[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 36 (Monday, February 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S819-S826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

   WOMEN'S HEALTH PROTECTION ACT OF 2021--Motion to Proceed--Resumed

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 3755, which the 
clerk will report.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 139, H.R. 3755, a bill to 
     protect a person's ability to determine whether to continue 
     or end a pregnancy, and to protect a health care provider's 
     ability to provide abortion services.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Illinois.


                      Remembering Richard C. Blum

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I want to begin my remarks by joining 
Senator McConnell in expressing my condolences to our friend and 
colleague Senator Dianne Feinstein on the passing of her husband and 
partner Richard Blum.
  Dick Blum was a trailblazer in the Senate family, one of the first 
men to join the Senate Spouses club. He was proud of Senator 
Feinstein's historic career in public service.
  He was a success at business and invested his wealth in easing human 
suffering--from the streets of San Francisco to some of the poorest 
corners of the globe. He founded the American Himalayan Foundation to 
assist the people of the Himalayas. He also founded the Blum Center for 
Developing Economies at UC Berkeley to help teach students about 
microlending, social enterprise, and other ways for poor people in 
developing nations to lift themselves from poverty.
  A story in today's Los Angeles Times contained an anecdote that 
captured well Dick's good humor and generous spirit.
  He said that in all the conversations he had over the years with 
Buddhist friends in the Himalayas, no one had ever convinced him of the 
likelihood of reincarnation. Maybe that is why he worked so hard to 
achieve so much good in this one lifetime he was given. He did more to 
ease human suffering than others might do in a dozen lifetime 
opportunities.
  To Senator Dianne Feinstein, their beloved daughters and 
grandchildren, and all who knew and loved him, Loretta and I offer our 
condolences.
  Dick Blum's friendship was a gift, and his memory will be a blessing.


                  Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson

  Madam President, on another note, there was a historic announcement 
last Friday when President Joe Biden announced Judge Ketanji Brown 
Jackson as his choice to serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme 
Court. I am going to speak about her nomination at length tomorrow, but 
a few words now.

  She is an extraordinary person. To become the first African-American 
woman nominated to serve on the Supreme Court, you have to be the 
best--and she has proven throughout her life that she is.
  She was a clerk to the retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, whose seat 
she now aspires to. She worked in the practice of law in so many 
different aspects and then on three different occasions came before 
this U.S. Senate for approval, advise and consent. On all three 
occasions, she emerged with bipartisan support, and we certainly hope 
to see that revisited again.
  She has authored some 500 different opinions, so there will be no 
mystery about her jurisprudence or her judicial philosophy. She has 
also been a person who has come before our committee as recently as 
last year when she was approved by the committee in June to serve on 
the DC Circuit Court.
  I think she is an exceptional choice, and I want to make sure that 
the hearing that is given to her is respectful, fair, and professional. 
I have reached out to Senator Grassley, my friend and the ranking 
member on the committee, to work toward that goal, and I hope all 
members of the committee will join us.


                                Ukraine

  Madam President, on a separate topic, I just returned from the Munich 
Security Conference and a visit to our NATO allies in Poland and 
Lithuania. On the latter part of that trip, I was joined by Senator 
Chris Coons of Delaware and Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.
  Many here in this Chamber have heard me talk about my connection with 
my mother's birth in Lithuania and the fact that I have cared about 
that country in a special way ever since I have served in Congress.
  Life was bleak and oppressive for the Lithuanian people and all the 
others in Eastern Europe living under the boot heel of the Russian 
czar. Countries such as Poland, which saw such devastation during World 
War II, found themselves suffering decades of communist dictatorship 
following the war. So it was no surprise that when the Soviet Union 
finally collapsed, these nations were determined to join the community 
of democracies and NATO. In fact, the Baltic States of Lithuania, 
Latvia, and Estonia helped lead this historic path to freedom.
  I remember so many aspects of it. In the shivering cold winter of 
1991, millions of people joined hands to form a human chain, connecting 
all three nations in the Baltic area. They called for change. Then in 
January 1991, the Soviets sent their tanks into Lithuania and Latvia 
and other places. The net result was deadly. Those Soviet tanks killed 
13 innocent people, and hundreds were injured in Lithuania. What were 
they asking for? Freedom. A chance to vote for their own future. Well, 
soon, the Baltic States stepped out even further and courageously 
declared independence from the Soviet Union. They wanted to reclaim 
their freedom.
  I remember visiting Lithuania in those days, seeing sandbags stacked 
up outside the Parliament, which they called the Seimas, and schoolkids 
who were taking a break from class to come pray the Rosary in front of 
those barricades, light a couple candles--basically to be there for 
their country at that moment of testing.
  If this sounds familiar with what we are hearing in Ukraine today, it 
is.
  Those earlier days of independence had many brave souls coming 
forward with nothing but determination. Their small ``arsenal of 
freedom,'' as they called it, which they brought me in the backdoor to 
show me, consisted of a broom closet with about 8 or 10 rifles in it. 
They were ready to stare down the Soviets if necessary.
  I was so honored on this trip recently to visit with one of the 
champions of the restoration of freedom and Lithuania's Vytautas 
Landsbergis. Dr. Landsbergis is a music professor and was a leader of 
their revolution back to freedom in Lithuania. At 95 years of age, he 
remains a fierce champion of democracy, as he was in those early days 
confronting the Soviets.
  I also met with former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, who left 
Lithuania for Chicago as a teenager and returned decades later to serve 
two terms as President and shepherd his nation, Lithuania, into the 
European Union and NATO.
  I visited military bases in both Poland and Lithuania, where I met 
U.S. troops supporting the NATO mission to protect the young 
democracies from Russian aggression. Among the servicemembers were 
several from my State of Illinois--from Latham, IL, which is near 
Decatur; Montgomery, IL, near Aurora; and Kankakee. They came and told 
stories of their service in the Regular Army and how they were now 
working in Lithuania to prepare their armies for any possible battles 
in the future. It has been a wonderful, strong relationship.
  In Poland, when you mention you are from Illinois, virtually every 
military officer says they have been our friends for a long time, and 
they have been because for over 20 years, the Illinois National Guard 
has been a direct contact with the Polish military forces, modernizing 
them and preparing them for any challenges that might come.

