museum honoring american latinos here in washington. This has been a work in progress since 2003, and this legislation will finally put that into motion. The bill passed the house unanimously this summer and between the house and senate, we have more than 340 bipartisan cosponsors. The time has come to turn the dream of this museum into a reality, and theres no better time than hispanic heritage month for that to happen. Texas and our entire nation are stronger, smarter, and more inclusive because of the contributions of hispanics over the generations. Im glad to spend this month reflecting on our complex and everevolving american story and celebrating the contributions of hispanic americans who have helped shape our nations history. I hope the senate will honor hispanic heritage month by passing this important legislation to finally give Latino History a brickandmortar home here in washington, d. C. A senator madam president . The presiding officer the senator from oregon. Mr. Merkley i ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks prior to the vote. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Merkley thank you. Senators come to this floor with greatly diverse life experiences, political theories, representing enormously different states; but we all share this in common a vast appreciation of our team members, our staff, who enable us to do our work as u. S. Senators on behalf of our own state but also on behalf of the nation. These team members are not just staff, theyre family. We share moments of joy, marriage, the birth of a child. We grieve with them in those life moments that are so difficult. And when the team members choose to move on, it is a bittersweet moment. I come to the floor today to recognize and pay tribute to a beloved member of my team, amy amrine, who in just a few short days will be leaving us to a welldeserved retirement. Mean after knowing for months that this day was coming, its still hard for me not to be saddened by her departure. She has been on my team from the very beginning of my time as a senator. Serving as my field representative in Southern Oregon and staffing our medford office. She took on the task of learning complicated resource issues and learning them with insight, looking to internalize the issues and challenges of every community in the region from the smallest port to the biggest county. She mastered the art of putting on a town hall because i do one in every county every year. And i think at last count thats probably over 80 town halls she has conducted over the years. She has worked to bring the Community Together to discuss visions for the future. One of those was the potential expansion of the cascade monument. She organized a gathering, gave an opportunity to share insights from all the stakeholders, from local leaders, regional tribes and all members of the public sharing their insights and perspectives. And its no exaggeration to say that there are few people in the world with a better grasp of the complicated water issues in the Klamath Basin. We have a saying in the west that whiskey, thats for drinking, water, thats for fighting because it is so essential to so many aspects of our economy and our natural system. For 12 years amy engaged in shuttle diplomacy over the water shortages, she helped farmers and ranchers make their way through droughts helping everyone across the board and an indespencible facilitator as i tried to work out agreements. That came in handy with the clam uth res. Klamath restoration development. It really came in handy when we worked to get fund to address the devastating droughts of 2010 and 2013, funds that would help the farmers who had no water, to temporarily retire their water rights and therefore have have some income for their ranch or fund or pump groundwater to compensate for the lack of Irrigation Water during the drought years and one of the issues has been the Water Quality in the Klamath Basin and the competing and the rules regarding the river and the lake. And the piece of that is the survival of two endangered species and so she helped to put all the details together to hold the sucker science summit which brought together, again, the farmers, ranchers, the federal officials to devise a plan for the swam and fish in the Klamath Basin. There is no doubt that Southern Oregon could not have asked for a better advocate over these past 12 years. Ive appreciated her diligence, her humor, her positive attitude, her candor about our smart political tactics, or policy tactics and our mistakes. I could share some of those stories, but perhaps they are better shared through the eyes of fellow team members and so ill read some of their comments. The first goes as follows, amy is the definition of dedication. No one can out work her. She is committed and shell keep asking questions and pushing but theons until she makes but theons until she makes progress on an issue. She fearless. She is a great mentor not only for the field team but for the entire state staff. Im so happy to have an opportunity to work with her and oregon is better for her and she will be dearly missed. A Second Team Member expressed this. I think of amy as fearlessness. She is the face and voice of the senator. Youre all alone, far from d. C. And portland. You are still drying remote highways, walking into rooms full of strangers never knowing what will be thrown at you. Amy was open about her questions an concerns, once out there on her own she always had complete confidence she would day and say the right thing. A Third Team Member says this, no surprise that she is leaving behind big shoes. She makes covering some of the largest counties and most difficult issues in the state look easy. Her knowledge of the issues runs deep. Her context in