[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3725-S3730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024--Continued

  Now, until we get the paperwork done and can lock everything in, 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. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Order of Business

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in 
order to call up the following amendments to S. 2226: Rubio, No. 523; 
Young, No. 230; Daines, No. 1084; further, that with respect to the 
amendments listed above, the Senate vote on the amendments in the order 
listed, with no further amendments or motions in order, and with 60 
affirmative votes required for adoption and that there be 2 minutes 
equally divided prior to each vote; further, that upon disposition of 
the Daines amendment, that it be in order to send to the desk a 
managers' package of 47 amendments, and after the clerk reports it, I 
ask that the clerk

[[Page S3726]]

also read the numbers and sponsors of each of the individual amendments 
in this package and that they be the only amendments remaining in order 
to be offered to S. 2226; that the Senate vote on the amendment with no 
intervening action or debate; that upon disposition of the managers' 
amendments, the cloture motions filed during Wednesday's session ripen 
and the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the substitute 
amendment No. 935, as amended; further, that if cloture is invoked, all 
postcloture time be considered expired, the Schumer amendment No. 936 
be withdrawn, and the Senate vote on the substitute amendment, as 
amended, with no intervening action or debate; further, that if the 
substitute amendment is agreed to, the cloture motion with respect to 
the underlying bill, S. 2226, be withdrawn, the bill, as amended, be 
considered read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of the 
bill, as amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage; that 
the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, 
with up to 10 minutes for debate, equally divided, prior to the vote on 
passage; finally, that upon disposition of S. 2226, the Senate 
immediately proceed to the consideration of H.R. 2670, which was 
received from the House and is at the desk; that all after the enacting 
clause be stricken, the text of the Senate bill, as passed, be 
inserted; H.R. 2670, as amended, be considered read a third time and 
passed, the Senate bill then be indefinitely postponed, and the motion 
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no 
intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Amendment No. 523

  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 523 and ask that 
it be reported by number.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Florida [Mr. Rubio] proposes an amendment 
     numbered 523 to amendment No. 935.
  (The amendment is printed in the Record of July 13, 2023, under 
``Text of Amendments.'')



 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S3726, July 27, 2023, in the first column, the following 
appears: The Senator from Florida [Mr. RUBIO] proposes an 
amendment numbered 523 to amendment No. 935.
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: The Senator from 
Florida [Mr. RUBIO] proposes an amendment numbered 523 to 
amendment No. 935. (The amendment is printed in the Record of July 
13, 2023, under ``Text of Amendments.'')


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, this is my amendment that is going to be 
voted on here by agreement. It is pretty straightforward. The Federal 
Thrift Savings Plan is the largest defined contribution plan in the 
world. It has 22 China-only funds. Every single one of them has money 
going towards companies that are sanctioned, that are on the Entity 
List--companies that are responsible for the human rights violations 
against Uighurs; companies that our own government has said are helping 
the Chinese build their military--Chinese-sponsored companies. And so 
this amendment, basically, is geared towards that. It tells the TSP--
the Thrift Savings Plan--board that they can no longer invest your 
money--the money of Members of Congress, members of the military, 
Federal employees.
  Federal employee retirement money is being invested in companies that 
are undermining American national security according to our own 
government. We are investing in those.
  Think about the irony. You are a member of the military and your 
retirement money is being invested in companies that are building 
missiles designed to blow up the ship that you serve on.
  So if we are serious about this, we need to cut this off. This is not 
a ban on Chinese investment. This is a ban on the Thrift Savings Plan 
and its money--your money, the investment money of Federal employees--
being used to invest in companies that our own government has placed on 
lists for human rights violations and posing a threat to the national 
security of the country.


                       Vote on Amendment No. 523

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
  If not, the question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  Mr. WICKER. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Casey) and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) are necessarily 
absent.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennet). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 55, nays 42, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 210 Leg.]

