5:30 p.m. eastern today. they will move merrick garland's attorney general nomination forward and we will hear the maiden floor speech of new california senator. now, live to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. dr. black. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, today, make our senators custodians of truth. remind them that when people call a lie the truth, they tamper with their value judgment. give our lawmakers the wisdom to know that to scrape away their value judgment will eventually cause them to lose their sense of moral distinctions. may they understand that deception is difficult to quarantine and will corrupt all sense of moral discrimination. lord, thank you for being a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. we pray in your great 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. the president pro tempore: so 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. the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of housing and urban development, marcia louise fudge of ohio to be secretary. the president pro tempore: the senator from arkansas. mr. cotton: most americans know that there are two sexes, male and female, and that sex is rooted in science. most americans also know that we ought to treat all people, including those who feel conflicted about their gender, with respect and dignity without sacrificing the truth in the process. these beliefs, though, are now under attack from some of the most powerful corporations in the history of the world. just a few weeks ago, while house democrats were passing their far-left equality act and the left-wing media was busy canceling dr. seuss, amazon quietly erased a book from its online store without notice, without warning, without explanation. that book is "when harry became sal," responding to the transgender moment, by ryan anderson. amazon claims it banned this book for violating its brand-new policy on hate speech. of course, that excuse is arbitrary and patently false. if you go to amazon right now, right now, you can go to amazon on your phone or on your computer and buy copies of actually hateful books. you can get hitler's "mein kampf," the unabomber manifesto written by a serial killer who murdered three people. you can even get how to blow up a pipeline. i assume the title speaks for itself. all of those books are available for purchase on amazon right now, one click away, but amazon wants you to believe that a conservative book is somehow beyond the pale, unacceptably hateful, literally worse than hitler, as they like to say. my office asked amazon to send us the exact passages from "when harry became sally" that it deemed so hateful that it couldn't even sell the book on its website. shocking surprise, i know, they never got back to us. that's because the book doesn't say anything hateful. to the contrary, the book makes very clear that we should treat people who feel conflicted about their gender with the same respect and compassion that are due to all people. to quote the author, we should have abundant compassion and charity and patience with people who feel this form of alienation, but we also need to insist on telling the truth. end quote. that's not hate. that's far from it. the author's real offense, his only offense was telling the truth. he said calmly and compassionately that boys are boys and girls are girls, and the richest man in the world banned his book from his company's platform. but of course you don't have to agree with the commonsense, historic understanding of gender in order to acknowledge how dangerous it is for one of the biggest corporations in the history of the world to start banning books, because while amazon's censorship may start with conservative views, it could easily mutate to censor other views that offend jeff bezos and his bottom line. perhaps amazon will come after union organizers next since they're trying to bust up a union election in alabama. or maybe environmental activists. or maybe trust busters, since so many people are talking about potential antitrust violations in the world of big tech. and even if, even if amazon goes only this far and no further, the damage to free speech has already been done. books like "when harry became sally" won't get published anymore. writers who hold unfashionable opinions that just a few days ago were considered basic mainstream views of a large majority of americans may decide to sub censor, stay silent. the virtual book burning may spread to other companies. maybe amazon will put a book-burning app on its kindle so readers can drag books from its catalog into the virtual bonfire. political correctness will only grow for oppressive if it its enforcers like amazon don't face some consequences for their actions. amazon, for instance, makes billions of dollars a year each year hosting websites and storing data for their government. almost all of amazon's profit is made in these enterprise services, not in its consumer-facing retail business. and those are our tax dollars flowing to a company that uses its power to censor the beliefs of a large majority of americans. perhaps it's time for lawmakers to reconsider whether these contracts are in the best interests of our country. i would also note that amazon is the country's largest bookseller, selling three out of every four books, e-books in america. it is time for lawmakers to evaluate whether amazon's practices are consistent with our antitrust laws, whether antitrust laws need to be updated to address this type of behavior from a monopolistic firm. we better hurry, though, because maybe they will ban all books on antitrust and monopoly behavior before we have a chance to study the question. i'll close by quoting from the book that amazon banned which predicted the very events we're witnessing here today. quote -- if tranactivists succeed in their political agenda, our nation's children will be indoctrinated in a harmful ideology and some will live by its own lies about their own bodies at great harm to themselves physically, psychologically, and socially. lives will be ruined, but pointing out the damage will