[[Page S820]]

  Eastern European allies know the Russian threat far better than we 
do. Look at these maps of Russian troop movements in and around Ukraine 
and the borders of our NATO allies. As you can see here, Russia, Kyiv, 
Kharkiv, Mariupol, they are in the news virtually on a constant basis.
  You can see those troop movements, hundreds of thousands of troops 
that are moving from the Russian front into Ukraine these days. With 
the Russian troops now flooding into Belarus in the area of the far 
corner here, they are essentially taking over that country too.
  Nations on the other side--Poland you can see on that map--Poland, 
Lithuania, and Latvia understand that the threat today is very real for 
them. They share a 60-mile border that connects the Russian territory 
of Kaliningrad with Belarus. And the Suwalki gap is one that they are 
very concerned about keeping peaceful. It is a real threat, and they 
worry that the Russians are going to take this opportunity in Ukraine 
to extend their forces into Poland and into Lithuania and into Latvia.
  Poland in particular is already generously hosting hundreds of 
thousands of Ukrainian refugees pouring across the border. It is an 
inspiration to me to see this country of Poland reach out to accept 
these Ukrainian refugees. The United States has to step into this 
picture with humanitarian assistance for Poland and all the other 
countries, Moldova, Romania, and others taking in Ukrainian refugees. 
We have to help them feed, clothe, and shelter these people during this 
period of invasion by the Russians.
  Russia is unleashing a brutal war of choice against a free nation 
that wants to choose its own path, the path of democracy, and the 
result is sickening.
  This shows what is going on in the subways in Ukrainian cities. 
People are bringing their children to escape the bombing that Putin is 
initiating above. We have many millions of people in that country in 
peril, and some are taking their kids and trying to escape to a safe 
place like Poland.
  There has been terrible destruction that has gone on there as well. 
We have seen it on television right in the--this lady was in front of 
her own home at the time a rocket attacked it on February 25.
  This is a picture which I saw in this morning's Washington Post. It 
is a most touching scene. You can barely see this father down here, 
covered in blood, bringing his daughter to this paramedic. The 
paramedic really tried to perform CPR on this little girl who was 
injured in the shelling by Putin and his troops. Unfortunately, she did 
not survive. That is the reality of what Vladimir Putin is doing today. 
The American people know it, and the strength and courage of the people 
in Ukraine resisting these advances is an example to the world.
  We are seeing demonstrations of support across all of the world, the 
people of Ukraine. The Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building--I have to 
move some of these charts around. This one was especially impressive, 
the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Look at the crowds supporting the 
people of Ukraine.
  It isn't lost on us because we have a wonderful Ukrainian community 
in Chicago. Here they are at the church on Chicago Avenue just this 
last weekend, and they have been coming back on a regular basis. I was 
there on Friday. I spoke to many of these same people about the 
situation which they are facing in Ukraine. They would come up to me 
afterwards and say they have been on the telephone with members of 
their family who are frightened for their lives, didn't know if they 
could survive this aggression by Vladimir Putin.
  When you think about what he has done, sadly, he has failed on so 
many fronts. How could he get so many things so wrong?
  He has unified NATO and support for NATO in a way which was 
unimaginable just a few years ago. NATO stands unified now in defense 
of Ukraine and in confronting the aggression of Vladimir Putin.
  He has also unified the European Union. Countries like Sweden and 
Switzerland, which famously have been neutral in most of these 
conflicts, are now openly supporting the European Union's efforts to 
put pressure on Vladimir Putin--sanctions that will stop him from this 
aggression in Ukraine.
  He has certainly, in the process, destroyed the reputation of his 
country as a reliable partner in the future. The Germans had entered 
into an agreement for a gas pipeline. Many of us questioned it from the 
start, but that was their decision--Nord Stream 2, drawing natural gas 
from Russia into Germany. Well, that pipeline is closed down now. 
Chancellor Scholz has announced he is looking for other services, such 
as LNG, to replace the gas resources which were supposed to be sent in 
from Russia for a long time to come. It is going to lead to our energy 
independence in Europe--independence certainly from the unpredictable 
and unimaginable Vladimir Putin.

  I remember not so many years ago--30 years, as a matter of fact--when 
countries like the Baltics and Poland were finally given an opportunity 
for freedom. There were extraordinary examples of courage in each of 
those countries. I was lucky to be there to witness some of it. But 
what we are seeing now today in Ukraine is exceptional. The military 
experts thought they would last a matter of hours. Now, it is days, and 
maybe it is weeks. I hope it is months and even longer because they 
have the courage to stand up. Ordinary citizens who are showing up at 
recruiting offices for homeland defense are being given Kalashnikovs 
and other weapons sent out to stop the Russians. You can see that they 
are inspiring the world, as they should. It is a reminder to all of us 
that Vladimir Putin and his brand of aggression has been seen so many 
times in history. Someone like him or Lukashenka in Belarus think they 
are so powerful that they are above accountability, but that is not the 
case. We have got to make certain, as we go forward, that we stand with 
the people of Ukraine; that they know we are their friends; that we 
aspire to the same values.
  And I want to thank President Biden for his leadership. I am going to 
be calling on him with many others. The first thing that I am going to 
do is send a letter, which will be headed out this evening, signed by 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle. What we are asking the President 
to do--and it is within his authority--is to grant temporary protected 
status to Ukrainians now on visas in the United States. Some of them 
are tourists; some of them are students; and some are on work visas, 
but oftentimes, those visas expire, and they are supposed to return 
home to their own countries at the moment of expiration. If there are 
circumstances in those home countries, the President has the authority 
to give temporary protected status to allow them to stay in the United 
States.
  The Senators who are joining me in this letter will ask President 
Biden to extend temporary protected status to the people of Ukraine who 
are on visas in the United States and are present in our country. That, 
to me, is a way to give him them some peace of mind. We certainly 
wouldn't want them to return to that war scene that we have seen over 
and over broadcast on television.
  And there is more to do, whether it is humanitarian assistance in 
countries like Poland or where it is lethal aid to help the insurgents 
in Ukraine defend their country, the United States needs to be there.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.


