[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 16, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2757-S2758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following 
nomination, which the clerk will report.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Ramona 
Villagomez Manglona, of the Northern Mariana Islands, to be Judge for 
the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for a term of ten 
years. (Reappointment)


                   recognition of the majority leader

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized.


                          supplemental funding

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, right now, the world is in desperate need 
of American leadership. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Iran's attack on 
Israel, and the Chinese Government's encroachments on the South Pacific 
threaten world peace, threaten America's prosperity, and threaten the 
very future of western democracy.
  That is why, 2 months ago, the Senate passed a bipartisan national 
security supplemental with aid for Ukraine, for Israel, for the South 
Pacific, and for humanitarian assistance. We have called on the House 
of Representatives repeatedly to move our bill because the fastest 
way--the surest way--for Congress to get desperately needed aid to our 
allies is for House Republicans to put the supplemental on the floor. 
It would pass. That was true 2 months ago. It is still true today.
  Yesterday evening, Speaker Johnson laid out a process for House 
consideration of the supplemental that would break it up into separate 
parts. I am reserving judgment on what will come out of the House until 
we see more about the substance of the proposal and the process by 
which the proposal will proceed. Hopefully, we will get details of the 
Speaker's proposal later today.
  Again, time is of the essence.
  Israel was attacked for the first time in its history directly by 
Iran. The people of Ukraine are now in all-out desperation. In fact, 
last week, the head of the U.S. European Command testified before the 
House Armed Services Committee that Russia's Army is now 15 percent 
larger than it was at the start of the war, and in a matter of weeks, 
Russia will outgun Ukraine by 10 to 1--10 to 1. That is not a very good 
prospect for Ukraine's survival. And anyone who thinks that the war in 
Ukraine will stay in Ukraine, remember the warning of Japanese Prime 
Minister Kishida:

       Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow.

  Around the world, civilians caught in the crossfires of war await 
desperately needed humanitarian assistance.
  So the time for delay is over. Democrats have shown repeatedly our 
willingness to compromise to get important things done; and I will 
remind everyone of what I said from the beginning of this Congress: The 
only way to get things done is in a bipartisan way.
  Again, we await to see more details of the Speaker's proposal. I urge 
him to

[[Page S2758]]

keep working in a bipartisan way to ensure this vital aid gets to our 
friends abroad as quickly as possible.