[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 121 (Thursday, July 21, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3581-S3583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

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                       CHIPS ACT OF 2022--Resumed

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senate will resume consideration of the House message to accompany H.R. 
4346, which the clerk will report.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       House message to accompany H.R. 4346, a bill making 
     appropriations for Legislative Branch for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2022, and for other purposes.

  Pending:

       Schumer motion to concur in the amendment of the House to 
     the amendment of the Senate to the bill, with Schumer 
     Amendment No. 5135 (to the House amendment to the Senate 
     amendment), relating to the CHIPS Act of 2022.
       Schumer Amendment No. 5136 (to Amendment No. 5135), to add 
     an effective date.
       Schumer motion to refer the bill to the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation, with instructions, 
     Schumer Amendment No. 5137, to add an effective date.
       Schumer Amendment No. 5138 (to (the instructions) Amendment 
     No. 5137), to modify the effective date.


                   Recognition of the Majority Leader

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Democratic leader is 
recognized.


              Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, over the last few decades, Americans' 
views on cannabis legalization have dramatically, dramatically changed. 
Twenty years ago, less than a third of Americans believed that cannabis 
should be made legal. Today, that share is nearly 70 percent of the 
population, the highest level of support ever.
  We can see this shift playing out in the States. Nearly 90 percent of 
Americans live in a State that has legalized cannabis for either 
medical or adult recreational use. New York legalized cannabis in 2021. 
And even voters in deep-red South Dakota voted to legalize it for adult 
recreational use.
  Cannabis legalization has proven immensely successful at the State 
level so it is time that Congress catches up with the rest of the 
country.
  Last year, Senators Wyden, Booker, and I released a discussion draft 
of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. After receiving 
more than 1,800 public comments and working with numerous Senate 
committees to improve the bill, today we are introducing this historic 
legislation.
  I am proud to be the first majority leader ever to say that it is 
time to end the Federal prohibition on cannabis, and this bill provides 
the best framework for updating our cannabis laws and reversing decades 
of harm inflicted by the War on Drugs.
  I have had many productive conversations with my Republican and 
Democratic colleagues about cannabis reform, and I look forward to 
working with Members from both sides of the aisle to secure support for 
this bill.
  Our bill will legalize cannabis by removing it from the Controlled 
Substances Act, empowering States to create their own cannabis laws 
instead. It

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will establish a robust regulatory system to protect public health and 
ensure that cannabis is as safe as possible. It includes rules to 
prevent impaired driving, prevent youth access, and prevent illegal 
diversion. We also robustly fund a variety of research programs to make 
up for lost time when it comes to cannabis research.
  So important, our bill will also expunge the Federal criminal records 
of people with convictions for nonviolent cannabis offenses and allow 
those in Federal prison for nonviolent cannabis offenses to appeal 
their sentences.
  It is a tragedy--tragedy--that far too many Americans, particularly 
Black and Hispanic Americans, have permanent blocks on their record, 
making it nearly impossible to move forward with their lives just 
because they were arrested with a little marijuana in their pocket. How 
unfair and what a waste of human resources.
  Our bill will also establish an Opportunity Trust Fund to reinvest in 
communities that have been devastated by the War on Drugs. And it will 
create opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses to 
legitimately pursue new opportunities in the growing cannabis industry.
  And, of course, underlying it all, this bill is about individual 
freedom and basic fairness. The fact that cannabis remains a schedule I 
controlled substance--in the same bad company of other drugs like 
heroin--is not just senseless; it is deeply harmful for countless 
Americans--again, almost always people of color--and it impinges on the 
freedom of all of us. If this is working in all the States, why not let 
people use it?
  We need to change that. We need to change the lack of freedom and 
fairness. We need to create opportunities for entrepreneurs to 
legitimately pursue new opportunities, and comprehensive Federal 
cannabis legislation is critical to reaching that goal.
  I want to extend my deep appreciation to Senators Booker and Wyden as 
well as all of my colleagues who have worked with us on this important 
and long-overdue change. I want to thank Senators Murray and Senator 
Peters and all the chairs of the more than 10 Senate committees who 
worked with us over the past several years to significantly improve the 
bill from the discussion draft we released last year. This bill would 
not be possible without the hard work of them and their staffs.
  I want to stress that this is the beginning of the legislative 
process, not the end. We are going to work hard to create support for 
our bill, and I hope we can make more progress toward cannabis reform 
in the future. I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans 
to get something done this year.