                               H.R. 3755

  Mr. DAINES. Madam President, this evening, the U.S. Senate will be 
voting on the most extreme legislation on abortion ever considered in 
the history of this body. The deceptively named ``Women's Health 
Protection Act'' is more accurately called the ``Abortion on Demand 
Until Birth Act.'' No wonder it is being held on a Monday, as we call 
these the flyback votes, in the midst of this crisis in Ukraine--that 
it be tonight that they want to slip in this vote, the most extreme 
abortion vote ever--ever--considered in the history of this body.
  This bill would force every single State to be a late-term abortion 
State. This bill allows abortion up until the very moment of birth 
itself. That is simply infanticide.
  This legislation goes beyond codifying the wrongly decided Roe v. 
Wade case and would ban many lifesaving State laws currently in effect 
that limit abortion and enjoy the broad support from Americans, I might 
add.

[[Page S821]]

  When our Founding Fathers laid out the founding principles of America 
in the Declaration of Independence, they talked about life; they talked 
about liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The bottom line is, you 
can't have liberty and you can't have happiness, or even the pursuit of 
it, without first having that inalienable right given by God, and that 
is the right to life.
  The ``Abortion on Demand Until Birth Act'' would impose a horrifying 
abortion regime across the land that violates the right to life and is 
completely contrary to the kind of Nation America is and aspires to be.
  In this bill's America, every State, despite the voices of its own 
citizens, would become New York or California, where abortion is 
celebrated and unborn children are denied the most basic human rights. 
In this bill's America, a pregnant mother could elect to have a birth-
day abortion for a full-term, 8-pound baby on the day of the baby's due 
date. In this bill's America, late-term abortions could be committed on 
demand through brutal dismemberment procedures in which the unborn 
child bleeds and feels excruciating pain as she dies from being pulled 
apart, limb from limb.
  In this bill's America, an unborn baby could be cruelly targeted for 
abortion because the parents learned she was a girl or that she might 
have Down syndrome. In this bill's America, parents would not know or 
have any say over whether their young daughter has a life-altering 
abortion. In this bill's America, vulnerable women and girls could 
receive dangerous, do-it-yourself chemical abortion drugs by mail 
without ever seeing a doctor in person.
  In this bill's America, pregnant mothers would be denied the 
opportunity to see the ultrasounds of their babies. In this bill's 
America, a doctor or a nurse who doesn't want to perform an abortion 
could be forced to do so in violation of his or her deeply held moral 
or religious beliefs. That is specifically struck out in this bill--the 
religious exemption.
  In this bill's America we would be only one of seven countries--
seven--including brutal regimes like North Korea and China, that would 
allow abortion-on-demand after 5 months of pregnancy.
  In this bill's America, a baby bald eagle or a baby sea turtle still 
in its eggshell would be protected under Federal law while an unborn 
child at any stage of pregnancy could be brutally killed with no 
repercussions for the abortionists. In a nutshell, this radical bill 
would make the United States of America one of the most dangerous 
places in the world to be an unborn child.
  According to a Marist poll just last month, the overwhelming majority 
of Americans reject abortion-on-demand up to birth and especially its 
imposition by the Federal Government on the States--71 percent of 
Americans, including 70 percent of Independents and 49 percent of 
Democrats, want abortion to be limited, at most, to the first 3 months 
of pregnancy.
  Sixty-one percent of Americans say abortion should either be illegal 
or the policy decision should be up to the States. Rather than listen 
to the American people--who don't want late-term abortion or a Federal 
abortion mandate--the ``Abortion on Demand Until Birth Act'' would 
enshrine in Federal law the most far-reaching goals of the predatory 
abortion industry.
  We are just a few weeks or months away from a pivotal point in our 
Nation's history. I pray in the Dobbs Mississippi late-term abortion 
case that we will see the Supreme Court right a historic injustice and 
overturn Roe v. Wade. This will return the power to protect unborn 
children to the people's representatives at the State and the Federal 
levels, to modernize our laws to catch up with great advances in 
science, technology, and medicine that indisputably show the humanity 
of a child in the womb.
  I would challenge anybody listening to these remarks tonight to take 
their smartphone and Google ``15-week baby'' or ``20-week baby'' and 
press on ``Images'' and look at that image.
  Instead, the ``Abortion on Demand Until Birth Act'' ignores the 
science entirely and would erase unborn children and even the most 
modest protections of their right to life in the laws of every single 
State. It is completely indefensible. It is extreme. It is an egregious 
violation of the most fundamental of all human rights, and that is the 
right to life.
  I pray and I urge my colleagues to reject this horrific, barbaric, 
extreme legislation that the Senate will vote on here in the next 
couple of hours and take a stand for defending the most vulnerable 
among us.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Madam President, a week ago, the Senate went on a short 
1-week recess back in our State. It was already scheduled for us to be 
in our State getting a chance to be able to just interact with people 
at home. It was a good week to be able to interact with a lot of people 
back home for me personally. But we all watched as we were scattered 
around the country in the past week, Russia rolled tanks into Ukraine. 
And we watched in horror as Russian aircraft flew over Ukrainian 
cities, as they fired their missiles into Ukrainian apartment 
complexes, as they have slaughtered their neighbors because Putin 
wanted their land and to dominate the region.
  All of us, as we got back together this week, were ready to be able 
to speak to the issues with Ukraine, ready to be able to stand with the 
people of Ukraine, ready to be able to talk about the sanctions and 
what was going to happen and how we were going to actually respond to 
the Russians murdering their neighbors and a dictator thug trying to 
dominate the region.
  But instead of that, my Democratic colleagues decided not to talk 
about Ukraine when we got back together, but instead they want to talk 
about expanding abortion in America.
  How incredibly tone-deaf is that?
  The whole world is talking about Ukraine and the repression they are 
experiencing, and the U.S. Senate is talking about how do we get more 
abortions in America? That is what we are going to vote on? That is 
what we are going to debate, is how do we increase abortions in America 
when the world sees what is happening in Ukraine?
  What in the world? How tone-deaf can we be?
  This body should be the place we are actually debating the biggest 
issues of the day, and, apparently, to my Democratic colleagues, the 
biggest issue of the day is how many more abortions can we give in 
America because that seems to be bigger than Ukraine, bigger than 7.5 
percent inflation, bigger than $30 trillion in debt, bigger than 
anything. The most important thing is, how can we take the life of more 
children?
  What has this body become when there is an obsession with abortion? 
This is the most pro-abortion President this country has ever had and 
the most pro-abortion Democratic Party our country has ever seen.
  It is now impermissible to be a Democrat and to support the life of 
children. You are pushed out of the party. And it has moved from where 
it used to be that the vast majority of Democrats were pro-life 
Democrats. Then it was fewer and fewer and fewer. And now it has moved 
from you can't just not be pro-life, now you have to actually be pro-
abortion--well beyond pro-choice. Now you have to find ways to increase 
abortions in America to be accepted in the party.
  This is not where America is.
  The bill that is being brought to the floor in just minutes from 
now--in the middle of a war in Ukraine--is not about protecting 
Ukrainians. It is not even about protecting children in our country. It 
is about destroying children in our country.
  This bill is being advertised as we are just going to codify Roe. It 
is not just going to codify Roe. This is talking about stripping away 
every protection from every child in the womb from any State in the 
country.

