[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.