[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 190 (Wednesday, November 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5526-S5527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, 
    UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF 
   EDUCATION RELATING TO ``IMPROVING INCOME DRIVEN REPAYMENT FOR THE 
  WILLIAM D. FORD FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM AND THE FEDERAL FAMILY 
                    EDUCATION LOAN (FFEL) PROGRAM''

  Mr. CASSSIDY. I move to proceed to S.J. Res. 43.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to 
proceed is agreed to.
  The motion was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the joint resolution.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 43) providing for 
     congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United 
     States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of 
     Education relating to ``Improving Income Driven Repayment for 
     the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the 
     Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program''.

  Mr. CASSIDY. Madam President, I ask for consent that the vote begin 
now.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading 
and was read the third time.


                          Vote on S.J. Res. 43

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The joint resolution having been read the 
third time, the question is, Shall the joint resolution pass?
  Mr. CASSIDY. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.

[[Page S5527]]

  The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).
  The result was announced--yeas 49, nays 50, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 310 Leg.]

                                YEAS--49

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

                                NAYS--50

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Butler
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Fetterman
     Gillibrand
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Kaine
     Kelly
     King
     Klobuchar
     Lujan
     Markey
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Reed
     Rosen
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warnock
     Warren
     Welch
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--1

       
     Scott (SC)
       
  The joint resolution (S.J. Res. 43) was rejected.
  (Ms. BALDWIN assumed the Chair.)
  (Ms. BUTLER assumed the Chair.)
  (Ms. CORTEZ MASTO assumed the Chair.)
  (Mr. OSSOFF assumed the Chair.)
  (Ms. HASSAN assumed the Chair.)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. King). The majority leader.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, we reached an agreement here, which I 
will get to in a second. I just want to say a brief word about the vote 
that just happened.
  I am very glad that this CRA was defeated. There are millions of 
students--poor, working class, some middle class, almost none wealthy--
who benefit from what the President has done. The very poor people, 
they don't have to pay student loans. For most of the rest who are 
working class and middle class, they pay about half of what they did. 
It really is a change to help our young people. It is a good thing. It 
is a good thing.

  I want to say that I am very glad that this Chamber had the good 
sense to defeat it, because I don't understand my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle who believe in ``we can cut taxes for the very 
wealthy and decrease the deficit, but not help students with the big 
loan burdens on their shoulders.'' But that is how it is.
  President Biden has been really careful about doing this. I believe 
it will be approved in the courts.
  And, now, the 25.5 million students who have benefited from this and 
millions more will continue. So this is a real victory for our young 
people and for the future of America, so kids can afford to go to 
college and then have decent lives, not burdened by huge amounts of 
student debt after they graduate.
  Now, the good news is--that was good news, at least in my opinion. 
This is probably good news in many of our opinions, on both sides of 
the aisle, that we have an agreement.


                 Unanimous Consent Agreement--H.R. 6363

  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motion with 
respect to the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 248, H.R. 6363, be 
withdrawn and that the motion to proceed be agreed to; further, that 
the only amendment in order to H.R. 6363 be the Paul amendment, No. 
1366; that there be up to 15 minutes for debate equally divided; that 
upon the use or yielding back of the time, the Senate vote on or in 
relation to the amendment; that upon disposition of the amendment, 
there be up to 30 minutes for debate equally divided; that upon the use 
or yielding back of the time, the bill be considered read a third time 
and the Senate vote on passage of the bill as amended, if amended, with 
60 affirmative votes required for passage, without further intervening 
action or debate, and with 2 minutes for debate equally divided prior 
to each vote.


                 Unanimous Consent Agreement--H.R. 2670

  Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent that following the 
disposition of H.R. 6363, the Chair lay before the Senate the message 
with respect to H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act, 
which was received from the House; that the leader or his designee then 
be recognized to make the compound motion under rule XXVIII; that the 
Senate insist upon its amendment, agree to the conference with the 
House, authorize the Presiding Officer to appoint conferees with the 
ratio of conferees being 13 to 12; further, that if the compound motion 
is agreed to, it be in order for the following Senators or their 
designees to offer motions to instruct, which are at the desk: 
Klobuchar, Rubio, Hickenlooper, Blackburn, Lankford, Lummis, Cramer, 
Moran, Ernst, Hagerty, Braun, and Manchin; finally, that the Democratic 
conferees be Senators Reed, Shaheen, Gillibrand, Blumenthal, Hirono, 
Kaine, King, Warren, Peters, Manchin, Duckworth, Rosen, and Kelly; and 
that the Republican conferees be Senators Wicker, Fischer, Cotton, 
Rounds, Ernst, Sullivan, Cramer, Scott of Florida, Tuberville, Mullin, 
Budd, and Schmitt.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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