  This particular bill prohibits parental notification. If a child 
wants to get an abortion, this bill says to the parents: You don't get 
to know if your child is having an abortion.
  By the way, name another medical procedure that the parents are not 
allowed to be able to know about for their own child.
  This takes away waiting periods. It takes away health and safety 
standards for abortion clinics. Abortion clinics in every State can't 
have health and safety standards because, for those clinics

[[Page S822]]

that take the lives of children, we don't care what they look like or 
about the health and safety standards of them.
  It takes away ultrasound requirements. This bill literally says to 
expectant moms: You don't need to know what is going on in your body. 
We will just take care of it for you.
  So no State is allowed to be able to inform a mom of what is actually 
happening in her own body because the goal of this is not getting 
information to moms; the goal of this is to increase abortions because 
all that happens with an ultrasound is the giving of information to the 
mom and letting her choose. Oh, no. That is not acceptable because she 
may choose life, and this bill is determined to increase the number of 
abortions in America.
  I remember a time when my Democrats used to talk about safe, legal, 
and rare. Now, they just want it safe, legal, and common. What have we 
become?
  This bill is the ``1 Minute from Infanticide'' bill. It mandates 
abortion in every State up to the moment of birth. That is North Korea. 
That is China. It is not the United States of America except for this 
Senate. They want to be more like North Korea and China, apparently, 
and to be able to follow their great humanitarian example and be a 
nation that takes the lives of children rather than protects each child 
as precious.
  They look in the womb and see a business model. I look in the womb 
and see 10 fingers and 10 toes and a beating heart and a functioning 
nervous system and DNA that is different than the mom's or the dad's 
DNA. In every definition of science, that is a unique person and a 
unique child, but it only seems to be a nuisance to some. I don't think 
children are a nuisance; I think children are precious.
  On a day when we should be talking and debating about protecting life 
in Ukraine, this body, instead, and my Democratic colleagues don't want 
to talk about Ukraine; they just want to talk about abortion--again. It 
is heartbreaking that that is where we are.
  It is also heartbreaking that this body has become this focused when 
the rest of the country is saying: How can we add limits to abortion?
  The latest poll reads that 71 percent of Americans want at least some 
restrictions on abortion, but, oh, no, not in this body. Apparently, 
there are people who disagree with the American people, and they say: 
No limits--any moment, any time, any child.
  I don't believe a single person in this Chamber should vote for this 
bill, not only because of what it does to the States but because of 
what it does to just decent people. If you are an individual, working 
in a hospital today who, when you were hired, said, ``I went into the 
medical profession to save life, not take it,'' and when you were hired 
as a nurse or as a doctor, you said, ``I don't want to perform 
abortions,'' that is allowed right now under law. It wouldn't be under 
this. If you go into the medical profession, you will perform abortions 
when the Democrats in DC tell you to perform abortions, because they 
want more.
  Conscience protections are taken away in this bill. People of 
conscience, people of faith, who say ``I don't want to take the lives 
of children'' will be required or they will lose their jobs. Oh. By the 
way, if you try to slow someone down from getting an abortion, this 
bill actually gives someone the right to sue you if you try to limit 
them from having an abortion.
  This is, by far, the most extreme pro-abortion bill that has ever 
been put in front of Congress--ever. It was done when we should have 
been debating Ukraine, but Ukraine is not important--abortion is. So my 
Democratic colleagues did this instead, today, as the callback vote in 
their response to Putin's aggression. Well, I disagree. I disagree.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Madam President, at a time when Vladimir Putin is 
killing Ukrainians, my Democratic colleagues want to kill more unborn 
American children for any reason up until the moment the baby takes its 
first breath--up until the moment the baby takes its first breath. 
Indeed, this bill should be called the ``Abortion on Demand Until Birth 
Act.''
  This is the most egregious, horrific attack on the lives of unborn 
children and the health of moms in American history. In fact, if my 
Democratic colleagues had their way, this baby whom I delivered years 
ago could have been murdered--aborted--the moment prior to this 
cesarean section.
  Listen, just for a moment, to what this bill would do.
  No. 1, it goes far and beyond Roe v. Wade by invalidating State laws 
that protect the unborn child and the health and the well-being of 
moms. It would likely lead to taxpayer-funded abortions at home and 
abroad.
  It would tie up faith-based hospitals in courts for their not 
offering abortion services.
  This bill fully blows open the door to sex-based abortions.
  It eliminates the requirement for informed consent or parental 
consent.
  It eliminates conscience protections. I can tell you, as a physician 
myself, I wouldn't be surprised if half of the medical students in the 
Nation and half of the nursing students in the Nation would quit 
medical school or nursing school if they were going to be forced into 
participating in abortions.
  This bill has a total disregard for women's health. Instead of the 
standards of a surgery center, this bill would allow for these services 
to be offered in a garage or in a backroom apartment.
  The bill provides the right to provide abortions by any healthcare 
provider. No longer would it take a physician to do abortions. It would 
allow nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to 
do abortions.