counties is impressive. When you ask about a county, she will break down the contacts and who has the political gossip. Shes also a great mentor to those in the people. Im brit sure she walked every one of us through our town halls, site visits. She 0 could give you she could give you feedback and let you know if youre on the right path. A final comment from a team member. I would say every time i come in contact with a Community Leader or elected official who worked with amy, no matter the political party, they absolutely love her hment shes done her. Shes done so much for the oregon communities. Just a beautiful human. She has done so much to help rural oregonians, shes funny, kind, blunt, tells it like it is. I cannot tell you how much important her mentorship has been. She is a wealth of knowledge and experience that cant be replaced. I certainly could not have said it better. And so i appreciate the team members who contributed those thoughts. On behalf of myself and the entire team, thank you, amy amrhein for all you have done for our team, for all you have done for the state, for all you have done for so many constituents working on so many complex and difficult issues. You are going to be deeply missed by the entire team, but by me most of all. It is the wish of the entire team that you will have a joyous, healthy retirement. Thank you, madam president. The presiding officer the question is on the nomination. Mr. Merkley madam president , i ask for the yeas and nays. The presiding officer is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll. Quote vote vote vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . Seeing none, the yeas are 93, the nays are 2 and the nomination is confirmed. Mr. Mcconnell madam president. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i move to proceed to legislative session. The presiding officer the question is on the motion. All in favor say aye. Opposed, nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. And the motion is agreed to. Mr. Mcconnell i move to proceed to calendar 552, h. R. 8337. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk motion to proceed to h. R. 8337, an act making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2021 and for other purposes. Ms. Collins madam president. The presiding officer the senator from maine. Ms. Collins madam president , i have seven requests for committees to meet during todays session of the senate. They have the approval of both the majority and minority leaders. The presiding officer duly noted. Ms. Collins thank you, madam president. Madam president , it the covid19 pandemic continuing to devastate our Public Health and our economy, it is far past time that we Reach Agreement on another relief package that is so desperately needed. It will require goodfaith negotiations on both sides of the aisle, not just saying no and turning the tragedy of 200,000 covid deaths into a partisan political issue. For mir part, madam president for my part, madam president , i believe there should be ten elements in the bill. First, there should be an extension of the paycheck protection program, known as p. P. P. This is a program that i crafted with senators marco rubio, Jeanne Shaheen and ben cardin to provide forgivable loans to our Small Businesses so that they could pay their employees. Im pleased to report, madam president , that in my state, 28,000 Small Businesses thats nearly three out of four of our Small Businesses have taken advantage of 2. 3 billion in forgivable loans sustaining 250,000 jobs. It has truly made a difference. Now we need to do a second round of p. P. P. For the hardesthit businesses, those for whom the first p. P. P. Loan was the lifeline, but they need additional help. So weve set a revenue test that if your revenue is 35 below what it was an equivalent quarter last year, you would qualify for another p. P. P. Loan. In addition, those who have never received a first p. P. P. Loan could apply under the initial rules. This would make a difference in keeping our Small Businesses afloat, particularly those in the Tourism Industry that has been so hard hit and their employees will still have jobs. Second, we need to provide aid to our schools. Ive talked to superintendents all over the state of maine and i visited schools in hollis and holton. Ive seen first hand the enormous investments theyve had to make in order to reopen the schools safely or adapt to a hybrid model, depending on where the location is and the incidents of covid19. In one school that i visited, they have replaced all of the round tables around which the elementary School Children would usually be working with desks lined up. It reminds me of when i went to Elementary School because that was the style of teaching back then. They are sanitizing and decleaning the schools. They are trying to figure out what to do with the little toys that are used to teach children how to count. How do they sanitize them or do they get each child his or her own set of toys to place in individual bins . They are cutting new doors into the Nurses Office so that no longer will ill children or staffers have to go through the front office. They are putting up pleksy gla plexiglass shields. They are adding additional bus routes in order to safely protect the children. These changes cost money a lot of money. And it is one reason why in addition to providing direct aid to our schools, we need to provide assistance to our states, our counties, and our communities. I have talked to city and town managers all over the state of maine. They did not receive much from the initial allocation of funding that went to state governments and they need help now. Let me give you an example. The city of auburn has had to raise six vacant positions because of expected