[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 84 (Thursday, May 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1736-S1737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Business Before the Senate

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, as I mentioned earlier, negotiations 
continue making progress. As Speaker McCarthy says, he expects the 
House will vote next week if an agreement is reached, and the Senate 
would begin consideration after that. Members should be aware and be 
able to return to the Senate within a 24-hour period to fulfill our 
responsibilities to avoid default. But I also want to take a moment to 
talk about some of the work the Senate has made progress on recently in 
the last work period.
  Over this work period, the Senate confirmed more than seven district 
court judges and three new circuit court judges--Bradley Garcia, 
Anthony Johnstone, and Nancy Abudu--confirmed earlier this afternoon to 
serve a lifetime appointment on the Eleventh Circuit that represents 
Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.
  Ms. Abudu's appointment to the bench is barrier-breaking. She will be 
the first Black woman to preside on the Eleventh Circuit, and her 
circuit is home to nearly 8 million--8 million--Black Americans, 
including the Presiding Officer's great State.
  We have a duty to ensure that Federal judges are individuals of the 
highest caliber, and that includes appointing judges from a wide 
variety of personal and professional backgrounds. Ms. Abudu meets that 
higher standard, and she will serve admirably on the bench.
  With the confirmation of Ms. Abudu, the Senate has now confirmed 129 
judges under President Biden--129.
  Elsewhere, the Senate passed the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety 
Act so firefighters can better afford lifesaving equipment and 
personnel, particularly in smaller, more rural, and more suburban 
areas, where the equipment is harder to find and harder to afford.
  Senators also reintroduced the SAFE Banking Act to enable cannabis 
businesses to access critical banking structures. Just last week, the 
Banking Committee held its first hearing on this legislation. And I 
will also work to make sure we include criminal justice provisions to 
SAFE Banking.
  Last week, the Commerce Committee moved on the bipartisan Railway 
Safety Act out of committee. I will work

[[Page S1737]]

with Senators on both sides, including Senators Brown and Vance, the 
two lead sponsors, as well as Casey and Fetterman, also sponsors, to 
bring the Railway Safety Act for a vote soon.
  I will likewise work with my colleagues on efforts to make 
prescription drugs more affordable, including insulin. Last week, the 
HELP Committee advanced significant drug reforms, and it is my hope 
this process will continue to move forward in a bipartisan manner and 
will enable us to lower the cost of prescription drugs, particularly 
insulin.
  This work period, I joined with colleagues and committee chairs to 
announce the next steps in the Senate's effort to outcompete the 
Chinese Government and preserve America's global leadership in the 21st 
century. Last week, the Commerce Committee marked up bipartisan 
legislation on the U.S. semiconductor supply chains, and, this week, 
the Appropriations Committee held a bipartisan hearing on investments 
to outcompete the Chinese Government. The House Government Affairs 
Committee also marked up several bills on security and competitiveness. 
Our committees will continue working on various efforts on this issue 
during the next work period. Outcompeting the Chinese Government will 
be one of the great challenges of our generation, and we must be clear-
eyed and act accordingly.
  So this has been a busy stretch for the Senate on a number of 
different fronts: more judges, progress with Fire Grants, SAFE Banking, 
Rail Safety, competing with the Chinese Government, prescription drug 
reform, and a whole host of important issues.