  I had to take care of women who had gone through miscarriages at 
every gestational age. This is not a job for a nurse midwife, a 
physician assistant, a nurse practitioner. Before we would let 
residents take care of this type of a miscarriage, they would have gone 
through 4 years of medical school, and they would have been, most 
likely, in their second or third year of training before we would have 
entrusted them with this type of procedure. Again, for a woman who has 
had a miscarriage, the risks of infection, of hemorrhage, and creating 
infertility are too great.
  This bill would allow States to go unrestricted as to any type of 
telehealth abortions--abortion by phone. In my opinion, it is 
malpractice to prescribe such a medicine without examining the patient, 
seeing how big the uterus is, seeing what the size of the baby is. This 
procedure is wrought with complications. I am the person who had to 
take care of those complications. Wichita, KS, was home to one of the 
biggest abortion clinics in the country, and just 2 hours down the road 
was Great Bend. Time after time, patients would show up in our 
emergency room with complications from the procedure or this pill.
  I never--I never, ever--imagined, when I would come to the Senate, 
that I would be fighting harder on the Senate floor to save the lives 
of moms and babies than I did in the emergency room and the delivery 
room.
  Before I close, I want to say a heartfelt thanks to all of the pro-
life advocates across the country who have worked so hard, especially 
those folks who are part of Kansans for Life and all the pro-life 
advocates in Kansas who have worked so hard to pass previous 
legislation to protect the lives of moms and unborn babies that this 
bill would wipe out with one swoop. I am so proud of the Kansans for 
Life and their advocacy of the Value Them Both amendment--again, 
protecting the life of the mom and the baby.
  Our work is not done yet. We can't let up. We have more work to do. I 
can promise you I have only just begun to fight to protect the lives of 
unborn babies and to protect the health and well-being of mothers.
  I urge my colleagues tonight to vote no on this most extreme anti-
life legislation.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
  Ms. SMITH. Madam President, I rise in support of the Women's Health 
Protection Act.
  I am here today because I believe, as do most in this country, that 
people should have the freedom to receive the reproductive healthcare 
they need, including abortion. The Women's Health Protection Act would 
protect that freedom.
  Now, I am the only Senator in this body who has ever worked for 
Planned

[[Page S823]]

Parenthood. I learned firsthand in that job that, if people don't 
control their reproductive lives, they don't control anything in their 
lives. Working at Planned Parenthood in Minnesota was an honor, and I 
had the opportunity to hear the stories of patients, each with 
individual, unique, personal reasons for receiving an abortion. This is 
still the case for the patients who visit all of these clinics today.
  Here is one story about a woman named Liz from Edina, MN.
  At Liz's 18th-week ultrasound appointment, Liz's doctor told her that 
her pregnancy was incompatible with life. She would either miscarry or 
the baby would die moments after birth. Because of this diagnosis, Liz 
decided to have an abortion. It was an agonizing experience for her, 
but she was able to make the decision on her own terms.
  Another story I want to share today comes from a patient from 
Minneapolis.
  At the age of 20, they were in an abusive relationship and found 
themselves 7 weeks pregnant. They went to Planned Parenthood for their 
abortion, and that abortion helped them to break from their affiliation 
with their abuser. They eventually got back on their feet, and they 
could pursue their dream of going to law school and starting a 
marketing firm and having a family with somebody who they loved.
  These are the stories of people facing one of the most important 
decisions we humans will ever make: whether to become a parent. They 
were able to make these decisions freely and for themselves. We should 
all have this freedom. We should all be able to make these decisions 
for ourselves, free from politicians and judges looking over our 
shoulders and deciding for us. A majority of Americans agree with this. 
They agree that abortion should be legal, and they understand that 
reproductive healthcare, including abortion, is healthcare.
  Yet, today, the reproductive rights of women in this country are at 
their greatest risk since Roe v. Wade was decided decades ago, and it 
is no mystery as to how we got here. What is happening today is the 
culmination of a nearly 40-year effort by conservatives in the 
Republican Party to radically remake the courts. It is 2022, and that 
moment is here. The Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe, and if 
that happens, half the States in this country will ban abortion 
entirely--half the States.
  In anticipation of this moment, rightwing Republican State 
legislatures have been working to pass laws that will gut women's 
healthcare and severely restrict our freedom. What this means is that 
women's freedom and autonomy over our own bodies--our right to 
reproductive healthcare, the healthcare that we need--will basically 
depend on who we are and where we live. Make no mistake. Abortion care 
will always--it will always--be available to women who have money. It 
will be poor women and women of color who will lose this right.
  This is why the Women's Health Protection Act is so important. We 
need to listen to the voices of the majority of Americans who agree: 
Women deserve the freedom and the dignity to make their own decisions 
about their own bodies and their own lives. But the reality is, we can 
no longer rely on the courts to protect this right. That is why we need 
to pass the Women's Health Protection Act.
  In a few minutes, we will vote on this bill, which would protect the 
right to abortion in every State. It would advance racial justice. It 
would limit the structural barriers to accessing abortion care and 
protect everybody's freedom to make the best decisions for themselves, 
for their health, for their families, and for their futures.
  Colleagues, I urge you to vote to pass the Women's Health Protection 
Act.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.


