Transcripts For CSPAN2 U.S. 20240703

Cspan, powered by cable. U. S. Senate is about to gavel in for more debate on the u. S. District Court Nomination for northern illinois. Lawmakers are also expect today vote on whether to begin work on a fiveyear f. A. A. Reauthoritization bill. Current f. A. A. Programs expire on may 10th. Live now to the floor of the senate here on cspan2. The presiding officer the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Gracious god, turn your ears to listen to us. Without you, we are but disappearing dust. Draw near to us, for in your presence, we find our dignity and destiny. Lord, breathe into us the saving knowledge that we belong to you. May this awareness inspire us to live for your glory. Guide our lawmakers. Remind them that they can depend on you for the vindication of every just cause, the forgiveness of every confessed sin, and the protection from every weapon that is formed against them. May they trust you to give them strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. We pray in your wonderful name. Amen. The presiding officer please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The presiding officer the clerk will read a communication to the senate. The clerk washington, d. C, may 1, 2024. To the senate under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable jon ossoff, a senator from the state of georgia, to perform the duties of the chair. Signed patty murray, president pro tempore. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, the judiciary. Georgia n. Alexakis of illinois to be United States district judge for the Northern District of illinois. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Schumer mr. President , over the decades, millions of americans, most often americans of color, have had their lives derailed and destroyed by our countrys failed war on drugs. The consequences of this harmful campaign linger on to this very day. So i was pleased by yesterdays news that the dea under the Biden Administration is preparing to take a truly historic step, rescheduling cannabis from a schedule 1 substance to a schedule 3 substance under the controlled substance act. Reclassifying cannabis is a necessary and long overdue step, but it is not at all the end of the story. Its time for congress to wake up to the times and do its part by passing the cannabis reform that most americans have long called for. Its past time for congress to catch up with Public Opinion and to catch up with the science. So today, im proud to join with my colleagues, senators booker and wyden, to reintroduce the Cannabis Administration and opportunity act, a comprehensive and necessary update to the federal governments approach to cannabis. I am proud to be the first majority leader ever to call for an end to the marijuana prohibition, because ive seen the consequences of outdaded outdated drug laws and the benefits of commonsense regulation at the state level. Its time for congress to follow suit. Support for cannabis reform is growing in the senate. Our bill has 18 sponsors, the most ever for this bill. And well keep working to build more support because when liberals well keep working to build more support, because when liberals and conservatives and activists and entrepreneurs and veterans groups can all come together on one issue, thats a clear sign the momentum is real. Im very proud of the bill were releasing today. Our legislation will finally remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances. It will expunge the criminal records of so Many Americans with lowlevel marijuana offensives that haunt them, inhibit them for decades. And it will help our country close the book once and for all on the awful and harmful and failed war on drugs, which all too often has been nothing more than a war on americans of color. In short, our bill is about individual freedom and basic fairness. We cannot tolerate any longer the tragedy of the young person getting arrested because they have a small amount of marijuana in their pocket. For years, thats all it took, getting caught with a little bit of marijuana for you to get saddled with a serious criminal record that prevented you from getting a good job, buying a home, getting ahead in life. Of course, this injustice happens predominantly in black and latino communities. Thats unfair, its unamerican, and our bill would right this grave wrong. In place of the war on drugs, our bill would lay the foundation for something very different, a just, responsible, and commonsense approach to cannabis regulation. It would call for new guidelines on how marijuana products are labeled, require new standards to prevent impaired standing, require research into Cannabis Health aspects and more. Our bill, if passed, would close the door on outdated and very harmful modes of thinking at the federal level, while allowing for sensible legislation to take root. I thank senators booker and wyden for putting this bill together. Its been a long standing effort that required a lot of feedback from the public and a lot of perseverance. As Senate Majority leader, i will continue to push for every chance we get to bring cannabis policy into the 21st century and passing our bill would be an Excellent Way to make that happen. Now, on senate business, a very busy period just ended for the senate and another one begins. This morning, the senate will vote on the confirmation of georgia n. Alexakis to be a district judge for the Northern District of illinois. Once confirmed, she will be the 195th federal judge confirmed under President Biden. On the legislative front, the next deadline Congress Faces is may 10. Thats the date by which which the president must sign the faa reauthorization. The senate will begin the work of faa reauthorization this afternoon by holding our first procedural vote on this bill. Both parties have an incentive to Work Together to get faa done as quickly and smoothly as we can, to keep our skies safe and our federal employees well taken care of. Getting faa reauthorization done will provide more will provide for more air Traffic Controllers, more safety inspectors at manufacturing plants, and Better Customer Service starnldz, all of which are so badly needed. I hope the senate can get this important piece of legislation done with as much bipartisan goodwill as possible. Now, on the florida abortion ban, this morning unfortunately the people of florida woke up to one of the cruelest, most extreme, most dangerous abortion badges in the country abortion bans in the country. Starting today, florida is outlawing most abortions after just six weeks. Just six weeks before many women even know that theyre pregnant. Let me say that again, because the American People need to hear what republicanled states are doing. A new florida law goes into effect today that bans most abortions after just six weeks, before many women even know theyre pregnant. Floridas new abortion ban is draconian to the core. It rips away womens freedom too make their own decisions about their bodies. It blocks thousands of women from accessing basic reproductive care. And horrifically, it leaves millions of women across the southeast, already an abortion care desert, with little or no options. If you live anywhere in the southeast, the odds are now you need to drive as far as virginia or further just to get reproductive care, a burden most people cant realistically take on. Its utter cruelty. Sadly, abortion bans like the one in florida, didnt happen in a vacuum. Today is yet another consequence of the hardright Maga Supreme Court s disastrous opinion to overturn roe v. Wade. Its the consequence of decades of the hard right trying to pack our courts with radical jurists. And in case people forgot, President Trump proudly reminded us a month ago that he and maga republicans are to blame for the annihilation of roe. To this day, the former president and maga republicans continue to boast of their radical views on abortion, despite those views being wildly out of step with the American People. Let us not forget that the majority of floridians, the vast majority, dont agree with floridas new abortion ban, much less the vast majority of americans. Make no mistake republicans will have to answer for their antiabortion records to today, tomorrow, and at the ballot box in november. Now, on the farm bill that senator stabenow is introducing today, i want to applaud the efforts of my good friend and colleague, claire woman stabenow of the agriculture chairwoman stabenow of the Senate Agriculture committee, who today is releasing the substance of our farm bill. Senate democrats want to get the bill country, that does get the bill done. I thank chair stabenow for her tough leadership on the leadership, particularly the bill is a very good bill that deserves immense credit for sorry. This bill is a strong bill, and includes some very important provisions. It protects the interests of small farmers. It protects crucial cliechlt funding to crucial climate funding to help against things like natural disasters, and provides robust to nutrition assistance that directly helps millions of kids across the country. I salute senator stabenow for her hard, good work on this bill. So again, democrats want to get a farm bill done, and senator stabenow has done outstanding work leading this effort. I yield the floor. Note the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the clerk ms. Baldwin. Quorum call congressman Glenn Grothman republican member of the education and Workforce Committee as well as the Budget Committee and Oversight Committee as well. Good morning. Thanks for the time try to grab glad to be on the show. Host what a store with greene about half hour ago saying she will move forward with that motion to vacate to try to move speaker johnson from his gavel. Your reaction to that. Guest i dont think shes going to be successful. Youve got remember even though mike johnson is a very powerful person as speaker he is one of 224,221st republican congressman right now. I think some people overestimated what mike was capable of doing. I also think some people felt and maybe i was one, that we ought to be shut down the government before the second big omnibus bill. But thats a disagreement that should not of been a surprise. Host is it surprising to you or a problem for you that it appears democrats will vote to table a a motion to vacate and essentially give mike johnson the votes needed to avoid the removal from speakership if it does actually come up . Guest youre right, it is bothersome and probably is not everybody will stick to the majority of republicans. I would bet 190 out of the 