revenue losses. Thats two firefighters, a police officer, and three public works employees. These cuts come as the city of auburn has spent 2 00,000 in new 200,000. Mr. President , ive had yet to talk to a city or town manager who is not experiencing the need to do similar cuts and have delayed or canceled public work projects like paving local roads and that has a trickledown effect. It affects the contractor and his or her employees who will no longer have that work. It affects their suppliers from whom the con the key or the concrete or the tar is no longer going to be purchased. So this is why i feel strongly that the bipartisan smart act, which i worked on with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, led by senator cassidy and senator menendez, needs to be passed. We can negotiate exactly how much money, exactly to whom it should go, but its essential that it go to the community level. Fourth, we need to help our airlines otherwise come october 1, just right around the corner, were going to see massive layoffs. Were talking about between 80,000 and 100,000 layoffs of airline employees and also related jobs in airports such as con sessions. Concessions. It will lead to canceled service if theres no longer a need for planes and ground crews, were going to lose Airline Service to communities all over this country. We need not to forget the motorcoach industry, which few people are talking about. Theyve been hurt by the cancellation of everything from School Sports to tours. We need to help them survive this period of economic struggle. And senator jack reed and i have introduced a bill with more than 40 cosponsors on both sides of the aisle that would provide that assistance. Number seven, we need to continue investing in testing. That is key to reopening our economy and safely housing people in Nursing Homes and other longterm care facilities. Im excited by the new abbott labs test which will only cost only 5 and give a result in 15 minutes. I take particular pride because abbott labs has a significant facility in my state and they will be expanding to scar borrow to expand more rapidly. Number eight, we need to provide limited but important Liability Protections to our front line hospital workers, to our Small Businesses, to our schools and colleges. One Restaurant Owner put it this way to me. He he said, susan, what if i get sued . Despite taking every recaution, following the c. D. C. Guidelines, but a customer comes in, later develops the coronavirus and sues me saying i think i got it in that restaurant . Well, im pretty sure that he didnt, but i still have to pay to defend that lawsuit. Now, clearly, we should not protect anyone who is guilty of gross negligence, but thats not what were talking about here. Number nine, we need to provide a reasonable federal Unemployment Insurance supplement to help struggling families during this difficult time when so many people have lost jobs through no fault of their own, but we need to make sure that were not creating a disincentive to return to work when jobs reopen. Thats why i like the approach of either having an 80 replacement of the prejob loss wage, or figuring out a formula that would approach 80 . Thats far higher than the normal wage replacement under our state system, but these are extraordinary times. I may have lost count, but number nine, we need an emergency appropriation for the u. S. Postal service. Otherwise, i am worried that the Postal Service will not be able to meet its payroll starting the Second Quarter of next year. Think of the costs that the Postal Service has incurred. It has had to retrofit every post office, every Processing Center in this country, as well as to provide protective gear to its postal employees, who are both essential and frontline workers. Mr. President , those are the elements that i believe should be in the next coronavirus package, and while there are disagreements on perhaps three of the ten elements that i have suggested, by and large, there is agreement on seven of the elements. There may be disputes about exactly how much money should be appropriated, but we can work those disputes out. Just as we do in the appropriations process. And we simply cannot wait and do nothing and just hope for the best. Hope is not an effective strategy when it comes to dealing with this persistent pandemic. Mr. President , the American People have demonstrated resilience, courage, and compassion during this crisis, but they need our additional help. I hope that next week, we will put aside the partisan bickering , the just say no approach that we have seen unfortunately from the democratic leader, and we will come together for the good of the American People, that we will come together not as democrats and republicans and independents, but as americans to do what our country needs done right now. Thank you, mr. President. I yield the floor. Quorum. St the absence of auggesa the presiding office thelerk will callhel quorum call mrs. Gillibrand mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from new york. Mrs. Gillibrand i request unanimous consent to vitiate the quorum call. Officer the presiding officer without objection, agreed. Mrs. Gillibrand mr. President , i rise today to remember a daughter of new york and an american giant. Ruth Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg was an icon, a legend, and a role model for so many people, myself included. We may never see a jurist with her kind of courage again in our lifetimes. The daughter of an immigrant, furrier, and Garment District book keeper, born and raised in brooklyn, she pushed back against every expectation and limitation that society had for her and rose to the bench of the highest court in the land. She was a brilliant legal mind, an unparalleled