                                YEAS--55

     Barrasso
     Blackburn
     Boozman
     Braun
     Britt
     Brown
     Budd
     Capito
     Collins
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagerty
     Hassan
     Hawley
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     King
     Lankford
     Lee
     Lummis
     Manchin
     Marshall
     McConnell
     Moran
     Mullin
     Murkowski
     Peters
     Ricketts
     Risch
     Romney
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Schmitt
     Scott (FL)
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Tuberville
     Vance
     Warner
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--42

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Cassidy
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Duckworth
     Feinstein
     Fetterman
     Gillibrand
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Kaine
     Kelly
     Klobuchar
     Lujan
     Markey
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Paul
     Reed
     Rosen
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Van Hollen
     Warnock
     Warren
     Welch
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Casey
     Durbin
     Scott (SC)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennet). On this vote, the yeas are 55, 
the nays are 42. Under the previous order requiring 60 affirmative 
votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is not agreed 
to.
  The amendment (No. 523) was rejected.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.


                           Amendment No. 230

  Mr. YOUNG. I call up my amendment No. 230, and ask that it be 
reported by number.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Indiana [Mr. Young] proposes an amendment 
     numbered 230.

  The amendment is as follows:

  (Purpose: To ensure that the Department of Defense has received an 
  unqualified opinion on its financial statements by October 1, 2027)

       At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following:

     SEC. __. REQUIREMENT FOR UNQUALIFIED OPINION ON FINANCIAL 
                   STATEMENT.

       The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the Department 
     of Defense has received an unqualified opinion on its 
     financial statements by October 1, 2027.
  Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, Congress has passed an annual Defense 
authorization bill for the past 62 years. This body--both parties--
takes seriously the threats our servicemembers face and the sacrifices 
their families make.
  To date, the Department of Defense has executed five audits--five 
audits. No uniformed service has returned a clean audit, nor have major 
offices and agencies within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
  By setting this deadline, we communicate Congress's seriousness on 
this issue. We also communicate to the Secretary of Defense that we 
believe this should be a priority of his and that we will hold him 
responsible for failing to meet this deadline. In 4 years--4 years--we 
must have a clean audit.
  As the Department undergoes an extensive vital modernization and 
seeks to take care of its people, policymakers must be able to debate 
and consider the Department's budgetary priorities in a transparent 
manner with

[[Page S3727]]

all the facts at our disposal. My cosponsor, Senator King, and I 
believe DOD is doing the right things to be able to complete a full, 
clean audit in the next 4 years. This amendment serves as a commonsense 
communication of intense seriousness and urgency to the Department in a 
practical manner.
  I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I request a voice vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.


                       Vote on Amendment No. 230

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 60-vote 
threshold with respect to this amendment be vitiated and we vote by 
voice.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  The amendment (No. 230) was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.


                           Amendment No. 1084

  (Purpose: To provide for the settlement of the water rights claims of 
the Fort Belknap Indian Community.)
  Mr. Daines. Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 1084 and ask 
that it be reported by number.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment by number.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Montana [Mr. DAINES] proposes an amendment 
     numbered 1084.

  (The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of 
Amendments.'')
  Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I would like to thank my colleague from 
Montana, Senator Tester, and all of those who have worked so hard to 
get this home today.
  This settles a 100-plus-year battle in Montana. This is the last 
Indian water rights settlement for the State of Montana--the Fort 
Belknap water rights settlement. It codifies existing water rights, 
prevents costly litigation, provides clean drinking water, and invests 
in irrigation for farmers and ranchers to provide food for our country.
  This bill passed out of committee by a voice vote. It is supported by 
the Governor of Montana, by the entire Montana congressional 
delegation, the Fort Belknap community, all of the locally affected 
counties, including the county commissioners, and our farmers and our 
ranchers.
  This is truly a win for our State and the country. I ask my 
colleagues to support this amendment, and I am going to ask for a voice 
vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Montana.
  Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Daines for all the 
effort he put into this legislation, the Fort Belknap Indian Community 
Water Rights Settlement Act. It has been a long time coming, and I want 
to take a moment to acknowledge the current leader of the Fort Belknap 
Indian Community, President Stiffarm.
  President Stiffarm is a courageous leader, and he deserves a 
tremendous amount of credit for bringing this bill to the moment we are 
at today.
  This bill was first introduced by me in 2012. The bipartisan version 
that we are voting on today is the result of years of negotiation 
between the Tribe, local elected officials, State legislators, Federal 
Agencies, and other stakeholders that hammered out a fair compromise 
that honors the trust and treaty responsibilities while guaranteeing 
water certainty to all water users in North Central Montana through the 
rehabilitation of the Milk River Project.
  Look, I am a farmer, and I know how critical water is for the health 
of communities, for agriculture, and for economic growth. Water is 
necessary for our crops, for our businesses, for our homes. We all rely 
on it.
  For the Fort Belknap Indian Community the work started on this over 
100 years ago. In the Senate, we have been debating moving this water 
settlement forward for years, and, today, we can make it happen.
  I would urge my colleagues to do right by the Tribe by honoring our 
trust and treaty responsibilities, and do right by all the folks who 
rely on clean water in the Treasure State. And I support Senator 
Daines' call for a voice vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.