           ``Six Triple Eight'' Congressional Gold Medal Act

  Mr. MORAN. Madam President, I rise this afternoon to celebrate the 
passage of the ``Six Triple Eight'' Congressional Gold Medal Act. This 
bill honors the women of the only all-Black, all-female unit to serve 
overseas during World War II as part of the 6888th Central Postal 
Directory Battalion.
  Passage of this legislation is long overdue and will award the 
Congressional Gold Medal to these brave women of the Six Triple Eight 
for their devotion to duty, military service, and their extraordinary 
efforts to boost the morale of personnel stationed in Europe during 
World War II.
  Today, it is easy to connect with our loved ones through text, 
emails, or social media. Communication is more convenient, and 
consequently, many of us take the ease of that communication for 
granted. But during World War II, the only connection people like my 
mom and dad had while my father was deployed in Europe was our mail 
system. The mail delivered love and inspiration to our troops huddled 
in foxholes and fighting for our freedom. The mail kept them going 
through the dark and troubled times of World War II. The mail anchored 
our troops and connected them to home.
  The women of the Six Triple Eight delivered the mail although the 
deck was stacked against them from the start. While crossing the 
Atlantic to Europe, the troop convoy carrying the Six Triple Eight 
encountered German U-boats, forcing the convoy to take defensive 
actions and change course. Shortly after their arrival in the European 
theater, a German V1 dove at them, forcing them to take cover out of 
fear of being bombed.
  Physical dangers aside, the women of the Six Triple Eight faced 
sexism and racism. In Birmingham, England, the very same soldiers the 
Six Triple Eight were committed to helping spread vial rumors just 
because they were Black women.
  On top of the physical dangers and the social injustice they faced 
were the challenges of the mail mission itself. Handling and sorting 
the mail was no easy task. The Six Triple Eight found warehouses 
crammed from floor to ceiling with mail whose delivery was long, long 
overdue, sometimes over years. They found giant rats tearing apart the 
undelivered Christmas care packages. There was little, if any, 
organization. They had to sort this mail in poor working conditions--
warehouses that were poorly lit, damp, and without heat.
  Undeterred, the women of the Six Triple Eight rolled up their sleeves 
and dug in. Fixing the mail backlog was estimated to take at least 6 
months, possibly even a year. The Six Triple Eight organized the 
millions of letters and packages in just 3 months. They firmly believed 
in the motto ``no mail, low morale.''
  Their diligence, their commitment to excellence, dignity, and class, 
and their relentless drive to get the mail into the hands of the troops 
won them admiration throughout the European theater. Their actions 
boosted the spirits of thousands of soldiers like my dad by 
reconnecting them with their family and friends back home and giving 
them a renewed vigor to fight.
  I want to thank Representative Gwen Moore and Representative Jake 
LaTurner for leading this effort in the House, and I want to thank my 
colleagues in both the House and Senate who have supported this bill 
and made awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to these brave women 
possible. There were lots of challenges: Black women serving in the 
military--only ones seemingly willing to volunteer to go to Europe to 
meet the needs of those who serve.
  I would also like to thank COL Edna Cummings for her dedication to 
make certain the stories of the Six Triple Eight are remembered and 
honored.
  In 2018, I was at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas to dedicate the Six 
Triple Eight monument. I was honored to meet these women and was 
inspired to make certain more Americans knew of their incredible 
service during World War II.
  Of the over 300 members of the Six Triple Eight, I would like to 
recognize and thank the surviving members and make sure their names are 
included in the Congressional Record: Hilda Griggs, Anna Robertson, 
Romay Davis, Cresencia Garcia, Fannie Griffin McClendon, and Lena 
Kings.
  The Six Triple Eight served our country selflessly and were a crucial 
asset in the war effort. This is one more way our Nation can say to 
these incredible women: Thank you for your service. We respect you, and 
we love you.
  It is my honor to celebrate the passage of this bill today.


                                Ukraine

  Madam President, Vladimir Putin is a thug and is solely responsible 
for the

[[Page S824]]

invasion of Ukraine. Putin--I condemn him, and he is even being 
condemned by his own people in Russia and a growing alliance around the 
world.
  There is nothing that justifies Russia invading Ukraine. This is the 
most significant intrusion from one country into another since the 
beginning of the 1930s in what resulted in World War II. I pray for the 
safety of the Ukrainian people and a rapid end to this unprovoked war.
  As we hear stories about their bravery and resolve, I am inspired by 
their dedication to defend their freedom. The United States is making 
it clear we stand with and support them.
  This war is a terrible tragedy, but it is also a wake-up call for the 
United States of America. When it comes to defense spending, energy 
production, and humanitarian assistance, our commitments to these 
issues demonstrate our commitment to global security.
  We must recognize that we have adversaries who seek to use force to 
recover claimed territory, possess weapons of mass destruction, and 
otherwise destabilize our country and our allies and partners. For 
those of us in Congress, to ignore these threats would be derelict in 
our duty to preserve American security and prosperity. We would be 
derelict to the people of the United States of America.
  This recognition begins with a strong national defense. It is 
unacceptable that we have failed to pass appropriations for the 
Pentagon, State Department, and other national security Agencies 
essential to protecting and projecting our strength abroad. As a 
result, new programs necessary to meeting the challenges in the years 
to come are stuck in limbo.
  In classified briefings for the Appropriations Committee, we have 
heard about the advances the militaries of our adversaries are making, 
and it is alarming.
  For 6 months, Congress has imposed a spending freeze while other 
countries press ahead. When the latest continuing resolution expires in 
10 days, we need an agreement on this spending, and we should not allow 
and we cannot afford another delay.
  As we prepare to receive President Biden's budget for the coming 
fiscal year, it will be important that his top-line figure for our 
Nation's defenses exceed inflation. MacKenzie Eaglen at the American 
Enterprise Institute writes that $2 to $4 billion is being lost per 
month to cover inflationary costs, reducing the buying power of our 
military. President Biden must take this into account.
  He famously said: ``Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you 
value.'' When it comes to our national spending, our enemies are 
watching also. Our values extend to our concern for the people impacted 
by this war. Russia's war with Ukraine is already a humanitarian 
calamity. Children have been killed and wounded and families split 
apart as some flee and some loved ones stay. As of today, this conflict 
has created more than 400,000 refugees, and the U.N. predicts that 
number can climb to 5 million.
  I commend our European allies for their response in welcoming 
refugees, and I expect our own Nation will be generous with financial 
support for those seeking safety. But this war will have a humanitarian 
consequence that goes beyond those directly impacted by the fighting.
  Ukraine and Russia account for more than one-quarter of the world's 
wheat production. It is impossible to believe that such production 
won't be impacted by the fighting and sanctions, especially as we have 
seen their ports close. This will make food shortages around the world 
more severe. No government in the world is as generous with its 
resources for international food assistance as the United States, but I 
again point out the excess production of our American farmers that can 
be shared. There really is no excess production; the need is so great, 
whatever we produce will feed people. Our government should utilize the 
resources of its farmers and promote stability where hungry societies 
are fragile.
  Russia's aggression must also be a wake-up call to our dependence on 
foreign oil. Prior to the invasion, the United States was directly 
paying Russia, our third largest supplier of oil, around $70 million 
per day for oil and refined products, or over 700,000 barrels of 
petroleum products per day. We are financing with our oil purchases the 
ability of Russia to do harm around the world.
  Combined with our European allies, who are even more dependent on 
Russian energy, Putin's profit before the invasion was $330 million 
each day. We are subsidizing aggression in Moscow, and it extends to 
the Middle East as well. This must end.
  I believe in an ``all of the above'' approach to energy production, 
and our oil and gas producers must play a role. The Biden 
administration should reinstate the Keystone XL Pipeline and promote 
commonsense solutions that boost jobs at home and keep money out of the 
pockets of our adversaries. It also would be helpful in our battle 
against inflation here in the United States.
  Each of these challenges can be met if we in the Senate are unified 
in purpose. The American people and the world view this body as 
divided, unable to come together on many important issues. I don't 
believe it has to be that way. I certainly stand willing and able to 
work with my colleagues to find common ground as we respond to this 
invasion.
  We know lots of examples we can point to where we do work together 
and pass critical legislation. We must find compromise and immediately 
move on sanctions legislation. We must pass defense appropriations. We 
must focus on an ``all of the above'' energy strategy to address our 
dependence upon foreign oil. We have done it before, and we can do it 
again.
  Winston Churchill--in my view, the most inspiring leader of the 20th 
century--I thought of him as I watched Ukraine's own inspirational 
President and the response of his people. I share today a quote from 
Churchill that meets the occasion:

