[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 40 (Thursday, March 2, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S617-S619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Nomination of Jonathan James Canada Grey
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I have two important things I would like
to speak about today. And let me first start with a confirmation vote
we will be having this afternoon on Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey to serve
as the U.S.
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district judge for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Both Senator Peters and I are strong, strong supporters and thank
President Biden for nominating him, and we look forward to colleagues
joining us in a bipartisan vote, just as we had on the cloture vote, to
make sure that he is confirmed today.
Senator Peters and I were both honored to introduce him and his
family during his hearing in the Judiciary Committee in November, and I
know his family is so very proud of him--as we are. Judge Grey is an
outstanding choice to support the people of Michigan because he has
been doing just that. Judge Grey is currently serving as a U.S.
magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. As a magistrate
judge, Judge Grey has presided over both civil and criminal cases.
Before that, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern
District of Michigan and the Southern District of Ohio, where he
prosecuted criminal offenses.
During the past 10 years, 95 percent of Judge Grey's practice has
been in the Federal courts, whether as a magistrate judge or an
assistant U.S. attorney.
He also worked as an associate at a law firm in Chicago, where he
practiced labor and employment law and served as a law clerk for two
Federal judges.
Given his incredible breadth of experience, it is no surprise that
the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal
Judiciary unanimously found him to be ``well qualified'' for this
position.
Judge Grey was born in Mississippi and is a proud graduate of
Morehouse College and the Georgetown University Law Center. And in the
spirit of those two institutions, Judge Grey is a deep believer in
giving back, both in Michigan and through his alma maters.
I can think of no better place for Judge Grey to continue to serve
the people of Michigan and our country than on the U.S. District Court
for the Eastern District of Michigan, and both Senator Peters and I
urge our colleagues to vote yes to confirm Jonathan Grey this
afternoon.
Remembering the Victims of the Michigan State University Mass Shooting
Mr. President, as everyone knows, I am an incredibly proud MSU
Spartan. I earned both my undergraduate and my graduate degrees from
Michigan State University. And I have been so proud to represent the
university in the Michigan Legislature, in the U.S. House, and the U.S.
Senate.
I am a Spartan, as is Senator Peters, and I am horrified and
heartbroken and I am angry because we are mourning three lives that
were lost on February 13 when a gunman came to campus and randomly
started shooting students.
Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser, and Alexandria Verner were each full
of hopes and dreams and so much promise. Arielle, age 19, graduated
from Grosse Point North High School in 2021. She was known for her
confidence, her kindness, and her incredible drive. She was studying to
become a surgeon.
Brian, age 20, graduated from Grosse Point South High School, where
he competed on the swimming and diving teams. He was studying business
and was president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
And Alexandria--her friends called her Alex--was a 20-year-old
graduate of Clawson High School, where she excelled in volleyball,
softball, and basketball. She was studying integrated biology and
anthropology and had hoped to graduate next year.
Arielle, Brian, and Alex had their whole lives ahead of them, and my
heart aches for everyone who loved them and is missing them today.
We also know that gun violence isn't just about the lives that are
ended; it is also about the lives that are forever--forever--changed.
At Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Spartans are still fighting just to
survive. Thousands more students and employees and community members
have been left with scars you can't see, but they are there. They hurt
as much and take as much time to heal as anything else.
It is crucial that we ensure that everyone receive the mental
healthcare that they need at this time. Last year, my initiative to
bring high-quality mental health and addiction services to communities
across the country was signed into law in the gun bill that we passed
and right now is helping to make a difference in meeting the needs in
the East Lansing, Lansing, Mid Michigan community, and I want to thank
the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham
Counties for working so closely with Michigan State University right
now to provide support for everyone who needs it.
So many different things are happening on campus and across the
community. Just one example: Counselors from Community Mental Health
have set up a place in the East Lansing Public Library where they are
providing resources and immediate, free support from therapists, and
people are coming forward to volunteer their time to help make this
happen as well.
They brought in support animals to comfort those in pain. Clinics
like Community Mental Health don't just provide help after a crisis
though. This is about helping people every day, helping people in the
first place so that there is a place to call, and there is. And people
in the community, family members concerned, people in neighborhoods
that are seeing something that they are concerned about need to call
and ask for help.
But better mental health isn't enough. We also need to make it harder
for people who harm others to get their hands on guns because it is one
thing if you are somebody who is unstable and have a knife; it is
another thing if you have a gun. The consequences are very different
depending on what you are holding in your hand.
Firearms are now the leading cause of death for American children and
teens. Think about that: not car accidents, not cancer--guns. We can
change that. We must change that.
The Michigan Legislature is taking action to strengthen our State's
licensing process and background checks, require safe storage, and pass
a red flag law. What we did last summer was provide dollars to States
to develop red flag laws, and I am so proud of our Governor and our new
majorities in the statehouse and senate for taking action now. I
strongly support their efforts. I am grateful as a citizen, as a mom,
as a grandmother whose children are in the schools that they are taking
these actions.
On a Federal level last year, I was proud to support the Safer
Communities Act, which was an important step, but we need to do so much
more.
We need to pass a military assault weapons ban--legislation that I am
cosponsoring. And while we are at it, let's close the gun show loophole
and ensure that all gun sales in America require background checks. It
is just common sense.