jurist, an opera fan, a fearless dissenter, and the notorious r. B. G. Justice ginsburg spent her whole life fighting against injustices, those she faced personally and those that she could not abide in society. When Ruth Bader Ginsburg went to law school, she was one of just nine women in her class of 500. She graduated at the top of her class but was rejected by law firm after law firm because she was a woman and because she was a mother. Undaunted, she found a different path to success. She graduated she educated generations of law students at rutgers and columbia and spent her time outside the classroom at the aclu. Becoming an architect of the plan to eradicate gender discrimination. One strategically chosen case at a time, she proved to a maledominated legal system that discrimination on the basis of sex is real. She was a trailblazer. She took herself to few places she took herself to places that few women had ever been and she took the law to places it had never been. She stood for all of us. She stood against discrimination in all its forms. She was someone who fundamentally understood the gifts that people have to give to this country regardless of their sex, their gender orientation, their race, or their background. She knew that the words etched in stone above the entrance of the Supreme Court, equal justice under the law, she knew those words were still a goal. They were not a given, and she fought to make them a reality every day of her life. As has been noted, in the jewish tradition, only someone of great righteousness dies on rosh hashanah, because god determined that they were needed until the end. Justice ginsburg was truly someone of great righteousness. And at the very end she left us with one final message, quote, my most fervent wish is that i not be replaced until a new president is installed. She asked us to respect the right of the American People to be heard. But within just hours of her passing, that wish was denied by members of this body. The hypocrisy of my colleagues is breathtaking. The same members rushing this process are the very same ones who denied Merrick Garland hearings because his nomination was supposedly too close to an election. He was nominated in march. Its nearly october. This election is not just close, its already happening. People across the country are already casting their ballots. But this is about more than rank hypocrisy. Lets look at whats really at stake. The first case that will be argued in november will decide if 129 million americans with preexisting conditions can continue to have access to Affordable Health care. Think about that. My republican colleagues are rushing through the confirmation of a judge in order to nearly guarantee that 129 million americans with preexisting conditions will see their premiums go up or have their health care ripped away entirely. That would be inhumane at any time, but in the middle of a pandemic, its truly unthinkable. Theyre rushing to vote on a justice who will decide the fate of more than 640,000 Daca Recipients who have known no other home, no other country but this one. They seek to confirm a judge who will revoke the rights of 50 of the population to make decisions about their own bodies and their Reproductive Health care. This new judge could very well overturn recently decided cases that finally granted samesex couples the fundamental right to marry the person that they love. This new judge will likely decide on the nations ability to conduct a fair and accurate census and the right of every person in this country to have equal representation under the law. Mr. President , its clear to me why our colleagues are rushing this. They fear that the American People simply dont agree with their views. They fear that this is their last chance to impose an ultraconservative view on our country where womens rights and lgbtq rights and immigrants rights take a back seat to corporate interests and to discrimination. That is not what the American People want. They should get the chance to have their say, their ability to Access Health care, to marry, to live in this country, to be represented fairly and fully by this government is on the line. Their rights hang in the balance. The actions of my colleagues deny the people a voice. What does that say about this chamber . What does it say about our democracy . Mr. President , i yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator for delaware. Connecticut. Mr. Blumenthal delaware is a good state too. The presiding officer it is. Mr. Blumenthal i ask that the quorum call be lifted. The presiding officer without objection. R. Mr. Blumenthal thank you, mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that the committee on commerce be discharged from further consideration of h. R. 4779 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk h. R. 4779, an act to extend the undertaking spam, spy ware and fraud enforcement with enforcers beyond borders act for 2006 and for other purposes. The presiding officer is there objection to proceeding to the measure . Without objection. Mr. Blumenthal i ask unanimous consent, mr. President , that the bill be considered read a third time. The presiding officer is there objection . Without objection. Mr. Blumenthal mr. President , this bill, h. R. 4779, undertaking spam, spyware and fraud enforcement with enforcers beyond the borders act would reauthorize the u. S. Safe web act. It is an important tool for the federal trade commission to investigate and take action against scams, robocalls and fraud that may span international borders. It would save consumers the hardship and heartbreak, financial pain, and emotional travail of fraud, scams, robocalls that may have International Implications and impacts. The safe web act has been