220 republicans want mike johnson to be speaker more than anybody else. But the traditional rule is once the majority of republicans get together everybody sticks with it. We have about whatever its going to be, my guess is ten to 15 republicans who are going to break with precedent and it creates no choice. Its bothersome because of been mike johnson osa democrats his speakership position but i dont put the blame on speaker johnson. I put the blame on the people who will not stick with the majority of republicans. Host when you say owes, is at a favorite you worry he will return at some point . Guest well, i mean, hopefully he didnt have to give up with anything there, but its a concern if we establish the precedent that some republicans will ignore the rule that everybody, once the majority republicans agree in speaker, everybody is supposed to stick with that person. If you have a solid number of ten or 20 republicans is that im not going to vote with the speaker, you wind up inevitably having to go to democrats for votes and thats a bad situation. I think in this mcconnell i a further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i spoke yesterday about the failures of americas socalled elite universities to maintain academic rigor, student safety, and basic order as their faculty and students become more radicalized. The most alarming aspect of this chaos on campus is the brazen expressions of antisemitism. But the worlds oldest form of hate isnt just driving selfappointed student commissars to intimidate jewish students and grind campus life to a halt half a world away, deep and virulent hatred of the jewish people and the refusal to even acknowledge the jewish state of israels right to exist is what animates the worlds most active state sponsor of terrorism and motivates its network of proxies to carry out barbaric violence like the attack of october 7. Were not talking about imagined sins of some postmodern anticolonial theory. Were talking about the intentional torture, hostage taking, rape and murder of civilians. And these same forces also loathe israels closest ally, the United States, the great satan. They attack americas personnel. They threaten american interests and global commerce. But just as a college, as College Administrators fail to restore order amid antisemitic chaos on campus, the Biden Administration is failing to compel a murderous adversary to stop spilling israeli and american blood alike. Rather than helping israel destroy the terrorists or impose consequences on tehrans sufficient to abandon its strategy of terror, the commander in chief seems to be most concerned with restraining our closest ally in the middle east from doing everything necessary to restore its security. At nearly every step the Biden Administration has tried to prevent slow or micromanage israels efforts to pursue hamas terrorists. Its as if the president wants the appearance of calm and respite from inconvenient headlines rather than a decisive victory over terrorists that can lead to a just and lasting peace. The micromanagement is accompanied by flights of pure fantasy. Its all well and good for the Administration Officials to express hope for the prospects of a future twostate solution, but its about time they started dealing in the present day where the dominant power on the palestinian side doesnt even want one. Hamas makes no secrets of its aspirations to destroy israel. From the river to the c. And remember to the sea. Geographically that means the entirety of the jewish state. Neither sadly is the thousands of American College students who have taken up this genocidal refrain whether these campus agitators even grasp its implications is really beside the point. Hamas and its backers in tehran know the score. Lets deal in the real world where successive, corrupt palestinian leaders have rejected reasonable proposals for peaceful coexistence and where, quote, ceasefire, end quote was the nominal state of affairs before savage terrorists exploited it on october 7. The extent that a palestinian state is achievable or even merited, it will not be as a reward for terror. If palestinian leaders want a state for their people, they should first demonstrate that they care more about their own people than lining their own pockets. They must rid themselves of terrorists who care more about killing jews than building a tolerant society. Bottom line, if the Biden Administration wants to put israelis and palestinians back on a path toward peaceful coistence, they ought to help israel destroy hamas and curb irans influence in the region. That would require, for one thing, the United States getting serious about the operational challenges our ally faces. Instead the administration seems focused on virtue signaling and political theater to appease the leftist agitators of their base. How else should we interpret the president s decision to build a massively expensive floating pier off the coast of gaza . Or his willingness to staff the American Military personnel within Cruise Missile and uav ranger terrorist who specifically, specifically threaten to target any forces affiliated with the pier . This isnt just an idle threat. Terrorists have had mortar attacks for the humanitarian pier. This isnt a state of the union talking point. Its an avoidable catastrophe. The president s decision places american servicemembers at unnecessary risk. Its exorbitantly more expensive and inefficient than existing land crossings into gaza. Besides, the problem isnt getting humanitarian assistance to gaza. Its getting the assistance distributed to Palestinian Civilians before hamas fighters commandeer it. What more evidence do we need that hamas can play no part, no part in the future of the Palestinian People . What other signs do we need that israels fight to eliminate the terrorists deserves american support . Lets be clear, we cannot aim for the status quo ante. October 7 was the most recent bloody manifestation of the reach of irans proxy network. Americas focus, our primary objective in support of our ally israel and our interest in the region has to be imposing real costs on the chaos agents in tehran, forcing them to change their violent calculus, ending their support for terror and making it harder for them to support other violent aggression further afield, like russia at war in ukraine. Of course all of that starts with making serious investments in our own defense. U. S. Operations in defense of israel have the freedom of navigation, have made the steep cost of preserving peace and prosperity abundantly clear. The past several months demonstrated the urgency of defense capabilities, longrange strike capabilities and the full range of hard power necessary to challenge our adversarys behavior. Its time for the administration and congress to step up, put our money where our mouth is. On another matter, six years ago the junior senator from massachusetts warned that, quote, there will be a political price to pay for those on the wrong side of history in the republican effort to repeal obamaera Net Neutrality rules. Thensenator harris warned that the end of Net Neutrality would, quote, imperil our economy while reducing innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity. Senate democrats claimed such a repeal would mean that youll get the internet one word at a time. In the assessment of one leftwing house member it was, quote, a threat to our democracy. Others said it would be the i understand of the internet as we know it. The last time i checked, the internet still here, working just fine, and still receiving emails without issue. In fact, the year Net Neutrality was repealed, Internet Speed increased nearly 40 . So much for imperiling the economy and stifling innovation as more and more americans do business online. But washington democrats have yet to learn from their mistakes. Apparently they just cant help trying to tie up every corner of our economy with more and more red tape. Last week President Bidens fcc voteded to reinstall the obamaera rule to reclassify broadband from an Information Service to a public utility. Effectively, this would mean a return to the outdated obamaera policy. It would enable washington to impose new taxes, regulations, and tariffs on broadband providers and drown innovation in even more red tape. More government control of a core means of communication. Of course, when Congress Passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, we made it critically clear that the internet is an Information Service and not a public utility. The law never gave the fcc authority to reclassify it as such. Well, that didnt stop the Obama Administration regularly from trying. But back in 2016, i was happy to cosponsor legislation that would revise their misguided Net Neutrality regulations and in 2017 i commended fcc chairman pai for reversing these regulations and allowing the internet to flourish. Chairman pais approach was in keeping with the longtime bipartisan consensus of a light regulatory touch. This is the approach that allowed for the rapid growth of the internet and the adoption of groundbreaking technologies it drove. Im proud to join several of our republican colleagues in urging the become footballing to in urging the fcc to preserve this particular approach and turn back the egregious missteps from the Biden Administration. Mr. Durbin mr. President. The presiding officer the democratic whip. Mr. Durbin mr. President , adults are suffering and children are starving to death in gaza. Thats a fact a thats a fact. And its been that way for weeks if not months. Part of the problem, obviously, is its a war zone, and because of that, many of the people innocent civilians have been caught up in the throes of the conflict and have died as a result of it. In an ordinary time, there are approximately 500 truckloads a day shipped into gaza 500. And this time in this time of war, an attack by israel on hamas and gaza, the number has been reduced to 200. 