be forbidden. dissent from the transgender world view will be punished in schools, workplaces, medical clinics. trying to live in accordance with the truth will be made harder, end quote. this is not a fight over hate or bigotry, respect or compassion. it's a battle over truth itself. the truth of who we are as human beings and the judgment freedom to speak that truth or any other truth without fear. throughout our history, americans have never surrendered to an oppressive tyranny of opinion, whether a majority or in this case a small but highly influential minority, and we won't be silenced today. we will fight for what's true. we will fight for the freedom to say it. and no matter what the cultural forces arrayed against us do, we will never back down. madam president, i yield the floor and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mr. schumer: are we in a quorum? i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, madam president, the senate returns this week to the business of nominations. today the senate will confirm congresswoman marcia fudge to be the secretary of housing and urban development, followed by confirmation votes later this week for merrick garland to serve as attorney general and michael regan to serve as the administrator of the environmental protection agency. finally, the senate will begin the confirmation process for congresswoman deb hall land before the week is out. she would be the first native american cabinet member of any agency and the first indigenous secretary of the department of interior, a profoundly historic moment given the troubled relationship between the federal government and tribal nations. despite republican obstruction, representative haaland will be confirmed. i will file cloture immediately after my remarks. on the rescue plan, on saturday, the american people got to see what a responsive and effective government looks like. senate democrats followed through on our promise to deliver a bold covid relief bill to help crush the virus, lift this country out of the crisis, and set our economy on a path to a strong recovery. earlier today, a the final text of the senate bill was sent to the house of representatives. congress remains on track to deliver the american rescue plan to president biden's desk for his signature before enhanced unemployment benefits expire on march 14. we said we would do it, and we are doing it. once president biden signs the american rescue plan into law, it will immediately become one of the most sweeping federal recovery efforts in modern history. it will help restore americans' faith in government at a time when that is sorely needed. and it will deliver more help to more people than almost anything congress has accomplished in past being dids. already the positive reviews are pouring in. according to several reports, the bill will help millions of americans save hundreds of dollars in health care costs. thanks to an historic expansion of the child tax credit, up to $3,000 per child under 17 for an overwhelming majority of families, analysts predict the american rescue plan will cut child poverty in half. let me say that again. analysts predict the american rescue plan will cut child poverty in half. this has been the goal of this country for decades, and now we are taking real steps to accomplish it. in fact, the tax policy center predicts the american rescue plan will boost the incomes of the poorest americans, of the poorest 20% of americansly 20%, including significant boosts all the way through the middle class. meanwhile, the wealthiest one percent of americans will receive an income boost of zero -- zero percent for the top one percent of wealthiest americans. let me say that again r a 20% boost in incomes for americans who are struggling the most. zero percent for those who are at the top already, who are doing very well. let's contrast this to the republican tax bill, which skewed in exactly the opposite direction. if people want to know the difference, the difference in terms of how democrats feel about who we should help and how republicans feel about who we should help, contrast this bill with the most major accomplishment during the four years that donald trump was president. and it's very apparent. back in december,democrats promised that if we won the majority, we would deliver $2,000 checks to american families. that's exactly what we've done. promise made, promise kept. we helped pass $600 checks in december and added $1,400 in the bill we just passed. because democrats kept that promise, americans are going to receive the help they need quickly. the checks will stimulate the economy and they are targeted to those americans who need it the most. it is a promise kept. the organization of economic corporation and development projected that the american rescue plan could as much as double america's economic growth this year. as a result, it there is revised upwards its pproximatelis -- projections for the entire economy. because of what the senate did last week, health care costs will go down. child poverty will be cut in half. americans will receive direct financial support. and the economy is set for an enormous boost. it is a great beginning for a new administration and new senate. that's to say nothing of the schools who will receive support to reopen faster and safer. the restaurants and small businesses who will receive a lifeline. the millions of recently unemployed americans who will continue to receive enhanced benefits until labor day, and the millions of workers and retirees who will see their pension plans protected. of course, one of the most important aspects of all is the support this bill will give to speed vaccinations and expand testing -- connect what we need to -- exactly what we need to defeat the virus. in short, this is one of the very most significant pieces of legislation to pass the senate in years. it is broader, deeper, and more comprehensive in helping working families and lifting americans out of poverty than anything, anything congress has accomplished in a very long time. so i am extremely proud of the bill we passed this