We owe it to Arielle, Brian, and Alex, and the whole MSU community,
to those who have been impacted across the country. These stories are
way too common and should be absolutely unacceptable to everybody.
Thoughts and prayers are not enough. It is pretty hollow, as the
Presiding Officer knows, as we all have spoken about. It is pretty
hollow when we are not willing to take the actions that can save lives,
and that is the way that we remember those who have been lost.
One of the most important things, the most beautiful things about
Michigan State and our entire Michigan community is how we came
together to support one another. It is amazing. I have been incredibly
touched by the stories of how people have helped one another, both on
that tragic night and the days since. From the dispatchers and the
first responders who immediately and calmly responded to a chaotic and
dangerous scene to the selfless staff at Sparrow Hospital giving
comfort and lifesaving care every day, to East Lansing residents, and
Lansing residents and everyone from across Michigan who came together
and put up yard signs to greet students as they returned to campus,
and, yes, to the incredible support shown by our rivals. An enormous
crowd of University of Michigan students gathered in Ann Arbor on
February 15 to show solidarity and support at the same time Spartans
were gathered at The Rock in East Lansing.
A number of Wolverine sports teams have worn special warmups honoring
Michigan State. And even Ohio State, even Ohio State, a great rival as
well, hired an airplane to fly above Michigan
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State's campus pulling a banner that read: ``We are with you. Spartan
Strong. Love, Ohio State.''
The MSU community and the community of East Lansing are so grateful,
we are all so grateful for the outpouring of support. We will get
through this, but we shouldn't have to. But we will get through it. We
just need to take action to stop this from happening again. We are all
Spartan Strong.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, 15 months ago, I spoke here on the Senate
floor to commemorate the victims of a shooting at Oxford High School in
Oxford, MI. And just over 2 weeks ago, as a gunman opened fire at
Michigan State University, our State lived through yet another
nightmare. Another routine evening turned tragic. Another community was
left scarred by unimaginable gun violence. And another three families
will never see their children come home.
Just after 8 p.m., on a crisp Monday evening, gunfire erupted at
MSU's Berkey Hall. As the alerts poured in, students all across campus
huddled in fear. Some blockaded their dorm rooms and turned off the
lights. Others grabbed whatever objects were nearby in case they needed
to fight back. Parents called their children to check in if they were
safe and worried if it could be the last time that they spoke. Those
near the gunman hid under tables and ran for their lives. One student
said it sounded like a stampede as they tried to escape.
In the end, three of their classmates did not make it. Three students
who had their entire lives ahead of them were stripped of their futures
in an instant.
Arielle Anderson, a 19-year-old from Harper Woods, was a sophomore.
She enjoyed roller skating, photography, and live concerts. A committed
student, she was working to graduate early and embark on a career as a
pediatrician. She had a fierce intellect and a deep love for her
family, touching everyone in her life with a kind and gentle spirit.
Alex Verner was 20 years old. She was a junior from Clawson and was
studying to become a forensic scientist. She was a gifted student
athlete in high school, excelling in softball and basketball and
volleyball, and a dedicated member of her community. Friends and
teachers describe her as a leader and a giver, someone who was always
smiling. One of her peers remembered that she was ``the very best of
us.''
Brian Fraser, the 20-year-old sophomore from Grosse Pointe had an
infectious smile and a sense of humor that could brighten an entire
room. As president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, he demonstrated a
commitment to service and to leadership. He had been studying business
and economics, but his life was cut short.
As a father and a fellow Spartan, my heart breaks for these gifted
students, for their families and friends, and the time that was stolen
from them. My heart breaks for those who survived who will carry the
weight of this horrific memory for years to come.
And while this scene unfolded, first responders and law enforcement
officials bravely leaped into action. Dedicated doctors and nurses have
worked around the clock to help the five students who were critically
injured. But I am grateful to these men and women for their tireless
work.
At the same time, I know that the students and staff at MSU and in
the broader East Lansing community will need time. They will need time
to heal in the wake of this tragedy, but they shouldn't have to do that
work alone. We can honor them by taking meaningful action, and we must
do that now.
Last year, Congress showed that commonsense reform is still possible
with the passage of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most
significant legislation to address gun violence in nearly three
decades. It invests in mental health resources, expands school safety
measures, enhances background checks, and includes new guidelines to
make sure we keep guns from getting into the wrong hands.
While it is clear that this law did not go far enough, it has begun
to make critical changes. We are already starting to see its benefits
reach my State. Last week, Senator Stabenow and I welcomed $8 million
in Federal funding to the Michigan State Police. This investment will
help combat drug violence and enhance crisis intervention programs all
across the State of Michigan.
But there is so much more that we can and we must do. We must pass
legislation to expand Federal background checks to all gun sales, a
measure that I helped reintroduce in the Senate and one that is
supported by the overwhelming majority of the American people. We could
enact reasonable limits on high-capacity magazines and close dangerous
loopholes. We can pass red flag laws while still respecting the rights
of law-abiding, responsible gun owners. And we could invest in first
responders, like those who so bravely answered the call at Michigan
State.
The choice is ours to make. We could honor these young adults by
making change or we can play politics and let this cycle continue. But
for Arielle, Alex, and Brian, and for the students and staff at
Michigan State and for every family that has been torn apart by gun
violence, we must choose to act.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lujan). The Republican whip.