200 because the ports of entry have been closed by the israelis for security purposes. Closing them means that less food, medicine, and water is available for the People Living in gaza. They suffer and they die. Particularly for children. Theres been an effort under way for months to persuade the israelis to allow more of the basics of human life to enter gaza. But the israelis have resisted that suggestion for the most part. And what have we done in response . Well, we have decided through President Biden to have an extraordinary effort, a landing area, where trucks can be brought in to gaza from the sea, from an oceangoing vessel and make things available to the People Living there. It is a lifeanddeath mission, and for us to walk away from it at this point would not only be foolhardy but cruel cruel. The argument that was just stated on the floor that hamas is inful tax rating these infiltrating these supplies has no evidence, in fact none. Over and over again, in phone calls which i have been part of to the United Nations personnel on the ground, they assure us there is no evidence of that whatsoever. So this humanitarian effort by the United States, by President Biden is not only appropriate, but its absolutely necessary. Its an emergency situation. I commend the administration for their actions trying to feed these people in gaza as they sit in a war zone and watch their children die. Hospitals close, and the home that they had totally destroyed. Lets do this and show that we as americans really do care. We are trying to supply children who are starving to death in gaza, and i thank President Biden for his leadership. Mr. President , today is may 1. For many students, this is College Decision today, about the time when they have to commit for next years school year to pave a pathway for a better future. For a chicagoan lakeisha williams, a straighta student who wanted to pursue art, this was the case. Lakeis. Had a was accepted to a non non lakeisha was accepted to a nonprofit. Sadly, after she moved back to home, her father pass away. Her family was struggling and she left commun college to go to work. But after sometime in a lowpaying job without a college degree, lakisha decided to go back to school to finish her education. However, her family could not afford to send her to a prestigious arts college. As she began researching scholarships, she was flooded with brochures for a forprofit college, the Illinois Institute of art. Mr. President , i dont have to tell you that that is a term and a name that is close to the actual illinois Art Institute, which is a wellknown and respected institution. But this Illinois Institute of art was a lot different. After being heavily pursued by the Illinois Institute of art, lakisha applied. They accepted her within days of her application and immediately encouraged her to take out student loans. This was the first sign of foul play. Her family was hesitant to see their daughter assume this kind of debt, but the school assured her it would be, quote, well worth it, close cloture vote. So she took out the loans so she keen roll in this phony Illinois Institute of art. While disappointed by the quality of her instructors and coursework, she was determined to finish and get a degree. But as the works weeks by, more and more red flags appeared. In 23017 is an in 2017, an Organization Called extreme center bought the school and promised an even better education. But didnt thing improve for lakisha. Then the schools president left and the staff disappeared. The final red flag the school lost its accreditation, something it hid for six months. Then it suddenly announced it was going to close at the end of the year. Lakisha was able to transfer. But before moving to a betterquality school, she indicated she would have more than 70,000 in student loans. She is not the only student duped. For years, forprofit colleges have lined their pockets at the expense of students and taxpayers. She is organizations mislead students into enrolling in promises that offer lowquality instruction, substandard job prospects, nontransferable course credits and a worthless degree. Even more sickening, they deliberately target the most vulnerable lowincome students, firstgeneration students, veterans, students of color. They go after them with aggressive Marketing Tactics and promises of wellpaying jobs. I am going to give you two numbers, mr. President. Ill warn you in advance that these two numbers are both going object on the final. So listen carefully. Although forprofit colleges enroll only 8 8 of Americas College students, they account for 30 of federal student loan defaults. 8 of the students, 30 of the student loan defaults. After aggressively marketing themselves, forprofit colleges pressure students to take on as much debt as possible to pay for courses that would cost far less at a community ledge or even a fouryear university. And once students enroll and are on the hook for huge amounts of debt, the student the schools provide lowquality education and little support. If they manage to graduate, students end up with degrees that are practically worthless, working jobs that they kecould have had prior to enrolling. This morning the department of education announced 6. 1 billion in student loan discharges for 317,000 students who attended the Art Institutes. 317,000, including lakisha. In illinois alone, nearly 13,000 students will see more than 250 million in borrowed defense discharges. The Department Found that the Art Institute misrepresented their employment rates to the perspective students. Imagine, if you will, a student with a family that has never had anyone go to college, knows just in the vaguest terms what they are getting into, have their daughter sign up and enroll. She said, mom and dad, i had to sign up for student loans. Thats the only way i could have gone to school. They think to themselves, well, maybe thats the sacrifice people make. It turns out it is a phony operation from start to finish. Falsified income data for graduates and denying careers, services to the graduates. They learn, unfortunately, years after they get that started, that they have a worthless investment. The Department Found similar and deceptive practices at other colleges like devry. Devry promoted false job placement rates. Grand Canyon University sounds is combrefive, right . Lied to students about the cost of its promises. The Obama Administration started to require accountability measures, but under the Trump Administration and secretary devos, lap dogs were replaced by watchdogs. Then secretary of Education Betsy Devos hired top officials who worked for the forprofit industry. It is long past time we hold these profithungry, fraudulent institutions accountable. When wrangles me the most is the fact that these students are not only the victims of student debt up to their ears, we have to change their lifes plans, their career plans because of this indebtedness and the fact that their degrees are virtually worthless. Ive met some of these students. They tell stories of living in their parents basements. Thats a reality. The sad part, the tragic part, a the infuriating part is that the owners of these forprofit operations take all that money from student loans, offer nothing in return by way of education, and eventually when they go bankrupt and they virtually all do they end up off the hook. They dont have any personal liability. Ive been calling for greater cute knee for forprofit colleges for more than ten years on the floor of the senate. Aside from flying in the face of providing highquality, post soaked education, these postsecondary education, these colleges forprofit colleges are receiving nearly 14 billion, 14 billion in federal student aid in the 20222023 school year. 14 billion. From the federal government. Thats why today im once again sending a warning letter the 11th Consecutive Year in a row. I send it to every high school in my state asking them to ensure that students receive Accurate Information about the college they want to attend, including the risks for attending a forprofit college. I wondered when i first sent it out whether anybody would open the envelope. Its amazing, these schools tell me thank you for doing this. Its a reminder and we put it right in front of the students and say, the senator sends a letter each year to warn us about these schools. Thee forprofit schools, warnings to avoid them can mean the difference between a successful few of and one saddled with a lifetime of debt. I urge my colleagues to join me in sending a letter to the high schools in your state warning i had cans who are being inup dated inundated with information from forprofit schools. It is long past time we hold forprofits accountable for the pain theyre inflicting on our kids. Theyre exploiting our students and enriching themselves. Lets make sure no young person gets conned into attending a due police tus profitdriven institution. What percentage of High School Graduates ends up at forprofit colleges . Thats right, 8 3rs. What thats right, 8 3rs. What percentage 8 . What percentage are student loan defaults . 30 . 8 and 30 those two numbers tell the story. I yield the floor. Host join joined now by congressman glenn gross ifman, a member of the education and Work Force Committee as well as the Budget Committee and Oversight Committeeses as well. Congressman, good morning. Thanks for the time. Glad glad to be on the show. Host want to start with Marjorie Taylor greene. The congresswoman saying that the she will move forward with a that motion to vacate to try to remove speaker johnson from his e gavel. Your reaction to that. Guest well, i dont think shes going to be successful. Youve got to remember even though mike johnson is a very powerful person as speak is per, hes 1 of 220 or 221 republican congressmen right now. I think some people overestimated what mike was capable of doing. I also think some people felt, and maybe i was one, that we ought to shut down the government before the second omnibus bill, but thats a disagreement that shouldnt have been surprising. Host is it surprising to you or a problem for you that it appears that democrats will vote to table a motion to vacate and essentially give mike johnson the votes needed to avoid that removal from the speakership if this does actually come up . Well, youre right, it is bothersome, and the problem is not everybody will stick with with the majority of republicans. I would bet 190 out of the 220 republicans want mike johnson to be speaker more than opinion anybody else. But the traditional rule is once a majority of republicans get together, everybody sticks with it. We have about whatever its going to be, my guess is 10a 15 republicans who are going to break with precedent, and it creates no choice. Its bothersome because then mike johnson owes the democrats his speakership position, but i dont put the blame on speaker johnson, i put the blame on the people who will not stick with the majority of republicans. Host when you say owes, is that a favor you worry that he will return at some point . If. Guest well, i mean, hopefully he didnt have to give up with anything there there, but its of concern if we establish the precedent that some republicans will ignore the rule that that everybody, once a majority of republicans