       Very few wars have been won by mere numbers alone. Quality, 
     will power, geographical advantages . . . the command of the 
     sea, and, above all, a cause which rouses the spontaneous 
     surgings of the human spirit in millions of hearts--these 
     have proved to be the divisive factors in the human story.

  Americans--Americans of all stripes--share that human spirit with 
Ukrainians today.
  I ask God to bless Ukraine and its people, and God bless the United 
States of America as we do our part to support their people.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
following Senators be permitted to speak prior to the scheduled vote: 
Myself for up to 5 minutes, Senator Murray for up to 5 minutes, and 
Senator Schumer up to 3 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                               H.R. 3755

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, we will be voting in just a few 
minutes on the Women's Health Protection Act, which I have proudly 
sponsored, first introduced in 2013. I want to thank particularly 
Senator Schumer for his leadership and Senator Murray for enabling us 
to have this historic vote. It is historic, the first vote that we will 
take guaranteeing the right of a provider to provide abortion care, 
which is healthcare, and the right of a patient to receive that care. 
There are very few votes that we will take in the U.S. Senate in the 
course of our career that will have as profound and dramatic an impact 
on the lives of all Americans.
  Yes, reproductive healthcare is women's healthcare by and large, but 
it is human healthcare. Women's rights are human rights. And the 
decisions that women make about when and whether to become pregnant are 
intensely personal. They should not be interfered with by any of us, 
anyone from the government, anyone else. That right is protected by the 
Constitution. Today's vote comes at a time of unparalleled attack on 
equal access to abortion care in this country.

  I clerked for Justice Harry Blackmun on the U.S. Supreme Court in the 
term after he wrote the majority opinion in Roe v. Wade. And at that 
time, we all believed that the decision would put an end to this 
controversy, this debate, once and for all. And yet here we are, five 
decades later; what was then unthinkable now has happened.
  The U.S. Supreme Court has voluntarily taken a case that calls into 
question a woman's right to choose. And

[[Page S825]]

the U.S. Supreme Court seems to be on track, based on its refusal to 
stop implementation of the Texas 5-week ban on abortion, to overturning 
Roe v. Wade.
  Now, the U.S. Supreme Court will never say that ``we hereby overturn 
Roe v. Wade.'' This majority, influenced by rightwing ideology, will, 
in effect, overturn it without saying so because across the street in 
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Healthcare Organization, the question of 
whether Mississippi's ban on abortion after 15 weeks is constitutional 
is squarely before the Court. And, make no mistake, if the Court 
upholds that Mississippi law, Roe v. Wade will no longer be the law of 
the land. Planned Parenthood v. Casey will no longer be the law of the 
land. Fifty years of jurisprudence will be gone without ever telling us 
that Roe is overturned. The Court will move that goalpost, and Roe will 
fall. And at least 20 States, through trigger laws, are prepared to 
immediately prohibit abortion completely and entirely.
  If you don't understand this threat, just ask the women of Texas. 
They are currently living in a State without protections of Roe. That 
dangerous anti-abortion law, SB 8, contains a 6-week abortion ban--6 
weeks--far before many women even know that they are pregnant. And even 
worse, the law's divisive bounty hunter provision deputizes a woman's 
neighbors, friends, family, and acquaintances.
  Last year alone, 19 States enacted 106 restrictions, including 12 
abortion bans. For the first time ever, States enacted more than 100 
abortion restrictions in a single year. My bill--the Women's Health 
Protection Act--would put an end to this relentless and ever-growing 
attack on reproductive rights. It would create a Federal statutory 
right for healthcare providers to provide abortion care. It would 
provide a right for patients to receive that care, free from medically 
unnecessary restrictions that single out and impede abortion access.
  Let's not forget for one moment the reality on the ground. The 
reality is for millions of Americans, their futures--in some cases, 
their lives--depend on accessible abortion care. And the implications 
and ramifications affect men as well as women, families as well as 
moms.
  We have had enough meddling by politicians and politically motivated 
judges getting between Americans and their personal healthcare 
decision. We have had enough with the shameful assaults on people's 
freedoms and futures. We can't go back, and we need this action now. It 
is time. It is time to pass the Women's Health Protection Act.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.


                                Ukraine

  Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I want to first briefly address what is 
happening in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people are being plunged into a 
deadly and devastating war. We are already seeing hundreds of thousands 
of refugees fleeing the destruction and leaving their lives behind. We 
have seen heartbreaking images of children huddled in basements--all of 
this tragedy for no other reason than the cruel ambition of one 
dictator.
  Make no mistake, every life lost, every community torn apart, the 
fault for this conflict lies solely at the feet of Vladimir Putin.
  I strongly support continued efforts to inflict severe sanctions on 
Russia for this unjustified war of aggression. Russia must pay a 
crushing price for invading a sovereign democracy unprovoked. This is a 
time for our country and the world to remain united in strong support 
of Ukraine and firmly against Putin.
  So today I am thinking of my constituents with friends and family and 
loved ones in Ukraine, and my heart is with the Ukrainian people who 
only want peace. I want them to know I will continue to do everything 
in my power to make sure the United States is doing its utmost to 
support the Ukrainian people.