                       Vote on Amendment No. 1084

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 60-vote 
threshold be vitiated and that we vote by voice.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  The amendment (No. 1084) was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.


                           Amendment No. 1087

  (Purpose: To provide for a managers' package.)
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I believe it is in order now to call up the 
managers' package.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Rhode Island [Mr. Reed], for himself and 
     Mr. Wicker, proposes an amendment numbered 1087.

  (The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of 
Amendments.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the clerk will read 
the names and sponsors of the amendments.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       Murray No. 205, Cruz No. 188, Reed No. 270, Menendez No. 
     292, Lankford No. 1082, Klobuchar No. 416, Murkowski No. 411, 
     Coons No. 475, Grassley No. 484, Schatz No. 555, Ernst No. 
     506, Cardin No. 701, Ernst No. 508, Merkley No. 740, Rubio 
     No. 525, Brown No. 761, Sullivan No. 647, Cortez Masto No. 
     800, Cornyn No. 814, Fetterman No. 825, Kennedy No. 861, 
     Manchin No. 826, Braun No. 871, Ossoff No. 908, Schmitt No. 
     906, Padilla No. 910, Graham No. 917, Warner No. 913, Ernst 
     No. 988, Shaheen No. 928, Lummis No. 1000, Warnock No. 977, 
     Cotton No. 1015, Kelly No. 985, Risch No. 1017, Wyden No. 
     1035, Lankford No. 1027, Whitehouse No. 1036, Hoeven No. 
     1037, Rosen No. 1040, Barrasso No. 1042, Cardin No. 1050, Lee 
     No. 1051; Sinema No. 1070, Hyde-Smith No. 1064, Peters No. 
     1043, and Warner No. 1053.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The yeas and nays are ordered.
  The Senator from Mississippi.
  Mr. WICKER. Does the distinguished chairman wish to speak on the 
motion?
  Mr. REED. Go ahead.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, this represents another degree of 
cooperation. This comes to us by unanimous consent. According to the 
rules, we must have a vote of the yeas and nays, but we are approaching 
the finish line, and out of consideration for those who have travel 
plans later tonight, I hope we can stick to the 10-minute rule.
  I urge the passage of this important managers' package.


                       Vote on Amendment No. 1087

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Casey) and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), are necessarily 
absent.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).
  The result was announced--yeas 94, nays 3, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 211 Leg.]

                                YEAS--94

     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blackburn
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Boozman
     Braun
     Britt
     Brown
     Budd
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Duckworth
     Ernst
     Feinstein
     Fetterman
     Fischer
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagerty
     Hassan
     Hawley
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Johnson
     Kaine
     Kelly
     Kennedy
     King
     Klobuchar
     Lankford
     Lee
     Lujan
     Lummis
     Manchin
     Marshall
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Moran
     Mullin
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Reed
     Ricketts
     Risch
     Romney
     Rosen
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Schatz

[[Page S3728]]


     Schmitt
     Schumer
     Scott (FL)
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Tuberville
     Van Hollen
     Vance
     Warner
     Warnock
     Warren
     Welch
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden
     Young

                                NAYS--3

     Markey
     Paul
     Sanders

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Casey
     Durbin
     Scott (SC)
  The amendment (No. 1087) was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ossoff). The majority leader.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, let me give the order. We are almost 
done. We are about to vote.
  I first have to do a unanimous consent to vitiate cloture. I am going 
to speak on the NDAA bill, on the pages, and yield to Leader McConnell 
to follow me, and then we vote.