agree on the speaker, everybodys supposed the stick with that that person. If you have a solid number of 1015 or 20 republicans who say im not going to vote for the speaker, you wind up inevitably having to bo to the democrats for votes, and thats just a bad situation. Now, i think in this case the fact that we brought the ukraine bill to the floor by itself will be enough for the democrats to stick with him. But it better be figured out by next january, because we cannot have it become common place in which to elect a speaker you need democrat votes. Host your reaction to the events overnight, police remaoing the protesters who had occupied Hamilton Hall at Columbia University and then the clashes out at a ucla, protesters and counterprotesters eventually, after several hours, being separated by the lapd . Guest well, its something that had to be done. Its disea een pointing. A couple comment ifs on it. Quorum call . The presiding officer no. Mr. Thune mr. President , amid explosive demand, america is running out of power. That was the title of a Washington Post article this march highlighting some of the challenges facing our nations electric grid. I go on to quote, vast swaths of the United States are at risk of running short of power as electricityhungry data centers and Clean Technology factories proliferate around the country, leaving utilities and regulators grasping for credible plans to expand the nations creeking power grid, end creaking power grid, end quote. Mr. President , state the of our electric grid is becoming a matter of serious concern. Our grid is weakened by increased demand and the move away from traditional sources. Were rapidly approaching a situation in which there will not be sufficient electricity to keep up with demand. It is against this backdrop, mr. President , against the backdrop of an aging, weakened grid, struggling to meet even current needs, that the president is attempting to force the Widespread Adoption of electric vehicles. Last month, the same month in which the 3069 the post published the report, the Biden Administration finalize the emission rules ha will have the that will have the practical effect of forcing car and Truck Companies to electrify a huge portion of their sales l lots. That will place incredible new demands on our power grid, demands that our grid is unlikely to be able to sustain. To add insult to injury, at the same time that the president is preparing to place enormous new demands on our grid, he is also implementing regulations that will weaken our grid even further. After endangering existing power plants with its socalled Good Neighbor rule, last year, last week, the Biden Administration issued new Carbon Capture and Emissions Regulations that will reduce the amount of electricity plants provide to the grid, and almost unquestionably force coalfired plants, which still by the way make an essential contribution to our nations Electricity Supply, it will force them to close. Not overturned, these rules are likely to result in a gaping hole in the United States Electricity Supply just as the president is forcing more americans to turn to electricity to power their cars. Not to mention the fact that they will saddle consumers and businesses with Higher Energy costs for less reliable energy. Mr. President , when hes not trying to weaken our electric grid or force a move to electric vehicles that our grid cannot support, the president is taking aim at conventional Energy Production. Less than two weeks ago, the administration announced it would be banning oil and Gas Development across more than half of the National Petroleum reserve in alaska. Well, think about that. Of course, its not the first time the president moved to restrict conventional energy development, but it was notable for the scale of the restrictions and for the fact that his target was the National Petroleum reserve. I mean, think about this. The National Petroleum reserve was established specifically for the purpose of providing the United States with energy resources, of learning our abundance of National Resources to promote our security. Now more than half, half of that area will be closed to development. Mr. President , the president s anticonventional Energy Policies have consequences. By discouraging investment and curtailing the areas available for domestic production, the president is setting us up for a future in which we could have to rely on other countries for a significant part of our Energy Supply. And thats a problem, particularly when you consider the fact that that could mean relying on hostile countries. As European Countries learned the hard way, after russia invaded ukraine, relying on hostile nations for your Energy Supply is not a winning proposition. Plus, foreign production can be far less environmentally friendly than producing oil and gas here at home in the United States. While the president fantasizes about eliminating the use of oil and natural gas and forcing all americans into electric vehicles, the fact of the matter is that we are a long way away from being able to rely on alternative Energy Production to supply our Nations Energy needs. Were going to need conventional energy for quite a while yet. And the best way to get that conventional energy is by developing the United States abundant domestic resources in an environmentally responsible way. We need an alloftheabove Energy Policy that embraces the full spectrum of available resources, from alternative Energy Technologies to existing coalfired and future natural gasfired generation. Mr. President , between overloading our electric grid and discouraging future conventional Energy Production, the president s Energy Decisions and regulations are painting a bleak future for american consumers. But there are things that we can do to check the president s irresponsible policies, thanks to the efforts of senator sullivan and senator ricketts, we will soon have a chance to vote on a Congressional Review Act measure to overturn the emissions rules that will force car and Truck Companies to electrify a huge portion of their sales lots and strain our electric grid even further. And i anticipate Senate Republicans will also soon challenge last weeks power plant rules. And i hope, i really hope, mr. President , there are at least a few democrats who will join us to overturn these regul regulations. Our grid simply cannot bear the burden of the president s new policies, and if democrats care more about winning votes from environmental radicals, this he will see that and vote they will see that and vote with us to overturn these regulations. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Marshall mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from kansas. Mr. Marshall thank you, mr. President. The federal Aviation Administration reauthorization act that is before us shines as a beacon of safety, progress, and efficiency in the realm of aviation. Its not just any piece of legislation. Its a commitment to safeguarding lives, fostering innovation and bolstering economic growth, and this bill ensures our skies remain safe for all who traverse them. It sets stringents standards for Aircraft Safety, air Traffic Control, and airport operations, ensuring every flight is conducted with the highest level of care and expertise. Today, i rise to especially acknowledge the hard work that our air Traffic Controllers do day in and day out to keep our skies clear and safe for all. Back home in alatha, kansas, we have an air Route Traffic Control Center that is responsible for some 130,000 square miles of air space. Covering that much air space is no small feat, and it takes a team of highly skilled and trained controllers to get the job done. In fact, i made a visit to that control center in alatha, and what i found was perhaps the most constant bombardment, a mentally challenging task of any job ive seen. More than anything ive seen in eight or 12 hours in an operating room in one day, more than a day in the emergency room, more than any task ive seen, the mental challenge, the constant bombardment of different conseseek whenses sequences ensuring every flight lands safely. Theres no room for error. Theres no second chances. It amazes me how, time after time, day after day, these stalwarts do their job with perfection. In years past i have been disappointed that this agency has continued to neglect hiring for air Traffic Controllers not only in kansas but across the nation. Based on my visit to our towers in kansas, its clear that our air Traffic Controllers need relief and we need to hire more people to prevent burnout among those critical workers for the sake of passenger safety. Thankfully we have a golden opportunity this make sure things are right with this faa reauthorization. The comprise package included provisions to hire at maximum levels over the life of this bill and adopt a new staffing model to better project hiring needs in the future. I want to especially salute senator brauns air Traffic Controllers hiring act as it is a commonsense simple fix that over 30 senators have supported, including this bill in this reauthorization package was the right thing to do and is a bipartisan win that we can all celebrate together. I applaud the committee for including this important language and taking care of the folks who work around the clock to keep our deliveries on time and our passengers safe. And finally i want to just take a moment to remember and applaud all the members of congress, but i think even more importantly, their dedicated staff who have worked on this faa reauthorization legislation along with all the dedicated Aviation Industry who strive to keep us safe and on time. Thank you, mr. President. I yield back. A senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from kansas. Mr. Moran mr. President , thank you. Mr. President , i rise today to discuss the bipartisan, bicameral agreement reached for a longterm federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. You would know as a member of our committee that we have worked hard to bring the faa Aviation Community together to make certain that we do not end up with a result of one more extension after extension after extension, and we can provide some certainty the faa in fulfilling its mission. When i became the Ranking Member of the aviation subcommittee, i stated the importance of passing a longterm reauthorization and pledged to work with senators duckworth, cruz, and cantwell as well as my other colleagues on the committee to get a comprehensive agreement completed. I want to thank the leaders of both the Senate Commerce committee, senators cantwell and