reauthorized on a bipartisan basis over many years. Im pleased to cooperate and collaborate with senator moran of kansas, a great partner in Consumer Protection and the chairman of the subcommittee where im Ranking Member in this effort. We all know that fraud spawned by foreign criminal organizations as well as domestic ones have caused significant harm to consumers here. And, therefore, this measure will provide tools that are essential to the f. T. C. In protecting consumers and enforcing the law. I know of no further debate on the bill, mr. President. The presiding officer is there further debate . If not, the question is on passage of the bill. All those in favor say aye. Those opposed no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The bill is passed. Mr. Blumenthal i ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Blumenthal that you than, mr. President. I yield the floor and i suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Leahy madam president. Were going to vote on the motion to proceed to h. R. 8319, thats the continuing appropriations act of 2021 and another extensions act of 2020. Ill speak a little bit about whats in there, but i will urge all members to vote aye. The bill provides funding for the government through December December 11 at fiscal year 2020 funding levels. It will be the same terms and conditions contained in the fiscal year 2020 appropriations laws. These were the laws that chairman shelby and i brought up to the floor that have been voted on. It includes several authorization matters to extend programs that otherwise would expire, including some Important Health and veteran programs. So as vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee i support the bill, but im disappointed that its needed at all. As ive said many times, we had ample ample time in the senate to complete our work on the 12 Appropriations Bills, but we didnt mark up a single one. In june and july we could have passed all 12 of them but the majority leader wouldnt even bring up a single one of them. Apparently hes more interested in appointing extreme rightwing judges than moving legislation that addresses the needs of our American People, including critical appropriations bill to combat covid virus and its impact on families and the economy. I chuckle too in a way woefully because, of course, my friends on the other side, especially theres a democratic administration, they must follow the thurmond rule named after their revered former president pro tem from the republican side that you could not have any confirmations after july 1. Well, of course, they forgot their own republican rule when they have a republican president. We all know the facts on that, but i think what the American People have to understand because of the time we spent on that, because of the refusal to even allow one even one of the 12 Appropriations Bills come up for a vote and allow everybody to either vote for it or against it and when the republicans have a majority, they they didnt like anything, they could vote it down. But saying that no, we want to talk about it but were kind of afraid to actually vote on it. I dont know why were afraid to vote. Thats what were elected to do. I cast over 15,000 votes in this body. Actually i was told today im only one of 2,000 senators who served here. But we conceded we cant do our most basic job of completing Appropriations Bills on time, and in doing that we fail to address an Unprecedented Health and economic crisis for months. Last week more than 870,000 americans filed for Unemployment Benefits for the first time. This is not 870,000 americans who filed in the past, this is 870,000 measures filing for Unemployment Benefits for the first time. Thats because of this pandemic. Kitchen cabinets across the country are bear as families struggle without enough to eat. Schools do not have enough resources to teach our children at home or protect them inside the classroom. This is infuriating. I think senator shelby and i could have gotten those 12 bills, some would vote for it, some would vote against it, but we were ready to vote back in june and july, and in the meantime we now have 200,000 americans who died and have yet to vote. Im afraid what the president wants to do and my friends on the republican side, they want to cast aside the desperate needs of the American People in favor of government on autopilot. Apparently right now they are more concerned with securing a hyper partisan Supreme Court than health and safety of the American People or doing the most basic job of congress. Its that simple. Now, i have more to say about the continuing resolution in the coming days as we move forward toward final passage. Because the last thing our country is a Government Shutdown in the middle of a Global Pandemic and an unprecedented economic crisis. I would regret the leadership would not allow us to vote on these Appropriations Bills because im convinced we would have had enough republicans and democrats come together and passed all 12 of them if we had been allowed to vote even if some had to cast some difficult votes. Well, thats what were here for. This one, while its far from perfect, i will urge all members to vote aye on the motion to proceed. Mr. President , i see my distinguished colleague on the floor waiting to speak so ill yield the floor. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator for missouri. A senator we are 40 days away from a general election. Mr. Hawley 40 days until the American People make their choice or at least thats the idea, but there are a group of people who seem intent on influencing the peoples choice, on manipulating it, on shaping it according to their own preferences. And im not talking about china or russia or iran. Im talking about a group of corporations, the most powerful corporations in the history of this nation, the most powerful corporations in the history of the world. Im talking about big tech. We know who they are. They run the giant digital platforms, the places where americans communicate and share their opinions. Those platforms are more than that. They are more than places to talk or buy things. Facebook and google, twitter and instagram and youtube, these are the platforms that will control more and more of our daily lives. And, yes, i said control. These platforms control our social communication, the way that we talk to each other, when and how, where and on what terms. They control what news we read or even what news we see. They control more and more journalism in america right down to whats in news articles and how the headlines are written. They control how elected officials communicate with their constituents, when they can run advertisements, what their messages can say and cant. And they want to control us. The big tech platforms relentlessly spy on their customers, you and me. They track us around the web, they monitor our every move online and even when were offline, they track our location and whether were in a car or riding a bike or on the street, they track the websites we visit and when, they track that the videos that we watch, they track what our children are doing. They track everything, all with the purpose of getting enough information on each one of us to influence us, to shape our preferences and opinions and viewpoints. This is enormous power unheard of power. And the big tech platforms are intent on using it. They are intent on using it in this election. Lets just cut to the chase. The big tech platforms are owned and operated by capitalists, they are leftists, they are liberals. They are no con curve tifs, conservatives. They oppose the election of president President Trump in 2016 and they oppose it this year and now they are trying to use their power to try to shape the outcome of an election. For months the tech platforms have been engaging in escalating acts of centorship aimed at conservatives. They censored the president of the United States. They have banned prolife groups from their sites. They have tried to silence independent conservative journalists like the federalist. Joe biden isnt censored. Prochoice groups arent censored. No, big tech target conservatives for censorship for a simple reason. They dont like conservatives. They dont agree with conservatives. They want want to see conservatives get elected. Heres the thing, if they are allowed to use their power in this way. If they are permitted to leverage their control over news and information and data to silence the voices of conservatives, then we will be turning control of our government over to them. Well be turning control of our elections over to them. Control of the nation to them. Lets just be clear. No corporation should run america. No set of Corporate Overlords should substitute their judgment for the judgment of we the people. No woke capitalist should be able to shape the outcome of an election by silencing speech. And thats why we have to act and act today. There is a simple, straightforward solution to these censorship power of these digital platforms. Let those who have been censored claim their rights. Let them sue. Let them go to court. Let them challenge the decisions of the tech platforms and have their day before the bar of the law. Right now federal law prohibits this. It prevents americans from challenging the tech platforms and their censorship. It prevents americans from challenging just about anything that the Tech Companies do. That should change, and that is why today, mr. President , i urge this body to adopt my legislation which i proudly have introduced along with senator rubio and senator cotton, senator braun and senator loeffler to give every american who is unfairly censored the right to have his or her day in court, the right to stand and be heard, the right to fairness and due process of law. This is a stand we must take in defense of free speech, in defense of our elections. But more importantly, above all, in defense of our democracy and the rule of we the people. And so i ask unanimous consent that the committee of mers commerce be discharged from further consideration ofs s. 3983 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. 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 . A senator reserving the right to be 0. The presiding officer the senator from oregon. Mr. Wyden thank you, mr. President. I just want to say to the senate, in my time in this body, this is one of the most stunning abuses of power i have seen in my time in Public Service. I think my colleague knows that i was sitting until five minutes ago in the ways and means committee, where i was invited to testify about Social Security i was given a message that the senator from missouri was going to stand up and basically try to throw in the garbage can a bipartisan law that i and a conservative republican, former congressman chris cox, well known to conservatives, wrote because as we thought about the formulation of technology policy, our big concern was for the little guy, the person who didnt have power, the person who didnt have clout. We were picking up accounts that if they were just trying to come out with their invention it might be something they put up on a website or a blog they could be held personally libel for something posted on their site that we have no idea of. So we said we cant do that to the little guy. We cant strip them of their voice. And, by the way, my concern about the little guy that led to the passage of this law is something i continue to focus on today. This law is hugely important to movements like