                               H.R. 4346

  Madam President, now on the chips bill, last night, I filed cloture 
on a major piece of legislation that will help lower costs, boost 
scientific innovation, and take direct aim at the national chips 
shortage, which is hurting almost every single American.
  Members of both sides know that America's chips crisis is sending 
shock waves across the economy. It is endangering our national 
security. According to an article by Bloomberg, China's top chipsmaker 
has now likely advanced its tech by two generations, threatening U.S. 
competitiveness.
  To ignore the chips crisis means higher costs, squandered job 
opportunities, and greater dependence on foreign chip producers. 
Thankfully, the Senate is close to finally taking action.
  In the long run, our bipartisan chips bill will ease semiconductor 
supply chain woes, increase domestic inventory of chips, and thus help 
lower costs on all sorts of products that rely on chips to work.
  But because the vote earlier this week was so bipartisan, I amended 
the bill to include one of the largest science packages the Senate has 
considered in a long time.
  As you know, I was the original author of many of the provisions in 
the science section when I worked with Senator Young on the Endless 
Frontier Act more than 2 years ago.
  We will devote tens of billions of dollars to cultivate the next 
generation of tech hubs all across the country, especially in regions 
that have been overlooked. We will invest in new science jobs, and that 
will keep America No. 1. It has always been America's cutting-edge lead 
on innovation, in science and research, that has then created millions 
and millions of good-paying jobs and kept our economy prosperous. In 
the last decade, America seems to have forgotten that, and this bill 
revitalizes that goal and that dream.
  These scientific investments are crucial not just for innovation and 
science jobs but for critical jobs that support these industries too.
  I will keep working with my colleagues to get this bill done quickly. 
With 64 votes in favor of moving forward earlier this week, there is no 
reason to wait around.
  The 21st century will be won or lost on the battleground of 
technological innovation. Let me say it again because that is a crucial 
sentence. The 21st century will be won or lost on the battleground of 
technological innovation.
  Our country now faces a moment of truth: Will American workers, 
American tech, and American ingenuity shape the world over the next 
hundred years in the same way we have shaped it in the last hundred? Of 
course, I believe America will lead the way if this Chamber is willing 
to do what is necessary for our economic and national security.


                        Prescription Drug Costs

  Madam President, now on prescription drugs, later today, Senate 
Democrats and Republicans will meet with the Parliamentarian to start 
the so-called Byrd bath on legislation to bring down the cost of 
prescription drugs, cap out-of-pocket expenses, and make sure millions 
of Americans do not see their premiums go up in the coming months. This 
is an important step in the larger process of bringing a reconciliation 
bill to the floor that can win the support of all 50 Democratic 
Senators.
  Ask any American on the street, and it is a guarantee that they will 
agree the price of prescription medications is one of the most 
frustrating and debilitating problems in our country.
  It is a vicious pincer grip: On the one hand, Americans desperately 
need their medicines to stay healthy, live a normal life, and stay 
alive, in some cases, but on the other hand, that means many Americans 
have to pay an arm and a leg at the pharmacy just to stay healthy.
  Meanwhile, as Americans pay exorbitant prices for basic medications, 
the Nation's largest pharmaceutical companies are feasting off record 
profits because they face little accountability for jacking up prices 
to consumers. This cannot continue.
  Democrats are going to work in the weeks ahead on legislation that 
will empower Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs for 
the first time ever. We will also cap out-of-pocket expenses at $2,000 
a year. These changes will save Americans an incredible amount of 
money, and it is one of the best things we can do to lower costs for 
the American people.
  Let me say again, lowering the cost of prescription drugs and capping 
out-of-pocket expenses is one of the very best things we can do to 
fight inflation and lower costs for the American people. So those who 
talk about inflation, support this bill.
  So in the coming weeks, the question before the Senate will be 
simple: Who will take action in this Chamber to bring down the cost of 
prescription drugs and make sure premiums don't go up in the future, 
and who will defend the interests of Big Pharma that spikes the prices 
of scores of crucial drugs?


                             Tucker Carlson

  Madam President, finally, on FOX News, earlier this week, FOX News 
anchor Tucker Carlson once again used his enormous platform on prime-
time television to spread the malicious, dangerous, and racist 
conspiracy of ``replacement theory.'' It is far from the first time he 
has done so. But in light of the recent violence in Buffalo inspired by 
``replacement theory,'' it is shocking and dangerous for Mr. Carlson to 
keep propagating this message.
  I am deeply disappointed--frankly, outraged--that FOX News has taken 
no action to address the conduct of Mr. Carlson. It makes me sick to my 
stomach to think that Mr. Carlson has been given a free pass to amplify 
racist conspiracy theories to millions of Americans--theories that are 
eerily similar to those cited by Buffalo's horrible shooter.

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  There is only one way to describe what Mr. Carlson is doing: He is 
stoking racial resentment among his viewers with these vile and racist 
conspiracy theories. I urge FOX News to compel him to stop at once.

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