cruz and House Transportation Committee congressman graves and congressman larson for their months of work to get us to this point. I want to thank my counterpart, the chairman of that subcommittee, senator duckworth of illinois. She has been a pleasure to work with with a commitment to aviation and experience to back up that desire to see success in this effort. Multiyear reauthorization is vital for long term planning and growth, including the maintenance and modernization of technology. Extensions are debt strimental to the industry and flying public. Congress must come together to ensure the extension, which is until may 10, will be our last. No more extensions. Last october the senate recognized how critical the faa is to the country and evidenced that recognition by voting 980 to confirm Mike Whitaker as the faa administrator. If the United States is to remain a leader in the domain it is critical we provide the faa with resources and tools as they require. The aviation sector has been, has seen close calls and near misses, have plagued our nations airspace in addition to Quality Control concerns. Recent incidents indicate now, now more than ever our Aviation System needs certainty, stability, and thats provided in part by a longterm authorization of congress. The original Senate Legislation was drafted after eight committee and subcommittee hearings, and im pleased that many of my priorities were included in this legislation. Kansas will have an Important Role to play in advancing our Aviation Industry, including research and development and hypersonic flight and testing as well as aams and uavs. This legislation also includes my priorities to, one, bolster the aviation workforce, improve the faa backlog, promote women in aviation, expand travel access for people with disabilities, attract air service to small communities, support staffing and training for air trafficking controllers for the first time in decades. Address new aircraft entering the airspace, expand advanced air mobility and safeguard essential air service programs. I encourage my colleagues to once again find a collaborative way to move forward to address faa reauthorization. We manufacture lots of airplanes in the state of kansas. We are the air capital of the world. More general aviation aircraft than anyplace in the world are manufactured there as well as commercial aircraft. And i sometimes think that if i have any reputation as being an advocate for aviation, its probably because we manufacture so many airplanes. But i also, and that certainly is true. But i also would highlight the importance of an airport and airplanes to small communities across kansas, not just in the manufacturing that is centered around South Central kansas, but every community and their airport is an essential way in which that community has a brighter future. Airports and aviation including commercial service to small airports is hugely important to the wellbeing of states like ours. The American People deserve the safest. In fact, that is probably the most important component of what we can do here is ensure as best we can the safety of the traveling, the flying public. There is no future of aviation in aerospace in kansas or elsewhere if the, if citizens of our country and around the globe are not feeling safe and secure to fly. The American People deserve nothing best than the safest and most efficient Aviation System in the world. Our bill provides critical safety enhancements, grows americas aviation workforce, sets clear priorities for advancing innovation aviation solutions, improves the flying publics travel experience and enjoys a healthy aviation sector for years to come. I thank my colleagues on the committee for working to accomplish this moment. I look forward to the vote that takes place a little later today and i encourage my colleagues to work hard to see that we get this completed in the next few days. Mr. Chairman, mr. President , i yield the floor. Ms. Duckworth mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from illinois. Ms. Duckworth mr. President , i come to the floor today in support of the faa reauthorization act of 2024. This has been a truly bipartisan, bicameral endeavor, and thats how it should be. It has taken longer than wed hoped, but the final product is worth it. This bill will empower the faa to aggressively address the Aviation System safety crisis, make our Aviation System more accessible for passengers with disabilities, provide historic investments that will enhance our nations capacity to recruit and train the next generation of aviation workers and do so without lowering, weakening or watering down the postcovid safety system, including pilot qualification standards. There are many important provisions in this bill but i want to highlight just a few today. First and foremost, this bill takes important steps to address critical safety challenges facing our Aviation System. During the pandemic, retirements and buyouts drained critical experience from our aviation workforce both in the federal agencies like the faa as well as in the commercial aviation sector. The postcovid surge in demand for air travel put a huge strain on our system and stretched the remaining aviation workforce thin. Near misses and close calls became so frequent that the faa was forced to convene a safety summit. Despite this, the close calls keep happening over and over and over again. Just last week a swiss air flight had to abort takeoff at j. F. K. When four other planes were crossing the runway at the same time. The week before that a southwest jet crossed the runway at National Airport right as a jet blue flight was starting its takeoff role. The need for congress to act is urgent and this bill takes important steps to address safety critical challenges. Importantly, our bill also preserves an Important Pillar of the postcovid safety system, the 1500 hour rule for first officer flight training. As a commercial and private pilot i know how critical real world experience is in the cockpit. It can mean the difference between life and death. As demand for air travel continues to grow, we will continue to need more pilots. By putting safety first demands that congress always reject industry efforts to lower pilot qualification standards, and that is why i worked so hard to make sure that our bill left the 1500 hour rule intact. Air Traffic Controllers and surface detection is a key component of the faa reauthorization bill also. Our legislation will also give a muchneeded boost to our air Traffic Controller workforce. Coming out of the pandemic, our air traffic facilities are understaffed and our controllers are overworked. Last year only three of 313 air traffic facilities nationwide had enough controllers to meet targets. While controllers are working 60 hours a week to keep up, this is dangerous. These are highly stressful, safety critical jobs under the best of circumstances. Growing this workforce is a safety imperative and this bill takes aggressive steps to do so. It will set a minimum hiring target equal to the maximum number of air Traffic Controllers our academy can accommodate. It will also require a more accurate staffing model Going Forward to ensure there will be enough air Traffic Controllers to meet the growing demand and keep the flying public safe. The bill will also expand deployment of surface Detection Technology to more airports to help prevent near misses or worse, actual collisions. Our bipartisan compromise also advances passenger safety by requiring the faa to finally update aircraft evacuation standards to account for realworld conditions. Federal regulations require that in the event of an emergency passengers can evacuate an aircraft within 90 seconds. However recent faa inperson evacuation simulations use only ablebodied adults under the age of 60 in groups of 60 on a plane with no carry on baggage and nobody under the age of 18. On a typical 737 youd see more than twice that number of passengers. I think its safe to say that youd also probably see a couple backpacks, maybe a hundred backpacks and probably some senior citizens, children and passengers with disabilities too. All of these folks were left out of the latest faa simulation. So the fact is we dont actually know if an aircraft can be evacuated in 90 seconds in realworld condition, and that is whats so dangerous. The miracle on the hudson took more than two that long twice that long to evacuate. Three minutes. In january when a Japanese Airlines crew evacuated nearly 400 people from a burning airbus a350 it took closer to 18 minutes from the point of impact and five minutes from when the plane stopped moving. In 2016 it took more than 17 minutes to evacuate a 767 at ohare after the plane came to a stop, well short of the 90 second threshold. The ntsb has recommended the faa look at this issue. The bill today requires the faa to do just that, along with mandating the agency considering realworld conditions like children, seniors and others with disabilities. It will transform commercial air travel to be safer and more accessible for passengers with disabilities. I was i was proud to work with organizations and individuals in the Disability Community when drafting this bill. While there is a long way to go for people with disabilities when living, if passed, the federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill would improve the air travel experience for the Disability Community. This was a yearlong effort by senator baldwin and i would like to thank her on the air traffic act. And today i am happy to say that several important provisions from that baldwin bill are included in that reauthorization. Todays bill includes a new Grant Program to upgrade airports to make them more accessible to those with disabilities. Two bicameral legislation is included, the mobile act, which i worked on with senator thune and representative steve coen and steve saber, and the act in which i worked with senator fischer and steve coen. I want to thank my colleagues across the aisle and in the house for working with me to show that even in this decisionive political moment, we can be and must legislate on issues that impact americans in every part of the country in states that are both red and blue. This bill will grow the next generation of aviation pilots by expanding the Workforce Development Grant Program. This is critical to meet future demand which is expected to grow tremendously. The faa estimates 696 million main line planes will grow to 1. 