                      Unanimous Consent Agreement

  So, first, I ask unanimous consent to modify the previous order so 
cloture motions with respect to the substitute amendment No. 935, as 
amended, and the underlying bill, S. 2226, be withdrawn; that the 
Schumer amendment No. 936 be withdrawn; that the substitute amendment 
No. 935, as amended, be agreed to; further, that the bill, as amended, 
be considered read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the 
bill, as amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage; that 
the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table 
with up to 10 minutes for debate, equally divided, prior to the vote on 
passage, with all previous provisions remaining in effect.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I want to thank the Senator from Utah and 
the Senator from Maryland for putting forward this critical amendment 
ending China's developing nation status.
  The ability of countries to take advantage of ``special and 
differential treatment'' as it is called in the World Trade 
Organization--WTO--to skip out on meaningful obligations and upend the 
trade playing field has long concerned me and other members of the 
Finance Committee on both sides of the aisle.
  While I support the goal of the amendment, the language needs to be 
refined to effectively achieve that objective. I want to work with you 
in conference to ensure this amendment directs the U.S. Trade 
Representative to meaningfully address China's status at the WTO. The 
WTO has a unique and, frankly, antiquated form of governance and is 
long overdue for significant reform, including its treatment of major 
economies like China.
  Mr. ROMNEY. I thank the Senator from Oregon. I agree with him that 
this amendment is critical.
  Congress needs to push the Federal Government on this policy. Our 
government must acknowledge the reality that China is no longer a 
developing country. I commit to working with the chairman of the 
Finance Committee, in good faith, in conference.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, as a strong supporter of U.S. assistance 
to Ukraine, I am keenly aware of the important role that appropriate 
and effective oversight plays in ensuring that support can continue. I 
support independent, effective oversight and believe we should be doing 
all that we can to make sure those oversight mechanisms are strong and 
that our inspectors general have the resources they need to carry out 
their work.
  But given that we have an existing framework, given that there are 
three inspectors general who have been working day in and out, 
effectively, to conduct such oversight, I do not think we should create 
new offices and additional layers without evidence that the current 
framework is not working. So while I appreciate that my colleagues 
share the same goals of ensuring we have robust oversight of U.S. 
assistance to Ukraine, I do not agree that these amendments are the 
best way to achieve that goal.
  The Wicker amendment would create a new office that could impede the 
work that is ongoing, not enhance it. There is an existing statutory 
framework for designating a lead inspector general. I have not heard a 
good case for why that framework should not be used here.
  The inspectors general from the Department of State, USAID, and 
Department of Defense have been on the ground in Ukraine, conducting 
work of virtually all U.S. assistance involving multiple Agencies. They 
have an established working group that ensures oversight is efficient 
and not duplicative. Creating a new office, with the need for new staff 
and potentially conflicting roles, would likely make those efforts 
less, not more, efficient.
  The Paul amendment would add further and unnecessary complexity to 
ongoing oversight efforts. It would likely impair ongoing oversight by 
drawing personnel away from the inspectors general already engaged in 
oversight work. Instead of ramping up current efforts, inspectors 
general would spend time deconflicting or sorting out personnel issues. 
It is also unclear how an expanded Special Inspector General for 
Afghanistan Reconstruction--SIGAR--would successfully pivot to 
oversight of Ukraine assistance or how it would an expanded mandate 
would be funded.
  I am committed to ensuring that we have robust, independent, 
effective oversight of all U.S. assistance to Ukraine. But the answer 
to ensuring that we have successful mechanisms for such oversight is 
not to create new structures and additional layers of bureaucracy. It 
is to make sure those who already have the tools, expertise, and 
resources to conduct oversight and audit spending, have sufficient 
resources to do so, and for us to hold them to account. That is 
precisely what I intend to do, and I call on my colleagues in this body 
to do the same.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I concur with many of my colleagues 
that spending on defense is important to meet our national security 
needs and support our allies like Ukraine. My State of Maryland plays 
an important role in bolstering national defense, advancing critical 
research, and supporting our military, and I strongly support the work 
of our bases.
  However, it is clear to me that we as a country are not spending our 
money wisely. The defense budget has grown considerably and, despite 
its size, has not passed an independent audit. Admiral Mike Mullin, the 
former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in reference to 
defense spending that ``with the increasing defense budget, which is 
almost double, it hasn't forced us to make the hard trades. It hasn't 
forced us to prioritize.''
  While I do not believe that across-the-board cuts are ever the best 
way to reduce spending, I voted in favor of the Sanders amendment to 
send a message that we need to put our defense dollars to much better 
use and make the hard choices necessary to right-size our defense 
spending.
  Mr. KING. Mr. President, I want to say a few words about my vote in 
support of the Hawley amendment No. 1058, relating to expansion of the 
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. I voted in favor of this 
amendment, but I would like to highlight that an important group is 
left out of this expansion: payments to beneficiaries of deceased 
individuals who were responsible for cleaning up atomic testing sites. 
While this amendment includes payments to beneficiaries of deceased 
individuals who qualify under the new Manhattan Project Waste sections, 
cleanup veterans are notably left out of such payments to their 
beneficiaries upon their passing.
  I hope that during the conference process for the underlying bill, we 
are able to include this provision to ensure just compensation for 
these veterans and their families. If we are not able to include these 
veterans during the conference process, I hope to work with my 
colleagues to provide benefits to our cleanup veterans as standalone 
legislation or through another appropriate, legislative vehicle.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.


