[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4557-S4558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Senate Legislative Agenda

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, Senators are moving forward this week on 
two major legislative initiatives: infrastructure and voting rights.
  Bipartisan infrastructure talks continue in our Senate committees and 
among our Members.
  Remember, discussions about infrastructure, both physical and human, 
are proceeding along two tracks. The first track is bipartisan, and I 
understand there has been some progress. The second track pulls in 
elements of President Biden's American Jobs and Families Plan and will 
be considered by the Senate even if it does not have bipartisan 
support.
  Today, we are going to start moving the trains down the second track. 
I will convene a meeting with all the Members of the majority party on 
the Senate Budget Committee to begin the important work of producing a 
budget resolution for the Senate to consider. This is something we have 
planned for quite a while, but we are moving forward today after having 
individual discussions which I have had with many members of the Budget 
Committee.

  It is a diverse committee. Senator Sanders is the Chair. Senators 
Warner and Kaine are on it as well.
  There are many items to discuss, but one subject is not up to debate. 
I will instruct members to ensure that any budget resolution puts the 
United States on track to reduce carbon pollution at a scale 
commensurate with the climate crisis. We need significant reductions in 
emissions through clean energy and electric vehicles, as well as 
funding to help manufacturers and farmers be a part of the solution in 
fighting climate change.
  The American Families Plan, as well, is essential to the forthcoming 
budget resolution and must be robustly funded.
  The Senate will also vote on major voting rights legislation before 
the end of June.
  Yesterday, the Democratic caucus hosted a group of Democratic 
lawmakers from Texas who led the dramatic walkout to prevent the Texas 
Republican legislators from passing one of the most draconian voting 
laws in our country. It was a powerful meeting. We heard moving 
testimony from five different lawmakers about the vicious, nasty, even 
bigoted attacks against voting rights in their State.

[[Page S4558]]

The actions taken were totally partisan, just like those in all the 
other legislatures. So the idea that this can have some kind of 
bipartisan solution befuddles me, because every action taken in the 
legislature is done just with Republican State Senators, Republican 
assembly members, with no Democratic participation or input. In fact, 
the Texas legislators told us they were deliberately excluded from 
certain meetings and conference committee hearings.
  Speaking for our caucus, we were all taken by the courage of the 
Texas legislators, their fortitude, and, most importantly, by their 
mission to defend the right of every American to be able to access the 
ballot, not just in Texas but across the country. These lawmakers in 
one State put everything on the line to protect voting rights in their 
State. The Senate should put everything on the line to protect voting 
rights in this country.
  Now, tomorrow, Senate Democrats will hold another special caucus 
meeting to continue discussing the best path forward to achieve voting 
rights legislation.