me too and black lives matter, because it gives americans the opportunity to see the messages that they want to get out. Weve all seen the videos. Frankly, the establishment media i dont think would have even run a lot of it because they would be sued. So the original interest in this was making sure that the little guy had a chance to be heard. Thats the interest today. Thats what the senator from missouri wants to throw in the trash can. Thats number one. Number two, the effect of what the senator from missouri wants to do and for colleagues who have just come in, i just learned about this five minutes before the senator from missouri went to the floor. The net effect of this is that donald trump can force social media and hes already working the rest to print his lies. The thing that concerned me right at the outset was the lies about vote by mail. He wanted to force twitter to print his lies about vote by mail. That too is something that we sought to constrain in the bipartisan legislation. Many people think its the 26 words that really began a policy of empowering the little guy to be heard. Now im going to wrap up with just one point. Colleagues, the senator from missouri talks about how he wants to take on big tech. Thats his concern. Lets take on big tech. If you want to take on big tech, you can go on my privacy bill. Its called the mind your own business act. It is the toughest bill on offer with respect to big tech. It says that if an executive, a c. E. O. Of one of the big companies, lies and lies repeatedly, they could be held personally libel, including the prospect of prison time. So if the senator from missouri is serious about taking on big tech, ive got a bill to do it. Thats not what the interest is here. This is all about donald trump wanting to force social media to carry his political water and to print his lies. Mr. President , for that reason and i would have more to say had i been given some resemblance of a courtesy to be able to prepare formal remarks, i would speak in more detail. But for those reasons, at least those three, i object. The presiding officer i object. Mr. Hawley mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from missouri. Objection is heard. Mr. Hawley the senator describes a world that doesnt exist. He says section 230 protects the little guy. Section 230 protects the most powerful corporations in the history of the world. Google and facebook arent the little guy. Instagram and twitter arent the little guy. You know who is left vulnerable by those megacorporations . The people who dont have a voice, the people who when they get deplatformed dont have an option. If youre silenced by google, facebook, or twitter, what is your option . None, nothing. You cant be heard. You cant go to court. You cant do anything. Every american should have the right, if theyre unfairly discriminated against because of their political views, to at least be heard in court. Now section 230 as it exists today and as its currently being applied, it protects the most powerful corporations. It protects and has protected human traffickers. It protects some of the worst abuses of free speech in our society, and thats why, mr. President , i will continue to fight to have it reformed, to continue to fight to give the American People a voice. I yield the floor. Mr. Wyden mr. President , just very briefly. The presiding officer the senator for oregon. Mr. Wyden thank you. I told the senator from arkansas that ill be very brief and appreciate his courtesy. Once again the senator from missouri is getting it all wrong. He talked again about how this law, this bipartisan law is basically not for the little guy, but hes taking on the big guys. Well, the reason thats factually wrong is that on this floor a previous effort was made to deal with sex trafficking. It was called sesta and fosta. The desire was were all against this horrible smut online. Were all against it. The desire was to block it. And as the debate went forward, i and others said youre not going to be able to block it. Youre going to be able to block backpage like eventually happened under existing law, which i supported. Not under this new thing. Well guess who supported this sesta fosta deal that is pretty much like the senator from missouri . It was facebook. Facebook supported the last effort. The last time i looked, theyre a pretty big company. So the senator from missouri is just getting it all wrong here, and i come back to the proposition i see my friend from vermont who has been really the tech expert here, that what weve always been about is the little guy. And you see it every day with me too, black lives matter, and so many voices from the community who because of this law can be heard, do not not just on this because i have objected so it cant go forward. Do not accept this idea that this is somehow the path to solving problems in communications. Because under sestafosta which is the kind of model the senator from missouri is talking about, the only thing that happened was the horrendous people involved in sex trafficking went to the dark web. And so now we have an even bigger problem. Mr. President , i dont suspect this will be the last time well talk about it, but i would like to repeat to the senator from missouri that if the roles were reversed here, and i had an idea that i wanted to advance, i would extend a courtesy to give you an opportunity to prepare remarks. Thank you, mr. Chairman. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from arkansas. Mr. Cotton mercifully i know of no further debate on the motion. The presiding officer is there further debate . If not the question is on the motion. Mr. Cotton i ask for the yeas and nays. The presiding officer is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote