[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 82 (Tuesday, May 16, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1655-S1663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
______
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN
APPROVING THE COMPREHENSIVE POLICING AND JUSTICE REFORM AMENDMENT ACT
OF 2022
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the Senate will
proceed to the consideration of H.J. Res. 42.
The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A joint resolution (H.J. Res. 42) disapproving the action
of the District of Columbia Council in approving the
Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of
2022.
Thereupon, the committee was discharged, and the Senate proceeded to
consider the joint resolution.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.
Debt Ceiling
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, yesterday afternoon, Treasury Secretary
Yellen released a letter updating congressional leadership about their
latest forecast regarding default. The Treasury's projection remains
unchanged: The Federal Government is in danger of failing to pay its
bills as soon as June 1.
Since last week's White House meeting, Democratic staff have in good
faith held conversations with our Republican counterparts about the
Nation's fiscal future.
The talks are separate but simultaneous to our responsibility to
avoid default. Democrats will not use the threat of default to get what
we want. Nobody should use default as a hostage. Nobody should say:
``Unless you do this, then we default'' because the consequences of
default will be devastating for ordinary Americans.
We talked through the weekend; we talked yesterday; and both sides--
the staffs, that is--are talking today as well. And later this
afternoon, I will join President Biden, House Leader Jeffries, Speaker
McCarthy, and Leader McConnell at the White House.
Democrats welcome a debate about this year's budget. For decades,
both parties have regularly worked out their differences about spending
and revenues throughout the appropriations process. That is what is
happening right now while we separately but simultaneously work to
avoid default.
[[Page S1656]]
And, again, let me just repeat this because it is so important as we
get closer to June 1. Nobody--nobody--should use default as a hostage.
Nobody should say: ``Unless you do this, then we default'' because the
consequences will be devastating for America.
Default would almost certainly create another recession, kill more
than 8 million jobs, send costs soaring on everything from mortgages,
car payments, student loans, small business loans, and so much more. If
you want to own a home one day, default would take that dream and run
it through the shredder. If you want to protect your 401(k), default
would rob you of your livelihood. If you want to grow your small
business or borrow student loans or if you benefit from Social Security
or Medicare, a default would be a nightmare scenario.
We all know these things are fast approaching the closer we get to
June 1. Congress cannot--under any circumstances--fail its obligation
to protect the full faith and credit of the United States. It is one of
our highest obligations.
Nominations
Madam President, now on nominations and Senate business, last night
we filed cloture on three more outstanding judicial nominees: two
district court judges and a circuit court judge. Even as Senate
Democrats proceed on our agenda to help working and middle-class
families avoid default, we will not relent on filling the vacancies on
our Federal judiciary with qualified, mainstream, and diverse judges.
Yesterday, we took a big step forward toward strengthening the bench
with the historic confirmation of Bradley Garcia, the first Latino ever
to serve on the DC Circuit, the second most important court in the
land. And the three judges we filed cloture on last night continue that
effort. They are highly qualified and diverse candidates, both
demographically and professionally. They will strengthen our Federal
judiciary and help the bench better reflect the diversity and dynamism
of our country.
Senate Democrats are going to keep working this week to advance these
nominees, and I hope both sides can work together to move the process
along quickly and in a bipartisan way.
Today, the Senate is also busy off the floor. As we speak, the Senate
Banking Committee is holding a very important hearing, hearing
testimony from the former CEO and chairman of Silicon Valley Bank and
Signature Bank, to examine the failures that led to their collapses. I
want to thank Chairman Brown and all the Members of the committee for
holding this important hearing because we need to get to the bottom of
what went wrong with SVB and Signature Bank.
The American people must have confidence that Congress can work
across the aisle to hold bad actors in banking accountable, and that is
why it is essential we hear directly from the CEOs of these failed
institutions.
I hope today's hearing brings us one step closer to bipartisan action
on commonsense banking oversight legislation that Americans rightfully
demand.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Warnock). The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The Republican leader is recognized.
Debt Ceiling
Mr. McCONNELL. Later today, I will attend a second discussion between
President Biden and Speaker McCarthy on the Nation's debt limit.
The Speaker presented his case to the President back in February.
House Republicans passed legislation to raise the debt ceiling in
April, but as of mid-May, the President of the United States has found
just two--two--more occasions to sit down and discuss an agreement to
preserve the Nation's full faith and credit.
The Biden administration took 3 months to reach a conclusion that
just about everyone else recognized from the beginning. I said it
myself back in February: that the only way forward is spending
negotiations between the President and the Speaker. That is how the
American people arranged the current situation, and, by the way, that
is how 7 of the last 10--7 of the last 10--debt limit increases have
been secured--bipartisan negotiations.
That is how a Republican President and Democratic Speaker avoided
crisis 4 years ago. I remember telling President Trump he needed to do
something he was not anxious to do, which was to talk to Speaker
Pelosi, because the American people had given us divided government.
That is how a Democratic President and a Republican Speaker will avoid
this crisis as well.
Speaker McCarthy is right. The Senate Democrat majority hasn't passed
a bill to raise the debt ceiling. The House Republican majority has.
So that is where the solution to this looming crisis will be found.
Last fall, the American people sent a divided government to
Washington. They chose to require that President Biden work with House
Republicans on the most consequential issues. Now, the President has to
make a choice of his own: Pretend the last election didn't happen or
sit down with the Speaker and deal responsibly with our Nation's debt.
Time is of the essence--of the essence. So, for the second time, I
will be glad to sit in at the White House to support Speaker McCarthy
and to urge President Biden to start operating in reality.
Border Security
Now, Mr. President, on an entirely different matter, it has been 5
days since the Biden administration ended title 42 emergency border
enforcement authorities--5 days. By all accounts, the situation at our
southern border is absolutely catastrophic--absolutely catastrophic--
for the brave men and women of Customs and Border Protection and for
countless communities across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
As title 42 expired on Thursday, officials in Del Rio, TX--listen to
this--reported a 1-day increase in border apprehensions of 75 percent--
1 day. In El Paso, one area of downtown is rapidly being overrun by
tents and garbage--tents and garbage. One Border Patrol officer reports
that every CBP enforcement sector along the southern border is now near
150 percent capacity--150 percent capacity. Sadly, what the country is
witnessing right now is a slow-moving car crash.
Republicans have spent years urging President Biden and his party to
get serious about securing our southern border. And the American people
have known for quite some time that Democrats' approach helped create
this humanitarian and security crisis. On President Biden's watch, just
last fiscal year, Customs and Border Protection recorded an all-time
high for migrant apprehensions: 2.7 million in 1 year. By the Agency's
own estimates, another 1.2 million ``got-aways'' have successfully
snuck across the southern border since the President took office.
The Biden administration made no effort to hide how little it cares
about cleaning up the mess. Remember, for months on end, the White
House Press Secretary assiduously avoided calling the situation at the
southern border what it obviously was--a crisis.
Vice President Harris, the administration's official ``border czar,''
has been to the border just once in 2\1/2\ years.
When Congress asked the head of the Department of Homeland Security
to account for the chaos unfolding on his watch, Secretary Mayorkas
characterized functionally open borders as ``executing on the plan.''
Apparently, Republicans are the only ones interested in getting the
southern border crisis under control.
Later this week, the Senate will vote on a resolution from Senator
Marshall to remove a major pillar of the Biden administration's open-
borders approach. Our colleague's measure takes aim at a rule the
administration implemented late last year to severely limit what
immigration officials are allowed to consider when determining whether
a potential immigrant is likely to become a ``public charge'' and rely
on taxpayer-funded services.
In other words, facing record flows of illegal migration, President
Biden's response was to greet people at the border with food stamps and
housing vouchers--welcome to America. Sadly,
[[Page S1657]]
that is exactly what some of the would-be immigrants arriving at the
border have come to expect from Washington Democrats.
One Venezuelan man who made it to El Paso said he was told: ``They
will feed you, clothe you, help you with your studies, and get a job.''
That is what this migrant from Venezuela was told.
It is alarming that Washington Democrats must be forced to be good
stewards of taxpayer dollars. The Biden administration should not need
to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to do right by the hard-working
citizens of this country.
So I am grateful to the junior Senator from Kansas for calling the
Senate's attention once again to the Biden administration's shameless
failure at the southern border, and I will urge each of my colleagues
to join me in supporting the resolution later this week.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kelly). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Debt Ceiling
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, talks on the debt ceiling continue, and the
Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate are meeting
with President Biden again today. I hope that is a positive sign
because, if the President's Treasury Secretary is correct, we could be
2 weeks away from the United States beginning to default on its debts,
something that would have very serious consequences for our economy and
for our Nation's financial standing.
If we are going to get a debt limit increase, the President is going
to have to negotiate with Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans--
really negotiate, Mr. President--which means that President Biden is
going to have to accept some real spending reforms because, otherwise,
a debt limit increase is not going to make it through the House of
Representatives. Those are the just the facts.
Democrats, of course, have been kicking and screaming at the idea of
spending reforms. You can witness their frantic campaign to portray the
responsible reforms in the House Republicans' bill as extreme.
Apparently, suggesting that we should return to 2022 discretionary
spending levels for 2024 is an extreme position, despite the fact that
we were clearly doing just fine at those levels mere months ago.
The Senate Democratic leader came down to the floor last Thursday and
suggested the Republicans were attempting to pair a debt ceiling
increase with ``unrelated partisan priorities''--``unrelated partisan
priorities.'' Well, let that just sink in for a minute because,
according to the Senate Democratic leader, spending reform is a
partisan priority that has nothing to do with increasing our Nation's
credit card limit. If a discussion over increasing our Nation's credit
card limit isn't a good time to have a discussion about spending, I
don't know what is. And if spending reform is just a Republican
priority, then there is something seriously wrong with the Democratic
Party because, with a national debt like ours, spending reform should
be a priority for everyone.
Our national debt currently stands at more than $31 trillion--$31
trillion. Our debt has already exceeded the size of our economy. Within
a few short years, we are going to be spending more just meeting the
interest on our Nation's debt than we will on national defense.
How do Democrats not realize that a national debt of that size has
serious consequences? By 2044, we will be spending more on interest
than on Medicare. By 2050, we will be spending more on interest than
Social Security. That is barely going to leave enough money for the
government to meet its most basic obligations, much less invest in all
the new or expanded government programs Democrats would like to
implement.
Yet Democrats are apparently content to simply ignore this reality.
It is like they think that we are going to find a pot of gold at the
end of the rainbow to rescue us once we have spent the Federal
Government into the ground. But there is no magic pot of gold.
And before Democrats suggest it, let me just say that taxing the rich
will not provide enough money to dig us out of the hole that we are in.
We have to find a way to rein in Federal spending; otherwise, the size
of our national debt is going to crush our economy and seriously limit
the Federal Government's ability to meet even its most basic
responsibilities, like funding Social Security and national defense.
Democrats would like Americans to believe that the ``clean'' debt
limit bill they are calling for is the standard when it comes to
raising our Nation's credit card limit; but, in fact, that is very far
from being the case, as the Democratic leader should know from his own
experience in using the debt limit as leverage in negotiations.
As Democrats should be well aware, 7 of the last 10 debt limit
increases have included some mix of policy or budgetary changes rather
than just a clean increase, and, historically, spending reform has
frequently gone hand in hand with debt ceiling legislation. Indeed, one
expert recently noted in testimony before the Senate Budget Committee
that ``of the eight largest deficit-reduction laws since 1985, all
eight were attached to debt limit bills.''
Let me repeat that. And this is from an expert who recently provided
testimony before the Senate Budget Committee. This was his quote.
Of the eight largest deficit-reduction laws since 1985, all
eight were attached to debt limit bills.
Now, Mr. President, I am getting a little tired of hearing Democrats
dance around the facts or suggest that if Republicans just agree to the
``clean'' debt ceiling increase that Democrats want, Democrats would be
ready to talk about spending once we move on to the budget.
Does anybody really seriously believe that if Democrats won't
consider spending reforms now that, somehow, they will develop a
serious enthusiasm for reining in spending once we get to the budget?
Somehow it doesn't seem likely.
Democrats and the President have spent a lot of energy over the past
couple of weeks tearing down Republican proposals. If they had spent
half that time coming up with spending reforms of their own, we might
already have a debt ceiling agreement.
And I hope that the meeting at the White House later today is a sign
that the President is actually getting serious about negotiating
because, if he isn't, he will have only himself to blame if our Nation
defaults on its obligations. Democrats have already spent us into an
inflation crisis. Let's hope that they don't push us into a default
crisis as well.
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. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Brett Blanton Investigation
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I hope everybody in this body knows that
congressional oversight is a very important responsibility of all of
us, and it is even a constitutional demand. We must ensure that our
government truly does work for, of, and by the people. When fraud,
waste, and abuse is discovered, Congress has the responsibility to the
American people to make it public because transparency brings
accountability.
Today, we have an example of wrongdoing to discuss. It involves the
former Architect of the Capitol's blatant misuse of government
property. According to the Architect of the Capitol inspector general,
during Brett Blanton's time as Architect, he engaged in unnecessary,
very expensive, and impermissible conduct. For example, the report
found unauthorized vehicle use; misrepresentation as a law enforcement
officer; ethics violations; and, lastly, appropriations violations.
Specifically, the inspector general found that Blanton should have
driven approximately 10,438 miles using government vehicles. Instead,
the inspector general said that Blanton racked up 29,291 miles. That is
almost 20,000 extra
[[Page S1658]]
miles of unauthorized benefit on the taxpayers' dime.
The inspector general's October 6, 2022, report expressly noted that
Blanton's actions ``have violated every pillar the [Office of the
Inspector General] operates under including theft, fraud, waste and
abuse against not only the [Architect of the Capitol] but also the
taxpayer.''
In total, the inspector general identified $13,926 of inappropriate
costs associated with Blanton's use of government vehicles. On February
22 of this year, I sent a letter to Mr. Blanton asking him when he
would repay the money he impermissibly cost the taxpayers. As of
today--now several months later--he has failed to respond to my inquiry
and my staff's attempts to contact him. He has also made no effort to
repay the money that he owes the American people. His actions show no
respect for the taxpayer.
But that isn't the last word on this sad story. On the same day that
I sent a letter to Mr. Blanton, I also sent a letter to Acting
Architect of the Capitol Chere Rexroat. I asked her whether she
intended to seek repayment from Mr. Blanton. She and her team have
worked to recover these payments, and as of April 21, the money Mr.
Blanton owed the taxpayers was repaid in full: $12,517 has been
withheld from Mr. Blanton's final annual leave payment and has been
returned to the Treasury. The remaining $1,409 was contributed by an
insurance company.
When dealing with trillions of dollars in government spending, a
dozen or so thousand can seem like a very insignificant
amount. However, this amount would be important to a family struggling
to make ends meet in a time of record inflation and price hikes. And
the amount is important to me because it is about time that we see
civil servants holding someone accountable for wrongdoing.
So, obviously, before giving up the floor today, I want to emphasize
that congressional oversight doesn't deal out victories every day. When
wrongdoing is exposed and corrected, it should be noted.
So let's give all due credit to the Acting Architect of the Capitol
and also to her team for the recoupment of this taxpayer money. It may
be a small amount of money, but it is the right action to take. And we
ought to compliment it. And I compliment the Acting Architect today.
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. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
National Police Week
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it is graduation season in America--a time
when many of us in this Senate head back home, gather with students and
families to celebrate amazing accomplishments.
This past Saturday I had the honor of joining students at Loyola
University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine for their commencement
ceremony. It was an inspiring and hopeful celebration.
These graduates--doctors--I met this last weekend are heroes in the
making. As future practitioners and medical researchers, they will
dedicate their lives to healing our communities and families. And we
couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments.
Let me also note two things. First, Loyola University Stritch School
of Medicine was the first school of medicine in the United States to
allow students with DACA status to apply for admission. They didn't set
any quotas. But they said to these young people who have received
recognition by our government that they can stay legally in the United
States. Though they were not born here, they have received recognition
by our government and been held back from many of their ambitions.
So when Loyola University of Chicago opened their doors for
applications from those DACA students, young people--remarkable young
people--from all over the United States applied. So far, 32 graduated
before last Saturday and another 6 this past Saturday. Think of that:
38 DACA students who finally got a chance to go to medical school
proved themselves worthy, did great, and now headed for their
residencies and beyond.
They will become an important part of America's future. And I am so
proud of Loyola University of Chicago for its leadership in doing that.
I encourage all other schools to offer the same opportunities for these
extraordinary DACA students to have a chance to continue to be part of
America.
The second person I want to mention is a hero that is of a special
nature. She was tragically missing from Loyola's campus this past
weekend. Her name is Areanah Preston.
On Sunday, Chicago Police Officer Preston was set to receive her
Master of Jurisprudence from Loyola's School of Law. But just days
before her graduation ceremony, she was shot and killed outside of her
home, right as she was returning home from a late shift on patrol.
Officer Preston was one of the best of Chicago. At only 24 years of
age, she had served with the Chicago Police Department for 3 years. And
during her time on the force, she worked to build trust between law
enforcement and the communities that she served.
Officer Preston was inspired to become a police officer after taking
a trip to Europe as part of her undergraduate criminology studies. Her
class visited former concentration camps in Germany and Poland, the
sites of some of the worst atrocities in human history.
The stories of the Holocaust compelled Areanah Preston to the change
she wanted to see in the world. She wanted to be part of it. In her
words:
When I got back [home], I wanted to be an officer. I felt
like I could be a person to fight for justice.
And during her time on the force, that is exactly what she did.
On Saturday--the day before Mother's Day--Officer Preston's mother
Dionne and her other family members walked on stage at Loyola
University's ceremony to accept her diploma.
I want to extend my deepest condolences to each and every one of
them. Officer Preston and her family should be together today,
celebrating her amazing accomplishments and her courageous service to
our city. Instead, they are mourning her loss. She is yet another
victim of America's epidemic of gun violence.
Officer Preston's loss is especially poignant this week as we mark
the beginning of Police Week. It is a time when law enforcement
officers across the country travel here to Washington to meet with
lawmakers and honor their peers who lost their lives in the line of
duty.
The murder of Officer Preston in Chicago--as well as hundreds of
other police officers who have died by gunfire in recent years--is a
sobering reminder that no American is immune to the scourge of gun
violence in this country.
It was just 1 year ago this weekend when a White supremacist marched
into a grocery store in Buffalo, NY, with an AR-15 assault-style rifle
and opened fire, killing 10 Black Americans.
The first victim in that shooting was a man named Aaron Salter. At
the time of the shooting, Mr. Salter--a former police officer--was
working as a security guard at the grocery store.
When the gunman showed up, Mr. Salter did not hesitate to leap into
action. He opened fire on the gunman. There was only so much he could
do. You see, Mr. Salter was armed with a handgun. The assailant had an
AR-15-style rifle and was wearing a tactical vest.
In this case, Mr. Salter was a good guy with a gun, but the bad guy
had a bigger gun. Mr. Salter was forced into a position that no police
officer, no security guard, should ever find themselves in--being
outgunned by a violent criminal. But this happens with alarming
frequency. And it is because lawmakers have failed to do enough to stop
guns from falling into the wrong hands.
If we truly want to honor the sacrifices of heroes like Mr. Salter
and officer Preston, we need to do more than offer our prayers and
condolences. We need to take action.
At this point, I want to salute you, Mr. President, because you and
your wife and family have worked so hard to make this issue an
important part of our agenda in America.
In the years since the mass shooting in Buffalo, we have seen more
than 650 mass shootings across America. A mass
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shooting takes place when four people are either killed or wounded in
one incident. During that period, more than 40,000 of our fellow
citizens have died from gunfire, which is now the No. 1 killer of our
Nation's children. The No. 1 killer of children under the age of 18 in
America is gun violence. That is a fact.
Time and again, we hear lawmakers argue in Washington and other
places that guns really aren't the problem, often claiming the real
problem is mental illness. Well, here is the truth. Every nation on
Earth struggles with mental illness, but America is the only advanced
nation that sees more mass shootings than there are days in a year. I
want to deal with mental illness honestly, but to say that is the
problem alone is to ignore the obvious.
Last year, the Senate Judiciary Committee, which I chair, held a
hearing on the crisis of gun violence in America. One of the witnesses
we heard was former Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams.
During that hearing, Chief Williams told the committee that our
Nation's gun laws are failing members of law enforcement like her. Here
is what she said:
We are outgunned. We're outmanned. We're out-staffed.
We do need responsible gun legislation . . . there should
be a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in
order for us to properly serve and protect our communit[ies].
Chief Williams was right. Smart gun safety laws work. We even have
recent proof of it.
Last year, this Senate finally passed the bipartisan Safer
Communities Act--the most important gun safety law in nearly 30 years.
Thanks to that law, the Justice Department is able to perform enhanced
background checks on buyers under the age of 21.
According to the Department of Justice, these enhanced background
checks have already prevented more than 160 firearms from falling into
potentially dangerous hands.
But that is not enough. We need to do more. Without more robust
legislation--like reining in assault weapons--we are not going to make
the progress we need in protecting the lives of our families and
communities.
Friday afternoon, I had a visit in my Chicago office from four
people. One was a mom and three were pediatricians from the Highland
Park area north of Chicago. We remember Highland Park because of the
last Fourth of July parade where a shooter got on the roof of a
building and, in a matter of 60 seconds, fired off 83 rounds into an
innocent crowd. And 7 people died, over 50 were injured. One 8-year-old
boy was paralyzed for life.
They came to talk to me about the AR-15 assault weapon crisis that we
face in America. What they said to me I cannot repeat on the floor of
the Senate because they went into graphic, painful detail of what an
AR-15 weapon does to the human body and particularly what it does to
children. Those small bodies, those compact little bodies, hit by an
AR-15 round, are forever damaged, and some of them are in an impossible
situation when it comes to medical care.
They talked about the fact that--and we hear this so often--at the
scene of these mass shootings, particularly in schools, they collect
DNA evidence from the parents to identify what is left of the body of
the children after the assault weapons had been fired into the bodies.
That is just a horrible thing, unimaginable thing, when it comes to
imagining your own children or grandchildren and what might happen to
them.
This mother came as part of this group, which is known as March
Fourth, broke down in tears and told me that every single day now since
Highland Park a year ago, she worries about sending her kids to school:
Will this be the day that they don't come home?
No family, no parent, no grandparent should ever face that fear as we
do in America--uniquely in America--because of the bewildering
explanation of our Second Amendment.
Unfortunately, instead, moving forward on sensible gun safety laws,
some people in the other party would move backward. Right now, the
House MAGA majority is trying to erase a regulation that restricts
braces that turn pistols into short-barreled rifles.
That is the same kind of weapon carried by mass shooters in Dayton,
OH; Boulder, CO; and recently in Nashville, TN.
These weapons are a danger to law enforcement and ordinary citizens.
And now this Republican effort in the House wants to make it easier to
access these deadly weapons, not harder.
Does that make any sense at all?
Moreover, at this very moment, MAGA Republicans are threatening to
default on America's debt unless we pass Speaker McCarthy's bill to
wipe out 30,000 law enforcement jobs.
Talk about defending the police. The McCarthy approach in making deep
budget cuts not only affects the number of law enforcement who are on
the beat trying to protect us every single day but also makes a 25-
percent cut in medical research in this country, something that is
essential for every family's future.
That is right. House Republicans are threatening to trigger an
economic crisis unless Democrats support their proposals to defund the
police and basically eviscerate medical research in this country. That
is coming from the same Republicans who spent years falsely claiming it
was the Democrats who wanted to defund the police. Now we have clear
evidence otherwise. Here they are supporting budget cuts that would
leave law enforcement behind and make communities less safe. This is no
way to honor the service and sacrifice of police officers across the
country who have journeyed to Washington.
If you are going to talk a big game about supporting law enforcement
during your political campaign, you have to back up your action when
you are elected. Threatening a disastrous debt default unless we make
massive budget cuts is no way to protect America.
Let's make sure officers have all the funding and resources they need
to keep America safe, and that includes sensible gun safety laws that
help keep weapons of war off American streets.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
Memorial Day
Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, President Ronald Reagan once said:
Freedom is never more than one generation away from
extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the
bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on
for them to do the same.
In every generation since the country's founding, brave men and women
have stepped forward to defend our great country. Each one of them
joined knowing that they might be called upon to sacrifice everything,
even their lives. In our history, more than 1 million Americans have
paid that last full measure of devotion. It is only right that we
return the honor.
The tradition of Memorial Day goes back to the 1860s. It was
originally called Decoration Day. Families of the fallen would decorate
the graves of their loved ones. In 1888, Congress recognized this
tradition and made it a holiday in the District of Columbia. Congress
made it a national holiday in 1968.
For Gold Star families, every day is Memorial Day. Alabama is home to
more than 6,000 Gold Star family members. These include children who
were forced to grow up without knowing their parents, spouses who had
``happily ever after'' cut short, moms and dads who hugged their
children goodbye for the very last time, families with an empty seat at
their dinner table.
As we honor their loved ones, we also ought to honor Gold Star
families. Today, I would like to do just that. I would like to
recognize three of Alabama's fallen heroes and their families,
First, I would like to recognize SGT Ricky Jones of Plantersville,
AL. The former star running back of Dallas County High School--also
known as MoJoe--is remembered for being a ``giving person'' who was
always there for his family and for his community. Sergeant Jones was
known to consistently attend football games to support younger players
who aspired to be just like him.
His family always knew they could count on him. After his mother
fractured her hip, Sergeant Jones took leave to come home and help with
her recovery. His sister Jasmine recalls him standing at the door of
her bedroom to tell her goodbye when the time
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came for him to return to Afghanistan. She didn't know this would be
the last time she would see him. He was killed on Father's Day of 2009,
leaving behind a wife and four children.
Because of the impact he left on his community, Dallas County
established June 27 as ``Ricky DeWayne `MoJoe' Jones Day.'' Dallas
County High School also retired his No. 3 jersey as a tribute to
someone who was a hero to so many on and off the field.
Second, I would also like to recognize SGT Jason Stegall of
Trussville, AL. From the age of 10, he knew he wanted to make a
difference by joining our military. Even with injuries and several
near-death experiences, this desire to serve never wavered. Sergeant
Stegall's courage saved countless American lives. On one occasion, he
helped stop two suicide bombers from carrying out an attack on a U.S.
military base in Iraq. Another time, he led his men away from an
ambush, despite being shot just beneath his heart.
Sergeant Stegall earned numerous awards for his heroism, including a
Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.
His wife Ashley said his plan was to stay in the service for a long
time because he loved every minute of being in the military. But this
plan was cut short. At age 31, Sergeant Stegall passed away from a
mission-related illness while serving on Active Duty. Ashley was left
to cope with the loss of her teenage sweetheart and having to raise
three sons alone, including a 10-month-old named Landon. Ashley keeps
Sergeant Stegall's memory alive by reminding her sons about his
sacrifice and his belief in our great country of America.
Sergeant Stegall is honored at the Trussville Veterans Memorial in
Alabama.
Finally, I want to honor the memory of SGT Ervin Hullett of Lowndes
County, AL. On Christmas Day in 1952, Sergeant Hullett's brother Arthur
received the news that his 22-year-old brother had been killed in
Korea.
Both brothers had lived and suffered under segregation and
discrimination because of their race. Yet both loved this country and
were proud to wear the uniform. Both brothers rose to the rank of
sergeant. Sergeant Arthur Hullett to this day says that he has no
regrets about his military service. He also says he is confident that
his brother would say the very same thing.
Alabama is deeply grateful for their strong belief that America is
worth fighting for and even worth dying for. We will not forget their
unwavering devotion to serving the American dream for all of our future
generations.
SGT Ervin Hullett's name is etched forever into the wall of the
Korean war monument here in Washington, DC.
The Bible says: Greater love has no man that he would lay down his
life for a friend.
We may never have met Sergeant Jones or Sergeant Stegall or Sergeant
Hullett or any of the other fallen heroes, but their sacrifice is an
example to all.
As we look toward Memorial Day, I hope we will remember this is not
just another long weekend; it is a time to reflect on the sacrifices
made by all of our courageous heroes who didn't want freedom to die on
their watch. May we live to ensure their efforts aren't in vain.
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. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
National Police Week
Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, on National Police Week, we celebrate
our law enforcement officers, but it is also important to pause and
honor those who gave their lives in the line of duty and to pause and
remember the families they left behind.
Last year, I stood in this Chamber as we unanimously adopted the
National Police Week resolution and honored the 576 law enforcement
officers killed in the line of duty in 2021. Today, I take this moment
to honor the 246 brave men and women who were killed in the line of
duty in 2022. In order to rightfully honor these men and women who lost
their lives, we must continue to demand policies that will make our
communities safer and, by extension, our officers in the line of duty
safer.
This topic is incredibly personal to me. My father was a chief of
police in our hometown of El Dorado, KS, for 30 years. Here is a
picture I share of my father in 1965, a proud new police officer with
our family dog and police officer dog, Rinny.
On more than one occasion, my dad put his life on the line to protect
our community, and on many other days, he would tell stories of the
bravery and courage of his officers when responding to an emergency.
These were all my friends, but they were heroes in my eyes, as well,
and always will be remembered as such.
But, today, I am sad to report that our men and women in law
enforcement feel demoralized. They are constantly put in a no-win
situation, and their own city governments are setting them up to fail.
In short, like my dad told me recently on a fishing trip, law
enforcement officers know this White House and many mayors and city
councils do not have their backs. They feel abandoned, and they feel
like they get no respect, even to the point of being wrongfully shamed.
These brave men and women need our support now more than ever.
Democrat-run cities have demonized law enforcement, making it harder
for our men and women in uniform to do their jobs. And, sadly, their
dangerous rhetoric and policies are emboldening criminals at the
expense of our officers.
You don't have to look any further than our own Nation's Capital. In
November of last year, here in Washington, the DC Council voted to
dramatically reform the city's criminal code to favor the rights of the
offender during a crime wave across the District. The legislation
eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for most crimes and lowered the
maximum penalties for crimes such as carjacking and robbery.
The reforms to the city's criminal code came as the city's crime
crisis hit a fever pitch.
Listen to this. Our Nation's Capital had 203 homicides in 2022--our
Nation's capital, 203 homicides. Carjackings have tripled since 2019.
This year, so far, violent crime is up by double digits. Last year, a
physician was murdered after he tried to prevent a carjacker from
stealing his car. A city council candidate had his car stolen at
gunpoint. More recently, a Senate staffer was brutally attacked and
stabbed in the head in broad daylight.
I remain fearful for my staff as they walk from their homes to the
Capitol. Just recently, I gathered with a group of Senators to discuss
policy, but the topic of discussion soon became the safety of our
employees and what we could do to help ensure their safety.
With the culture of lawlessness on the streets being embraced by the
DC City Council, at a time of low morale and increased crime, it is no
wonder why the city has lost over 1,200 officers over the last 2 years,
a number that is growing each day.
We need to stop here and talk about the culture of lawlessness
started by this White House. It started during his campaign with a
summer of applauding violent riots and vandalism.
After being sworn in, the administration purposefully and shamelessly
opened our borders, and, even now, this administration turns their
heads to violent criminals and terrorists crossing our borders. And
with the Democrats embracing cashless bail in Joe Biden's America, we
are now not only a country without borders but also a lawless society,
where criminals roam the streets and fentanyl poisons our children.
This Nation must change its course before it is too late. To preserve
this union, we need law and order. Our Republic will not survive
without it.
H.J. Res. 42
I rise today in support of Senator Vance's motion to nullify the DC
Council's Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of
2022. By passing this resolution, we can now join our House colleagues
in firmly rejecting the council's antipolice, pro-criminal laws and
reaffirm our support for our heroic law enforcement officers.
I urge all of my Senate colleagues and the White House to choose
people over politics by joining our efforts to
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improve public safety in Washington, DC.
With its passage, we can send a clear message to 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue: We in the Senate will not stand by while our law enforcement
officers are vilified and cut off at the knees when trying to do their
job.
And with its passage, it will make Washington, DC, a safer place for
the millions of visitors who pilgrimage to this great Capital to
petition their elected Members of Congress, to regale in our history,
and to celebrate our freedom.
This is a bill that makes DC safer, but it also sends a message to
the entire country--a message that we want safe streets, we want safe
communities, we want safe schools, and we want to do it in a bipartisan
way.
Let's signal to every county, every city, and every State that
Washington, DC, will no longer be soft on crime and cater to criminals.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.
Mr. BUDD. Mr. President, I rise today to support Senator Vance's
resolution of disapproval for the District of Columbia's anti-police
law.
When lives are on the line, when seconds count, members of law
enforcement are there putting their lives on the line to protect and
serve their communities.
Backing the blue is especially important now, as rogue prosecutors
and activist judges undercut those who are out there fighting crime. We
see big cities implement policies that make the already difficult job
of crime-fighting that much harder. Consequently, crime in our country
has risen. Our streets are less safe. Our citizens' safety is under
constant threat.
A prime example of this overreach is right here in Washington, DC.
Last year, the DC City Council passed a so-called comprehensive
policing and justice reform package. The package contains provision
after provision that hamstrings the police in this city. It limits the
tactics they can use to control unruly crowds and riots, and it buries
them in paperwork before they can even execute a constitutional
search. It strips cops of the power to review body cam evidence, and it
allows for their names to be released to the media before an
investigation can even begin.
And what has happened since this act went into effect? Well, in the
first full year that this law was in effect, DC's homicide rate reached
nearly a 20-year high. In just the first 4 months of 2023, there have
been over 250 carjackings and an increase in robberies throughout the
city.
DC's chief of police recently reported that the average homicide
suspect is arrested 11 times before committing murder. Now, it is
striking that DC is making it harder to arrest these criminals before
they commit such heinous acts. And, at the same time, the District's
police union has reported that the department ``has lost over 1,200
police officers while only replacing 700.'' The force is poised to be
at its lowest number of officers since the 1970s.
Congress has the authority and the responsibility to ensure public
safety in the District; and, furthermore, the symbol of our Nation's
Capital under siege from crime is one our country cannot and should not
tolerate. As politicians in this city push anti-police laws, it is
incumbent upon our country's national leaders to stand up to these
legislative attacks on law enforcement.
Now is the time for elected officials to express their full and
complete support for the police. We need to fund them; we need to back
them; and we need to push back against false narratives.
Strong nations support law enforcement because these are the men and
women who stand on that thin blue line between safety and chaos. For
the sake of law and order in our Nation's Capital, I stand in support
of Senator Vance's resolution.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hickenlooper). The Senator from Texas.
Debt Ceiling
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, last week, President Biden met with top
congressional leaders to talk about the debt ceiling. This meeting came
4 months after the United States hit the debt limit and just a few
weeks before a potential default.
Considering the high stakes in this looming debt crisis, it is
remarkable that it took this long for the President to sit down with
the four leaders and to talk about how to solve this problem together.
A debt default, of course, would set off an unprecedented economic
crisis and inflict real pain on families all across the country.
We all know our economy is just trying to get back on its feet after
COVID. Our banking system has endured three high-profile collapses, and
inflation continues to wreak havoc on family budgets. If the United
States defaults on its debt, those challenges will only intensify. And
that is an understatement. Social Security and Medicare benefits could
be delayed. Members of the military and Border Patrol would be left
without a paycheck. We would see our economy reeling--skyrocketing
mortgage rates, sinking stock prices, and instability across our
economy.
Given the already fragile state of the economy, default is the very
last thing we need. Fortunately, that is a point of agreement between
the parties. I haven't heard anybody say it would be a good idea for us
to default.
But the $31.7 trillion question is, What does the path forward look
like?
As the American people know, the Republican position is not shrouded
in mystery. My Republican colleagues and I have said over and over that
a clean debt ceiling increase is not an option. It simply doesn't have
the votes to pass the House or the Senate, making it a nonstarter. So
we should move on.
In order to have a chance of passing both Chambers of Congress, a
debt ceiling increase must come with some spending reforms. You would
think President Biden, after all of his years serving in the Senate,
now as President of the United States, would understand that $31.7
trillion in debt is unsustainable. That is just common sense. But the
President has dragged his feet for the last 4 months, saying he would
not negotiate--until now. It looks like he, grudgingly, is
acknowledging that he has to negotiate, which he knew or should have
known all along.
Thanks to the leadership of Speaker McCarthy, the House of
Representatives passed a bill last month to avert the debt crisis. I
think President Biden actually thought that the Speaker of the House
would be unsuccessful in passing any increase in the debt ceiling, so
he was happy to sit back, hoping that they would fail and then they
would come running to him and agree to his demands. But by passing the
House bill, they put the ball in President Biden's court and put the
onus on him to drop his ``no negotiations, no reforms'' position, which
was absolutely ridiculous in the first place.
For months, the President has said he won't negotiate. He ruled out
negotiations over any spending reforms, even though he signed into law
trillions of dollars in new debt which has caused us to come to this
juncture in the first place. He said he expects Congress to raise the
debt ceiling with no conditions attached and let the runaway spending
spree continue.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: If you maxed out your
credit card, your credit union or your bank is going to say: Well, if
you want an increase in your spending limit, you are going to have to
talk to us about how you are going to pay this money back.
Those are the sorts of conversations that would occur in our daily
lives, and those are the sorts of conversations that the President
should have started to have 4 months ago.
Before the President's meeting with congressional leaders last week,
his advisers parroted saying his ``no negotiations, no reforms''
message. The White House insisted time and time again that the
President wouldn't drop his demand for a clean debt ceiling increase.
Now we have seen a massive shift in the President's rhetoric. I am
actually grateful that he's made that shift in his rhetoric because his
earlier position was completely irresponsible and unsustainable. But,
now, over the weekend, the President was asked about the status of
conversations with Republicans about the debt ceiling. He said:
It is never good to characterize a negotiation in the
middle of a negotiation.
[[Page S1662]]
So there he goes using the ``N'' word, ``negotiation,'' when he said
he wouldn't negotiate.
And while he offered no insight into the discussions themselves, the
fact that he described them as negotiations actually marks a major
turning point. After insisting for months that he wouldn't negotiate,
the President has finally caved in, as we knew he ultimately would. He
has finally accepted the inevitable reality that a bipartisan
compromise is the only way to avoid a debt crisis. But that has been
obvious from day one.
We have a Democrat majority in the Senate, a Republican majority in
the House, and a Democrat in the White House. We know that in order to
pass a bill, all three branches--two branches of Congress and the
executive branch--would have to agree on something. So by definition,
it has to be bipartisan. That is the baseline for success in divided
government.
It really is baffling why it took so long for the President to come
to terms with this reality, particularly given his long experience as a
Member of this body, the U.S. Senate. But I am glad he got off the
sidelines, finally, and now is at the negotiating table with Speaker
McCarthy.
Reportedly, White House and congressional aides worked over the
weekend trying to identify the framework for a deal; and the President,
as I said, will meet with congressional leaders again today.
The White House is projecting a great deal of optimism, and I hope
that is warranted. I mean, I hope that means they will come with a
serious offer. But we still have a long way to go because once a deal
is reached, there is still going to be a lot of work that needs to be
done.
First, the agreement needs to be translated into legislative
language. Once the bill is completed, Members need time to review it,
then the bill has to pass both Chambers of Congress. This is a process
that can occur over several days or much longer. But remember,
Secretary Yellen said the United States can default as early as June 1,
which is 16 days away.
With this as a backdrop, President Biden is planning to hop on a
plane to Japan tomorrow. We are 2 weeks away from a potential economic
disaster--largely of the President's own making for taking his
ridiculous ``no negotiation'' stance for the last 4 months--but we are
2 weeks away from potential economic disaster, bipartisan discussions
have begun, and the President is still planning to go overseas.
The President spent months refusing to negotiate. He said he wouldn't
even entertain the idea of negotiations to avoid a debt crisis. Now the
President is at the negotiating table. This isn't a time to get up,
walk away, and jump on Air Force One and go overseas. You can't fly
half way around the globe just as negotiations are gaining momentum,
because as he accurately said, the United States cannot default on its
debts over the next 2 weeks. So it is crunch time. It is time to roll
up their sleeves, get to work, and to work this out.
Speaker McCarthy and the House of Representatives have been ready to
negotiate since the beginning, but the President wasted months that
could have been spent on hashing out a bipartisan compromise to avoid a
debt crisis. And he knew it from the very beginning that, ultimately,
he would have to negotiate. So now is the time for the President to
take this crisis seriously and to own his responsibility to negotiate a
successful outcome.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. MERKELY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Tribute to Mike McKiernan
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a departing member
of my team. This is the first time in 7 years that I am delivering a
farewell speech regarding one of my team members that wasn't written by
my speechwriter, Mike McKiernan, because Mike is the departing team
member we are honoring today.
In June of 2016, he left a glamorous job at the Motion Picture
Association of America to join my office. He was excited to return to
Congress ahead of what many anticipated would be the incoming Hillary
Clinton administration. Well, as we all know, history doesn't always
work out along the path that one anticipates. It worked out a little
differently.
Six months later, President Trump was sworn into office, and Mike
found himself in the middle of many intensive issues, writing speech
after speech regarding the new administration's policies--often
opposing those policies--and the administration's nominees--often
nominees who didn't seem to have the qualifications necessary for the
roles they were nominated to.
Then not far into 2017, we arrived at a watershed moment of Trump's
first year in office: Trump's determination to complete the theft of a
Supreme Court seat through his nomination of Neil Gorsuch. It was Mike
McKiernan who compiled a whole set of big three-ring binders with
details of Supreme Court history, the influence of powerful special
interests on the Court, and, of course, every detail, large and small,
about Judge Gorsuch's record, enabling me to hold the floor for over 15
hours, attempting to focus America's attention on the grave injustice
that for the first time in American history, a Supreme Court seat had
been stolen from one administration and passed on to the next with no
hearing or consideration of the nominee from the previous President.
It was a long night--a long night for Mike McKiernan, a long night
for me--but an important effort to highlight something very important
about the politicization and polarization of one of our three key
institutions, the Supreme Court of the United States.
If you asked members of my staff for a couple of words or a phrase to
describe Mike, you might hear the words ``steady presence.'' Throughout
the years, he has brought a cool, calm, and collected aura, even during
moments of considerable stress.
Being a speechwriter might seem like a quiet, intellectual job, but
here in the Senate, chaos finds us all--many moments of frantically
making last-minute edits, last-minute edits on a script for a speech or
a conversation over Zoom, conversations recorded as a video greeting to
an organization operating back in Oregon, or crafting comments with
only an hour or two of notice to make, to block, or to request a
unanimous consent request on an amendment or on a bill.
There was, for every speechwriter and for Mike, the near daily
challenge of finding just the right story or just the right analogy or
just the right poem to illuminate a commentary over a policy, as,
indeed, Mike delivered just the perfect poem on butterflies last year
for my closing remarks at the Monarch Summit.
It was Mike who crafted my 2017 quiz show series that I conducted
here on the floor of the Senate featuring weekly climate facts, trying
to find a new way to engage Americans about the challenges facing us
with the evolving impact on our forests and our fishing and our farms
and so many aspects of our environment. Our quiz show did not become
the smash hit on YouTube that we had hoped for, but at least the Senate
pages perhaps learned a thing or two from the quiz shows, and we had
fun doing them. Our climate work also led to other fun moments, like
hosting Bill Nye the Science Guy in my office and doing a joint video
on climate science.
Mike always had the extremity challenge of deciphering my
handwriting--handwriting I can't decipher after I have been away from
it for even a few moments. I have no idea what I wrote, but I am sure
it was excellent--figure it out.
Mike, I think we are sending you away with a certificate in advanced
handwriting decoding.
Along with the fun and good humor that Mike brought to the team, he
also brought deep care and purpose to some of the most challenging
moments we have handled as an office. He found great meaning in
bringing, in his words, ``to life as accurately and impactfully as
possible'' the stories of those who are oppressed and suffering.
When the previous administration tried to take DACA status away from
Dreamers, Mike helped me share the stories of young Americans who have
known no other home.
[[Page S1663]]
When President Trump sent Federal agents to attack Portlanders on the
streets in the summer of 2020, Mike helped me to share the experience
of those whose civil liberties had been shattered and to hold the
administration accountable.
When President Trump implemented his horrific tactic of tearing
children out of the arms of their parents at the border, Mike was
instrumental in sharing the stories of those families with the world--
stories of little children with hopes and dreams who simply wanted to
play, to learn, to be loved, and be able to go to school; parents who
would do anything to protect their children from violence and
oppression and build for those little ones a safer future.
Mike, we will miss your wordsmithing. We will miss your adorable
photos and hilarious stories of your two young children, Clara and
Braden, and we really require you to keep sharing them as you go
forward. Most of all, we will miss your kind, compassionate, mission-
driven spirit that embodies what it means to be on our team. You are
leaving big shoes to fill, but we are thrilled that you will be staying
in the extended Team Merkley family, going to join our former deputy
chief of staff J.P. Piorkowski in the Director's Office at the Peace
Corps.
One thing our world needs more of is peace and the cross-cultural
understanding that comes from Americans going out around the globe to
help communities thrive.
I know that in your next chapter and whatever else you do throughout
your career, you will never stop working to build a better world, and
what better mission could there be for one's life than building a
better world?
I wish you all the best. And thank you so much for being a member of
the team.
____________________