                       Business Before the Senate

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, it has been a long day but a very 
successful day.
  The NDAA is a prime example of both sides coming together and 
crafting a strong, bipartisan defense bill that will strengthen 
America's national security, take care of our servicemembers, and keep 
the United States the leader in innovation for years to come.
  This was a bipartisan process through and through. I want to thank

[[Page S3729]]

Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Wicker and all the Members for their 
good work on this.
  A bipartisan process is precisely what the American people are 
yearning for in a fractured Congress, Democrats and Republicans coming 
together to provide something as critical as our national defense.
  The NDAA and the bipartisan process we went through to get here 
should be a glimmer of hope for the American people, a sign that 
bipartisanship is alive and well in the Senate, but it is not the only 
glimmer. We also came together to avert a first-ever default a few 
months ago, and we are currently making great progress on the 
appropriations bill, where, almost miraculously, under the leadership 
of Senator Murphy and Senator Collins, they have advanced all 12 bills 
out of committee with bipartisan support.
  (Applause.)
  I hope what has happened on this bill, the NDAA bill, and these other 
bills can be a metaphor for future bills down the road.
  These are two of our highest responsibilities--appropriations and 
national defense--and we made great progress in these last few months. 
It has been a really good Senate that the American people can be proud 
of.
  It was a good process on and off the floor. Listen to this: 98 
amendments. We talk about how we don't do amendments--98; 44 Democrat, 
44 Republican, and the rest bipartisan. That is what an NDAA bill 
should look like--a full floor process with input and debate from both 
sides. As a result, there are many critical provisions in this NDAA 
bill as well that we should be proud of.
  We made critical downpayments on our effort to outcompete the Chinese 
Government by limiting the flow of investment and advanced technology 
to China.
  We are passing the first piece of legislation related to artificial 
intelligence, including important provisions to increase data sharing 
with the DOD and increase reporting on AI's use in financial services.
  Maybe most important to everyone here aware of this fentanyl crisis, 
we are boosting resources in a major way to tackle the fentanyl crisis 
by including the FEND Off Fentanyl Act. Senators Brown, Scott, and many 
others led to that legislation. This act gives the President more 
powers to stop any country--China, Mexico--from sending the precursor 
materials that are made into fentanyl to kill our children.
  Together, all of these provisions provide a strong foundation for the 
safety and security of our country.
  One more point. It is in stark contrast to the partisan race to the 
bottom we saw in the House. House Republicans should look to the 
bipartisan Senate to see how to get things done. We are passing 
important bipartisan legislation; they are throwing partisan 
legislation on the floor that has no chance of passing. The contrast is 
glaring. If the House of Representatives would look at how we are 
working here in the Senate and emulate us a little more, they could be 
far more productive.


                              Senate Pages

  Mr. President, now on a final note and a serious note. Today is the 
final day for this page class. It has been a busy session. The pages 
can help make this place run smoothly. They are here when we need them, 
and they have served this institution with grace. However, I understand 
that late last night, a Member of the House majority thought it 
appropriate to curse at some of these young people, these teenagers, in 
the Rotunda. I was shocked when I heard about it, and I am further 
shocked at his refusal to apologize to these young people.
  I can't speak for the House of Representatives, but I do not think 
that one Member's disrespect is shared by this body, by Leader 
McConnell, and myself.
  So I would like to take a moment to thank these pages for their 
assistance these many weeks. We wish them well as they return to their 
homes and families.
  (Applause.)
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the names of the current 
pages be printed at the appropriate place in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Amelia Barnum, Claire Erickson, Ava Heaphy, Benjamin Kagan, 
     Tova Korry, Arav Mehta, Andrew Morgan, Chloe Patricof, Daniel 
     Ross, Colton Sorce, Angela Valle-Rivera, Evangeline Enright, 
     Christopher Freshwater, Mila Jolley, Maya Karafotas, Emily 
     Maikoo, Jack Milroy, Amrutha Nandakumar, Matthew Pollak, 
     Julia Sandoval, Allison Stoudt, Patrick Willocks Duncan.
       Isabella Aversano, Robert Charles Cresanti, Andrew James 
     Kozeny, Reed Daniel Gray, Mia Solomon, Augusten ``Gus'' James 
     Sugarman, James Christian Pittman, Owen Peter White, Brady 
     Patrick Butler, Dorsa Tajvidi, DeLacy Jane Poletti, Madeline 
     Garcia, Colin Hughes Cole Murkowski, Josee Compton, Evans 
     O'Brien Reynolds, John Andrew Guyer, Nora Shitandi, Brianna 
     Elizabeth Schmitz, Maxwell Noah White, Brett Aaron Poggi, 
     Walker Bryan Coley, Katherine Kaia Wrench.

  Mr. SCHUMER. I now turn to Leader McConnell.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I want to associate myself with the 
remarks of the majority leader. Everybody on this side of the aisle 
feels exactly the same way.


                                S. 2226

  I also want to offer my congratulations to those deeply involved in 
passing this important NDAA. We kept our record. This is the 63rd year, 
I guess, and a good way to wrap up this session. This is really 
important for our country.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Thank you, Leader McConnell.
  I ask for the yeas and nays on final passage of the NDAA.


                       Cloture Motions Withdrawn

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the cloture motions 
are withdrawn.


                          Amendment Withdrawn

  The amendment (No. 936) was withdrawn.


                     Amendment No. 935, as Amended

  The amendment (No. 935), as amended, was agreed to.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
a third time.


                            Vote on S. 2226

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the 
question is, Shall the bill pass?
  The yeas and nays have been requested.
  Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Casey) and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) are necessarily 
absent.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).
  The result was announced--yeas 86, nays 11, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 212 Leg.]

                                YEAS--86

     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blackburn
     Blumenthal
     Boozman
     Britt
     Brown
     Budd
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Duckworth
     Ernst
     Feinstein
     Fetterman
     Fischer
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagerty
     Hassan
     Hawley
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Johnson
     Kaine
     Kelly
     Kennedy
     King
     Klobuchar
     Lankford
     Lujan
     Lummis
     Manchin
     Marshall
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Moran
     Mullin
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Reed
     Ricketts
     Risch
     Romney
     Rosen
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Schatz
     Schmitt
     Schumer
     Scott (FL)
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Tuberville
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warnock
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--11

     Booker
     Braun
     Lee
     Markey
     Merkley
     Paul
     Sanders
     Vance
     Warren
     Welch
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Casey
     Durbin
     Scott (SC)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 86, the nays are 
11.
  The 60-vote threshold having been achieved, the bill, as amended, is 
passed.
  The bill (S. 2226), as amended, was passed.
  (The bill will be printed in a future edition of the Record.)

[[Page S3730]]

  

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