3 million in 2024. I want to thank senators moran, thune, kelly, fischer, for working with me with these grants. I want to give a special thanks to senator moran who has been a special pleasure to work with and also to my colleagues in the house and especially to our chairwoman of the committee who has been so generous in working with me as the subcommittee chair. While this initiative may be relatively new, it has proven incredibly popular with educational Training Institutions with demands for training grants outstripping supply. Our bill will strengthen the capacity and capabilities of our nations aviation education and training organizations with the goal of recruiting and preparing the next generation of american aviation workers. Ip want to say a brief word i want to say a brief word about boeing, a company with a proud heritage in american aviation. This bill does not address the issues that have come to light. Congress must look most closely at these issues and assess what additional legislation may be needed. As chair cantwell has indicated, we will conduct vigorous oversight, but that will take time and it this bill includes urgently needed fixes. We must delay passage of this faa reauthorization while we continue our oversight of boeing and all aviation manufacturers. So lets pass this bill and i yield the floor. Millions of americans, most often americans of color, have had their live lives derailed and destroyed by our countrys failed war on drugs. The consequences of this harmful campaign linger on to this very day. So i was pleased by yesterdays news9 that the dea under the Biden Administration is preparing to take a truly historic step, rescheduling cannabis from a schedule i substance to a schedule iii substance under the controlled substance act. Reclassifying cannabis is a necessary and long overdue step, but it is not at all the end of the story. Its time for congress to wake up to the times and do its part by passing the cannabis reform that most americans have long called for. Its past time for congress to catch up with Public Opinion and to catch up with the science. So today im proud to join with my colleagues, senators booker and wyden, to reintroduce a comprehensive and necessary update to the federal governments approach to cannabis. I am proud to be the first majority leader ever to call for an end to the marijuana prohibition because ive seen both the consequences of outdated drug laws and the benefits of common sense cannabis regulation at the state level. And if its time for congress to follow suit. Support for cannabis reform is growing in the senate. Our bill now has 18 sponsors, the most ever for this bill. And well keep working to build more support. Because when liberals and well keep working to build more support because when liberals and conservatives and activists and entrepreneurs and set e irans groups can all come together on one issue, thats a allowed to speak for up to 15 minutes. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cruz i ask unanimous consent that permanent privileges for the floor be granted to the following members of the minority and majority commerce staff throughout h. R. 3935, william mckenai, simone perez, alexander simpson, gabrielle slice. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cruz mr. President , i rise today in strong support for the faa reauthorization act of 2024. This bill, negotiated by chair cantwell and myself, with the leadership of the house transportation and infrastructure and science committees, is a bicameral and bipartisan accomplishment. It is the culmination of many months of work between us and our staffs and is reflective of the priorities of a great many senators. On the republican side alone, more than 200 member priorities were included. Im especially proud of the numerous provisions that make for a safer and more convenient travel experience for texans and for consumers across the nation. And the provisions that will help grotesque texts texass thriving aerospace sector. It will make significant strives in aviation safety, the primary mission of the faa and something that i know all of us care deeply about. It will provide a clear path forward to integrate new advanced aviation technologies and will make it easier for fliers to get up front information on ticket prices. A flurry of near misses at our nations airports, multiple concerning maintenance reports of United Airlines flights and the alarming decompression event of Alaska Airlines flight 1282, have together raised serious concerns with the safety of our airspace. Aviation safety has been and will continue to be one of the very Top Priorities of the Senate Commerce committee. When the people of texas board a flight, they expect their flight and their families to be safe. As a result, im proud to say that our bill includes numerous crucial safety provisions, such as requiring 25hour cockpit voice recorders in all commercial aircraft. This safety upgrade will allow the National Transportation safety board and the faa to have access to Vital Information needed during accident investigations. This became abundantly clear after the cockpit voice recorder in the Alaska Airlines flight was lost because of an outdated twohour requirement. Thats unacceptable and it should never happen again with this bill it will not happen again. In response to recent runway surface incidents, this bill establishes a zero tolerance runway safety policy. It prioritizes projects that improve surface surveillance, it establishes a Runway Safety Council and it requires a timeline and an action plan to actually get better runway and tarmac incursion technologies installed at airports that need them. Air Traffic Controller shortages have plagued airports across the country, including in my home state of texas, putting traveler safety at risk. This legislation aims to relieve the strain on air Traffic Control by directing the faa to hire the maximum enough. Of air Traffic Controllers, hopefully aiding the many facilities that have been understaffed for far too long. At a time when Aircraft Safety seems to be in the news every other day, our bipartisan bill makes important upgrades to safety reporting. Commercial aviation has improved in the last several decades, in part because the faa and industry have tracked trends in safety to respond in a proactive manner to safety concerns instead of waiting after a fatal accident has occurred. Furthermore, this bill recognizes the Important Role that whistleblowers play and includes protections for those reporting safety concerns. This bill also makes transformative investments in airports across our country by making updates to the formula used to disperse grants for Airport Infrastructure projects. As a result, all airports across the country will be able to rehab their runways or acquire critical safety technologies. Im also pleased that the bill makes it easier to obtain permits for airport construction projects. This bill is good for airports large and small across the nation. This bill does not ignore the fact that sometimes airlines screw up and leave consumers hanging. One provision provides that parents in the chamber should be really happy about is the requirement for airlines to ensure that families are able to sit together. This just makes sense and will help make the traveling with Young Children just a little bit easier. Im also pleased that there is a requirement that customers who need Customer Service will now be guaranteed that they can talk to a human representative, an actual human being, 24 7. Finally this bill makes important improvement for travelers with disabilities, including requiring training for employees who handle wheelchairs and requires the dot to respond to complaints submitted by passengers. I know theres been a lot of attention paid to the additional roundtrip flights as a part of this bifl. Reagan national is the only airport in the country that a plane may not travel further than 2,051 miles from landing. It is absurd and unfair to those who are forced to pay for higher prices because because of this bill. It has been over a decade since Congress Expanded access to dca and the inclusion of trips will bring down prices for consumers in the d. C. Region and western states. This modest increase will not result in negative impacts or delays nor will it result in loss of flights for anyone who currently receives service. I repeat, it will not result in loss of flights for any route that currently receives service. Despite the threats and fearmongering from the army of United Airlines lobbyists who are actively working to protect their dulles monopoly. By my count of uniteds threatened service cuts, these five roundtrip flights will leave united to cancel air service to more than half the states in the union. Dont believe the propaganda. And i have to say its not in the interest of any senator to support a policy that reduces competition, enhances monopoly products for one airline, United Airlines, and drives up the prices not only for the residents of virginia and d. C. And maryland but for the residents of all 50 states who come to our Nations Capital. In contrast this modest addition of service will allow for further competition but between the airlines that serve dca. Competition is good for consumers and its good for lowering prices. This change will also provide the ability for there to be a direct flight from san antonio to d. C. Reagan. Delivering a more convenient travel experience for members of the military, traveling from joint base san antonio to the pentagon to Arlington Cemetery to our Nations Capital and also for business travelers and tourists in san antonio. I also want to talk about the benefits this bill has for new aerospace technologies. Our bill helps the faa both modernize and transform its operations in handling of new entrants like drones and air taxis, a provision that will increase productivity and spur Economic Activity. Importantly, this reauthorization includes measures to eliminate inefficiencies plaguing the nextgen office. This legislation also directs the faa to complete the beyond visual line of sight rule making which will expand drone delivery and other Drone Operations across the country, and especially in my home state of texas. Im also proud of the reforms aimed at better integrating commercial space activities into the National Aerospace system. Assisting launch providers and navigating complicated air space will be a boost for texas thriving commercial space industry. To carry out all of these ambitious goals, the faa needs a workforce that has the Technical Expertise to conduct effective oversight of manufacturers and airlines. As well as technical experts who can help in the certification of these new and novel technologies. This was a major focus of our efforts. For example, in an effort to boost the aviation workforce and provide more opportunities for americas veterans, this legislation makes it easier for military servicemembers to transition to Civil Aviation careers. This comprehensive and bipartisan bill bolsters the faa at a time when the agency needs support. The Aviation System is more strained than ever. Millions of americans travel every single day. Millions of americans depend on this sector to earn their livelihood. The u. S. Aviation sector is the Gold Standard of safety. And im proud of the improvements and reforms made in this bill, and i look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this bill to final passage. Thank you and i yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the clerk ms. Baldwin. The presiding officer the senator from washington. Ms. Cantwell i ask the quorum call be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Cantwell mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that i am permitted to speak up to 20 minutes prior to the scheduled roll call vote. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Cantwell mr. President , we come to the floor, my colleagues have already been out here today. Its a great day for aviation because we have a product before the United States senate and members will be asked to vote to move forward on consideration of this important aviation safety legislation. As my colleagues have already said, this is a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on the faa reauthorization. It is important to reauthorize both the federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation safety board for another five years. We are not only giving them direction and resources to improve safety but were asking them to keep up to date on the implementation of the latest technologies that help us do just that. I want to thank my colleague senator cruz who was just on the senate floor for helping negotiate this through the Senate Commerce committee. And i want to thank chairman graves and larson from my state for their participation and dedication for producing this bicameral, Bipartisan Legislation and certainly want to thank senators duckworth and moran who chair the subcommittee in the aviation area for their important contributions to this legislation. I also want to thank President Biden, secretary buttigieg, administrator whitaker for helping us on all of the input as we move forward on this legislation. Certainly want to thank senators schumer and thune and duckworth and sinema who helped to negotiate key provisions of this as it relates to pilot safety and training. And i definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely want to thank the very hard work of our Committee Majority staff and the Committee Minority staff for working diligently on this important legislation. I cant tell you how important it is at this point in time for us to show that we are paying attention to these issues. Over the last 12 months several incidents, including a door plug blowout, a string of close calls at airports have made the public question where we are with aviation safety. We need to show them that we are asking for, implementing, and Holding Accountable the faa to a Gold Standard for safety. These incidents underscore why we need a strong authorization bill, why we need to implement Safety Improvements, why we need to invest in a safety workforce at the faa, why we need strong consumer laws on the books that give consumers a right to a refund. The faa authorization bill does all those things. It provides the direction. It provides the resources. It helps us build that aviation workforce. And it helps us implement Safety Technology that will be part of the nextgen system and improve aviation and Airport Infrastructure nationwide. Some of my colleagues may think, well, faa, okay. Its an aviation bill. But what is behind this . Aviation contributes 5 of our gdp. Thats 1. 9 1. 9 trillion of Economic Activity and 11 million jobs. Getting this right is paramount. I think some people look at whats happened during covid and say everybody has workforce shortages. Everybody has problems. The workforce everywhere. But when you have a workforce problem in aviation, it means you dont have the highest standards for safety. That is why we have to pass this legislation. Our bill gives the aviation workforce the tools and the platform they need. Its talking about machinists, about engineers, about mechanics, about pilots, about flight attendants, about baggage handlers, about maintenance workers, the people who are really part of the backbone of an aviation economy. It is simple. This bipartisan bill puts safety first. It says we are authorizing over 100 billion so that the faa does meet that Gold Standard. We also are including a robust reauthorization of the National Transportation safety board. This organization has and needs to do its job with the resources to hire investigators, conduct thorough investigations, and produce the highest level of critical analysis to why, why weve had safety accidents. The ntsb needs to have the critical funding to carry out its Important Mission like investigating Alaska Airlines flight 1282 and the Train Derailment of east palestine. These are Important Missions that help inform us what is wrong with our systems and how they should be improved. Unless we have those inspectors at ntsb and weve lost some of them lately, and some have retired, we need to continue to have these most critical investigators. This also funds the key Safety Improvements of our system. It requires new and manufactured commercial aircraft to be equipped, as my colleagues have mentioned, with a 25hour cockpit voice recorder. The standard today is just two hours. And what unfortunately happened in the alaska air door plug issue is that in those short two hours where people were in the aftermath of the confusion, that two hours was overridden. Now were asking the National Transportation safety board to investigate without the most critical information that would have told us exactly what was happening in the cockpit at that time. The voice recorder. This legislation is critical to have a mandate and never to have that overridden in this time period so we have enough time to investigate. The ntsb also will strengthen its board and its workforce. It investigates more than 2600 accidents every year. However, it is at the same number of people and staff for decades. And that is why those 33 more investigators would be better equipped and better able to understand emerging technologies. I want to thank senator klobuchar for her leadership. She and her provision on runway traffic and landing Safety Technology is helping us to reduce collisions or near misses at airports. This invest in deploying this technology that ntsb accurately assessed has been saving lives at various airports, and says it needs to be more deployed across the entire country. These critical Airport Technologies will require all medium and large hub airports to implement this within the next few years. Building on the aircraft certification and accountability act, the bill that we based in the aftermath of the two boeing max crashes this bill continues to make reforms in aircraft certification to ensure that planes we fly meet the highest standards of the faa. To further the reform certification, we require the faa provide Public Notice and opportunity to comment on significant aviation Product Design changes. A lot of the confusion in the max, an incident of the system, people said they didnt know or didnt understand. This ensures the transparency for those proposed exemptions for the current airworthiness standard. It puts the flying public and unfortunately families who have been impacted more in the drivers seat of understanding what changes are being proposed to airplane certification. It also requires the recurrent training and stronger standards for manufacture representatives who act on behalf of the federal Aviation Administration as unit members to understand the manufacturing process. This includes strengthening the members understanding of what are the International Aviation stan standards, the Safety Management system which is the Gold Standard for safety, and a key recommendation of the export of the expert review panels report. To ensure safety concerns also, this legislation includes analysis of what are called Service Difficulty reports and regular updates to congress. Service difficulty reports are information filed by pilots every day after a flight that tells somebody this happened in our carrier, this incident happened. And we are strengthening the requirement for the faa to analyze that information early and frequently and give Congress Updates on this. Again, something requested by the families of the max air crash incident. Additionally, we authorize 66. 7 billion to boost the faas staff and programs and resources to strengthen the oversight of the manufacturing process. This is critical in providing what are called safety inspectors by the faa. These are people we hire and train at the faa. They go to a Community College and take a safety course and they are required to understand what are the obligations of a manufacturer to implement the code that the faa has. Palestine. These individuals from the faa have we need a more aggressive investment in them. Theyre training, their skilling, their ability to stay current on the greatest and latest technology. The agency is required to revise and implement these safety inspector models so we can increase the responsibility. In 2021, the department of transportation inspector highlighted that staffing shortages by the faa flight standard and Certification Management district offices were critical. Mr. President , i want to take a moment to give my condolences to the family of ian juan helped to understand the process at the office of the faa that oversees certification. We need people to stand up like ian juan did ato say the faa is good. We lost ian to cancer. The professional aviation Safety Specialist past representing the faa employees, estimates that the faa is currently experiencing a 20 shortage of safety inspectors, improvising a revised model will be sure that the next generation of technology is fully understood and make sure that operators and manufacturers are complying with the law. I want to thank senator schatz for his helicopter safety tour. Many people travel to the state of hawaii to travel on air tours around the islands, but that important safety responsibility has to be clear to those independent operators that they are going to meet the highest standards when moving the public around. Another safety provision in the bill by senators baldwin, capito, welch called the global aviation Safety Improvement act will strengthen the oversight of foreign repair stations and create a more level playing field. As Aircraft Maintenance went overseas and the faa did not have enough inspectors, they did not oversee to shows oversee repair stations. We are taking that away. The faa will be there and inspect to make sure we are meeting the standard. This will help us to bring there back to the United States. There are nearly 1,000 certified maintenance and repair stations outside of the United States and we have to medicare sure that they are prop rememberly regulated. Properly regulated. We are also, in this legislation, making sure that the faa workforce is well trained and advised to help the faa. It helps recruit skilled technical and expert staff to ensure that manufacturers dont take shortcuts, it helps the faa to do more direct hiring to quickly fill these positions and one of the most important aspects of the legislation is our most pressing workforce problem and that is the shortage of over 3,000 air Traffic Controllers. Everyone knows that these air Traffic Controllers are what guide us every day to the safety of our destinations. This bill recognizes that we have shortchanged that investment with air Traffic Controllers sometimes working as much as six days a week. We need a workforce that is going to continue to tackle this challenge and this bill makes the investment so that happens. Weve seen the faa fall short of goals before in workforce training, but this staffing model and the faa staffing committed to in this bill will help us fill that gap. I want to thank senators klobuchar, duckworth, warnock, peters, and kelly for this legislation. It helps us grow pilots, mechanics and technical workforce and streamline the path way for veterans who have real skill in the military and could more easily help us fill these aviation roles. Our bills requires the gao to study airport workers standards, a step towards getting our baggage handlers and ramp worker the pay and benefits they deserve. This bill also does something for the first time for consumers. It says that will you deserve a refund after a threehour delay. Even if you have a nonrefundable ticket. You also deserve a refund for an International Flight if its been delayed for six hours, and you can get that refund immediately by talking to the carrier or if you decide you just dont even want to be on the delayed flight, you can get a refund. I want to thank senators markey and vance for a mandate in the bill that says that families get to sit together and you cant charge us more. If the airlines break these rules, guess what happens, the dot assistant secretary is authorized to issue penalties up to 75,000 for fines. I want to thank senator duckworth to make sure that airlines accommodate passengers with disabilities. It is because of her unbelievable advocacy here that we will reduce the damage done to wheelchairs and to the passengers who have to make these flights for their own needs and certainly thank senator duckworth as one of our National Heroes and veterans for her unbelievable pilot expertise in helping us. Senators tester, fischer and sullivan, thank you for programs for small and Rural Community who need important Economic Life lines to have aviation in their community. We authorized a record 1. 7 billion for that program. And overall Airport Infrastructure is getting a big boost too. Thank you to senators peters, warner, and warnock for champion being, making sure that airports dispose of harmful chemicals that are harmful to all of us. And i want to thank senators hickenlooper, who is in the preeding officers chair, senators warner, thune, and wicker that usher in the next generation of technologies for aviation, not just drones and air mobility aircraft, but also the research and Development Necessary to see that electric and hydrogenpowered aircrafts take off. Universal hydrogen is leading the way of the next generation of strategies that will help us make these technologies a reality. I will say too that this legislation gives the faa the direction to provide safe operating standards for advanced air mobility and safety for the 2028 olympics coming soon in los angeles. And i also thank senators thune and warner for their legislation creating a pathway for drones to operate beyond the visual line of sight, which we also included in this bill and to make sure that senator rosens hard work on the legislation for grants so states can improve the u. S. Manufactured drones inspect and repair in critical infrastructure. My colleagues can see that this legislation is full of Safety Improvement. It helps address a huge part of our u. S. Economy. It helps make the Aviation System today work better and guarantee that we are going to continue to focus on this for the future. So i thank all my colleagues. I urge them to support the motion to move forward on this legislation that we will be taking shortly and get this to the house before the may 10 deadline. It is great bipartisan work, bicameral work, but most importantly, it is Safety Improvement for our aviation improvements for our Aviation System. I thank the president. I yield the floor. I ask unanimous consent that ms. Amber willard from the federal Aviation Administration be granted floor privileges for the duration of the 118th congress. The presiding officer without objection. The question is on the nomination. Is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll. Vote the clerk ms. Baldwin. Mr. Barrasso. Mr. Bennet. Mrs. Blackburn. Mr. Blumenthal. Mr. Booker. Mr. Boozman. Mr. Braun. Mrs. Britt. Mr. Brown. Mr. Budd. Ms. Butler. Ms. Cantwell. Mrs. Capito. Mr. Cardin. Mr. Carper. Mr. Casey. Mr. Cassidy. Ms. Collins. Mr. Coons. Mr. Cornyn. Ms. Cortez masto. Mr. Cotton. Mr. Cramer. Mr. Crapo. Mr. Cruz. Mr. Daines. Ms. Duckworth. Mr. Durbin. Ms. Ernst. Mr. Fetterman. Mrs. Fischer. Mrs. Gillibrand. Mr. Graham. Mr. Grassley. Mr. Hagerty. Ms. Hassan. Mr. Hawley. Mr. Heinrich. Mr. Hickenlooper. Ms. Hirono. Mr. Hoeven. Mrs. Hydesmith. Mr. Johnson. Mr. Kaine. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kennedy. Mr. King. Ms. Klobuchar. Mr. Lankford. Mr. Lee. Mr. Lujan. Ms. Lummis. Mr. Manchin. Mr. Markey. Mr. Marshall. Mr. Mcconnell. Mr. Menendez. Mr. Merkley. Mr. Moran. Mr. Mullin. Ms. Murkowski. Mr. Murphy. Mrs. Murray. Mr. Ossoff. Mr. Padilla. Mr. Paul. Mr. Peters. Mr. Reed. Mr. Ricketts. Mr. Risch. Mr. Romney. Ms. Rosen. Mr. Rounds. Mr. Rubio. Mr. Sanders. Mr. Schatz. Mr. Schmitt. Mr. Schumer. Mr. Scott of florida. Mr. Scott of south carolina. Mrs. Shaheen. Ms. Sinema. Ms. Smith. Ms. Stabenow. Mr. Sullivan. Mr. Tester. Mr. Thune. Mr. Tillis. Mr. Tuberville. Mr. Van hollen. Mr. Vance. Mr. Warner. Mr. Warnock. Ms. Warren. Mr. Welch. Mr. Whitehouse. Mr. Wicker. Mr. Wyden. Mr. Young. Senators voting in the affirmative baldwin, blumenthal, cantwell, carper, casey, coons, hickenlooper, kaine, king, ossoff, shaheen, stabenow, tillis, warner, and warnock. Senators voting in the negative blackburn, braun, cassidy, cramer, cruz, fisher, hoeven, hydesmith, johnson, kennedy, mullin, scott of florida, scott of south carolina, and vance. The clerk mr. Lankford, no. The clerk mr. Romney, no. The clerk mr. Lujan, aye. The clerk mr. Cotton, no. Mr. Marshall, no. Mr. Fetterman, aye. Ms. Ernst, no. The clerk ms. Butler, aye. The clerk mrs. Murray, aye. Mr. Graham, aye. The clerk mr. Cardin, aye. The clerk mr. Schumer, aye. The clerk mr. Sullivan, no. The clerk mr. Manchin, aye. The clerk ms. Sinema, aye. The clerk mr. Budd, no. Mr. Hawley, no. Mr. Wyden, aye. Mr. Padilla, aye. The clerk mr. Thune, no. Ms. Collins, aye. The clerk mr. Reed, aye. Mr. Crapo, no. The clerk mr. Moran, no. Mr. Risch, no. The clerk mr. Daines, no. Vote the clerk mr. Merkley, aye. Mr. Brown, aye. The clerk ms. Smith, aye. Mr. Murphy, aye. Mrs. Gillibrand, aye. The clerk mr. Cornyn, no. The clerk mr. Mcconnell, no. Mr. Booker, aye. The clerk mr. Wicker, no. The clerk mr. Hagerty, no. The clerk ms. Rosen, aye. Mr. Whitehouse, aye. The clerk mr. Paul, no. The clerk mr. Boozman, no. The clerk mr. Grassley, no. Ms. Hassan, aye. The clerk mr. Schatz, aye. The clerk mrs. Capito, no. The clerk mr. Tester, aye. The clerk ms. Lummis, no. The clerk mr. Markey, aye. The clerk mr. Schmitt, no. The clerk ms. Murkowski, aye. Mr. Lee, no. Vote the clerk mr. Rounds, aye. Mr. Young, no. The clerk mr. Peters, aye. Mr. Durbin, aye. The clerk mr. Rubio, no. The clerk mr. Heinrich, aye. The clerk ms. Hirono, aye. Mr. Welch, aye. Mr. Tuberville, no. The clerk mr. Menendez, aye. The clerk ms. Cortezmasto, aye. Mr. Ricketts, no. The clerk ms. Duckworth, aye. The clerk mr. Van hollen, aye. The clerk mr. Bennet, aye. The clerk ms. Klobuchar, aye. The clerk mr. Barrasso, no. Ms. Warren, aye. The clerk mrs. Britt, no. The presiding officer on this vote the yeas are 54, the nays are 44. The nomination is confirmed. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senates action. Under the previous order, the senate will resume legislative session and resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h. R. 3935 which the clerk will report. The clerk motion to proceed to calendar number 211, h. R. 3935, an act to amend title 49 United States code, and so forth and for other purposes. The presiding officer under the previous order, the senate and the senate will be back this amp at 2 eastern for more debate on a 5year federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill with. A vote on whether to begin work on the measure is scheduled for 7 p. M. Eastern. Current faa programs expire on may 10th. As always, lye coverage of the charter is proud to be recognized as one of the best internet proked sliders, and were just get providers, and were just Getting Started building 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. Charter communications supports cspan if as a Public Service along with these other Television Provider s, giving you a front row seat to democracy. This afternoon federal rerve chair Jerome Powell will talk about Monetary Policy and the economy as he gives an an update on the Central Banks next move on interest rates. Tch the full News Conference live at 2 30 p. M. Eastern on cspan now,ur free mobile video app, or online at cspan. Org. In 2024 more than 60 countries are holding elections. Up next, prodemocracy advocates discuss the importance of defending human rights defenders and anticorruption activists from autocratic regimes. This was part of a Conference Held by the society for