week, exceedingly proud. i am exceedingly proud of everyone in our caucus, our committee chairs who acted quickly at a moment when americans needed help fast, and the membership who pulled together and realized no one is is going to get everything he or she wants but the need to come together and get something done when we had no margin for error was wonderful. i want to thank president biden for his bold and steady leadership. he was instrumental in putting this bill together and helping get it over the finish line. and i am exceedingly proud of the staff who toiled behind the scenes, who work incredible hours under incredible stress to prepare, perfect, and pass the american rescue plan. the staff are the unsung heroes of this bill. so i want to spend just a moment to sing their praises. first of all, to all the members and staff of the senate committees, thank you t i have submitted all of their names into the "congressional record" to acknowledge their weeks of hard work, assembling portions of the bill, negotiating compromises, writing legislative text, petitioning the parliamentarian, and managing a colossal amendment process. to all of the floor staff, the doorkeepers, the clerks, the reporters, the cafeteria workers, the custodial staff, the capitol capitol police and l guard. the entire senate gave you a standing ovation on saturday and you deserved every second of it. thank you, thank you, thank you once again. and finally, i need to spend some time thanking my own staff. i think they're the before the staff anyone could ever have s their amazing. they are amazing. every senator believes they have the best staff on capitol hill, i guess. but i am no exception. i couldn't do what i do without them. they are amazing, the chiefs who run the show mike lynch, martin brennan, aaron sager brawn. the floor staff, the amazing garry myrick, tricia engel, the whole floor staff, thank you. and then three names that i have to give a particular shout out to, because you could truly say without these three we wouldn't have a bill -- jerry patrella, playingen tira, charlie elseworth. my staff, a i'd like to brag about them in i might, my staff boasts some of the most brilliant legislative minds in the country. folks who know the nitty-gritty of every issue in their portfolio, who fashion solutions to the most difficult problems in the country and then turn those solutions into action. so -- and thank you to my executive team who keeps me somewhat on time and is a tremendous asset to the entire democratic caucus. thank you to our phenomenal research team ready to supply the right fact at the right moment. you ask them, look it it up shall find this out, boom! the answer appears right away. to everyone at the senate democratic media center who are clipping and editing videos at 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 in the morning. to a macing press team, our engagement team who does fantastic work with the groups affected by the legislation we passed, and our entire state staff -- i just visited some of them, i just came back from buffalo and serious -- who make -- and syracuse, who make sure that our work always responds to new york. i want to mention each of these different groups but in reality they are a team. they pull together and they're friends as well. they celebrate holidays together and we share each other's joys and sadnesses in life. a team that works together, helps each other, supports each other, and supports me. a team that gets up every morning with the passion to make the lives of their fellow citizens better. it's impossible, just impossible not to be inspired by them and by that. so i would ask unanimous consent to enter the names of my entire staff into the record because, as i told them on the phone sunday, even if they do nothing else in life, they have saved, by their work, many, many lives. they have made the lives of millions, millions of people considerably better because of their hard work, their dedication, and their caring. so i'd like to ask unanimous consent to enter the names of my entire staff into the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i want them all to know how much i appreciate their work, but how much the country does and what a great difference it has made in the trajectory of our wonderful nation. i yield the floor. no, i don't yield the floor. i finished my speech, but i will not yield the floor because we have some business to do. madam president, i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: madam president, i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 31. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of the interior, debra anne haaland of new mexico to be secretary. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to cloact invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 31, debra anne haaland of new mexico, to be secretary of the interior. signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to this motion be waived. the presiding officer: op op? -- is there objection? without objection. mr. schumer: i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: since we were last in this chamber our democrat colleagues were shooting down amendment after amendment to ensure their non-related covid plan remained very liberal and purely partisan. republicans proposed americans for extra government help for americans, to ensure direct checks would only go to citizens and legal residents and not to people in prison, to rein in a runaway state and frow -- enforce the bill on actual needs p but democrats banded together to defeat every one of these changes. as the democratic leader happily explained to reporters on saturday, his whole party put lock step unity ahead of substance. the spending spree that president biden's chief of staff brags is the most progressive domestic legislation in a generation is on its way over to the house. already we hear reporting that this giveaway will simply wipe out the budget deficit of new york state and eliminate a big part of the deficit in san francisco, courtesy of the taxpayers in kentucky and middle america. already we hear t