                               H.R. 3755

  Now, Madam President, I want to address the vote we are about to 
take. And I will start with a few simple questions for my colleagues: 
Do you trust women? Do you trust patients? Do you trust doctors? Do you 
believe every American should be able to make deeply personal decisions 
about pregnancy and parenting according to their own beliefs without 
the government interfering?
  Well, if you answer yes to those questions, then your job tonight is 
pretty easy, vote for the Women's Health Protection Act. What this bill 
does is simple. It follows the Constitution in nearly a half a century 
of precedent and gives patients the right to get an abortion and 
doctors the right to provide abortion care no matter where in America 
that patient or that doctor lives.
  We might ask: Well, why do you need a bill like this if the right is 
already in the Constitution? Sadly, we need this bill because too many 
extreme rightwing politicians, too many well-funded conservative 
interest groups, and too many conservative lawyers jammed into our 
judicial system at every level clearly do not trust women or patients 
or doctors.
  Now, you might say that assertion is unfair. But I am looking at 
actions not words, and here is what I see. In 2021 alone, Republican 
legislators across the country passed more than 100 abortion 
restrictions. In Texas, there is a law that has been in effect for 
nearly 6 months that bans abortion before women even know they are 
pregnant. And not only that, Texas has empowered citizens to sue one 
another personally for the ``crime'' of helping someone get an abortion 
or providing abortion care.
  The Supreme Court has already rubberstamped this appalling divisive 
law, and there is a very real threat that in a matter of months, they 
will end the constitutional right to abortion in Roe v. Wade.
  What Republicans like to say, if Roe v. Wade is gone, that abortions 
will end. That is not true. Abortions will still happen. People will 
find a way, but many won't have safe options, and their health and even 
their lives will be at risk. Even more so than today, women who don't 
have the money or the time off or some other way--don't have the 
means--won't be able to get them.
  And this cruelty will fall hardest on women of color, women who have 
low incomes, women in rural parts of the country, and the LGBTQ 
community. To me and to many Democrats here today, that is just so 
wrong. A person's ability to make the right decision for themself about 
pregnancy and parenting shouldn't only be available to the rich or 
depend on what ZIP Code you live in.
  Unfortunately, that is the future the Republican Party wants for 
America, but it is not what Democrats want, and it is certainly not 
what my constituents in Washington State want. And it is actually not 
what the vast majority of Americans across the country want either.
  Sometime in the next few months, we will very likely see a historic 
reversal of a fundamental right Americans have known for nearly 50 
years regarding one of the most personal decisions any individual can 
make--a right generations of women and Americans have grown up 
depending on and want to see it protected.
  That means that this vote tonight is historic as well. This is each 
Senator's chance to stand up for an individual's right to decide what 
to do with their own body and their own future. Tonight the Democratic 
position is clear: We trust women and patients, and we believe that Roe 
should be the law of the land.
  I hope Senate Republicans vote with us. But if they don't, make no 
mistake, 72 million Americans of reproductive age today may soon lose a 
constitutional right every generation has known since Roe was decided 
in 1973. And if they do, they are going to know exactly who is 
responsible--the Republican Party.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, the vote before the Senate asks a 
simple question: As women's healthcare comes under assault in ways we 
have not seen in living memory, shall the Senate respond? The 
legislation we are

[[Page S826]]

considering today, the Women's Health Protection Act, is the first 
time--the first time--the Senate has taken an affirmative vote on 
stand-alone legislation to enshrine the right to an abortion in law.
  And it is needed now more than ever, as reproductive rights are on 
the chopping block in the legislatures, in the courts, and, most 
dreadfully perhaps, even in the Supreme Court. The right to choose is 
intensely personal, and, by and large, the American people support the 
protections enshrined in Roe. So Americans deserve to know where their 
Senators stand on this crucial issue. This vote--because we are in the 
majority--will, for the first time, accomplish that. The other side did 
not want to put this vote on the floor.
  When the House passed abortion rights legislation last fall, I said 
the Senate would act, and now we are holding a vote. I want to thank 
Senators Blumenthal, Baldwin, and Murray for their leadership in 
pushing the Women's Health Protection Act. And it is with strong 
enthusiasm that I will vote yes.
  I yield the floor.


                             Cloture Motion

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before 
the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

                             Cloture Motion

       We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the 
     provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, 
     do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to 
     proceed to Calendar No. 139, H.R. 3755, a bill to protect a 
     person's ability to determine whether to continue or end a 
     pregnancy, and to protect a health care provider's ability to 
     provide abortion services.
         Charles E. Schumer, Alex Padilla, Patty Murray, 
           Christopher Murphy, Edward J. Markey, Gary C. Peters, 
           Brian Schatz, Jack Reed, Tammy Duckworth, John W. 
           Hickenlooper, Sheldon Whitehouse, Tim Kaine, Richard 
           Blumenthal, Christopher A. Coons, Margaret Wood Hassan, 
           Jeanne Shaheen, Patrick J. Leahy, Debbie Stabenow.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum 
call has been waived.
  The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the 
motion to proceed to H.R. 3755, a bill to protect a person's ability to 
determine whether to continue or end a pregnancy, and to protect a 
health care provider's ability to provide abortion services, shall be 
brought to a close?
  The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. 
Feinstein), the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan), and the Senator 
from Georgia (Mr. Warnock) are necessarily absent.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), 
and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul).
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 46, nays 48, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 65 Leg.]

                                YEAS--46

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Gillibrand
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Kaine
     Kelly
     King
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Markey
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Reed
     Rosen
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--48

     Barrasso
     Blackburn
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Braun
     Burr
     Capito
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagerty
     Hawley
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Johnson
     Lankford
     Lee
     Lummis
     Manchin
     Marshall
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Portman
     Risch
     Romney
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Scott (FL)
     Scott (SC)
     Shelby
     Sullivan
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Tuberville
     Wicker
     Young

                             NOT VOTING--6

     Feinstein
     Inhofe
     Kennedy
     Lujan
     Paul
     Warnock
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Heinrich). On this vote, the yeas are 46, 
the nays are 48.
  Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted 
in the affirmative, the motion is rejected.

                          ____________________