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 w