[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 98 (Tuesday, June 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4012-S4013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Business Before the Senate

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, it is Tuesday afternoon. The Senate has 
its first vote of the week coming up in a few minutes, and I am 
experiencing a sense of deja vu--as Yogi Berra said, ``Deja vu all over 
again.''
  This week, the majority leader has teed up three votes on President 
Biden's nominees followed by another partisan show vote, this time on 
in vitro fertilization. It is another made-up controversy.
  In vitro fertilization provides hope for couples across the United 
States who are struggling to grow their families and has helped 
millions of babies enter the world. I support IVF, which has been a 
solution for millions of families struggling with infertility.
  But there is no nationwide threat to the availability of in vitro 
fertilization, and I am deeply disappointed--but not surprised--that 
Democrats are trying to politicize something that enjoys such 
widespread support. There is no controversy over access to in vitro 
fertilization. After all, this is the third partisan show vote we have 
had recently.
  Last week, the Senate voted on a handful of nominees and held another 
show vote on a nonexistent threat to contraception access. There is no 
threat to access to contraception. But the majority leader who 
schedules votes on the floor, who runs the agenda, decided he wanted to 
create a controversy out of thin air where there was none.
  The previous week included votes on several nominees, and this time 
another show vote on a partisan border bill that the majority leader 
knew would fail but decided to have a show vote anyway.
  Considering the many challenges our country is facing, this is hardly 
what the Senate should be doing. Families are grappling with high 
prices as a result of 40-year high inflation rates exacerbated by 
unchecked spending--throwing trillions of dollars on the inflation fire 
only to see it get worse and worse. The Federal Reserve has done what 
it can do, which is raise interest rates to try to slow down the growth 
of inflation. But the fact is, as Congress continues to shovel money 
out the door, it just makes things worse.
  And people on a fixed income and people who have a modest earning are 
being hurt the most. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story 
saying that a cart full of groceries that cost 100 bucks before the 
Biden administration came into office, or when it did come into office, 
now costs $136. That is a 36-percent increase in inflation. Wages 
haven't kept up that much.
  So what are people supposed to do when the government continues to 
make their quality of life and standard of living worse this time 
because of reckless spending?
  The American people are concerned by crime and public safety in their 
communities, and they are terrified by the spread of fentanyl, which is 
now the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 18 
and 45. We know where the fentanyl comes from: The precursor chemicals 
come from China; the cartels then import them into Mexico where they 
are then transformed into a look-alike pill that is actually a 
counterfeit pill. But unbeknownst to the person who takes that pill, it 
is contaminated with fentanyl, and they lose their life.
  I have been with numerous families who have lost their high school 
students to fentanyl poisoning. Their kids were full of potential, came 
from loving families, only to lose their life as a result of this 
deadly drug that comes across the border from Mexico.
  So along with the millions of people that are flooding across the 
border, the drug cartels take advantage of the diversion of resources 
by the Border Patrol to move the drugs into the United States only to 
be spread throughout the country.
  And, yes, Americans are concerned about the border crisis, the 
growing national debt, and American's weakening influence on the world 
stage. Given these and countless other challenges facing our country, 
it is indeed sad to see the Senate spending its work period--its 
limited resource--doing virtually nothing other than show votes for 
partisan political gain.
  The issue isn't limited to how the Senate is spending its time but 
actually how little time we are actually in session. During the entire 
month of June, Senator Schumer, who sets the agenda, has the Senate 
working 9 days--9 days out of June.
  Of course, many of those shouldn't really even count as a full day, 
like today, where the first vote is at 5:30 in the afternoon. Today, 
the Senate convened at 3 p.m. We will finish our work by dinner. We 
will be in session a full day tomorrow, and I imagine we will wrap up 
the workweek by after lunch on Thursday. That is what passes for a full 
workweek in the U.S. Senate under Senator Schumer's leadership.
  We are supposed to be doing important work. That is why all of us who 
ran for office and have the privilege of holding office, representing 
our States here in the U.S. Senate, that is why we are here, but the 
schedule is barely enough time to be considered a part-time job. No 
American working out in communities across the country works half time 
for full-time pay, only the U.S. Senate under Senator Schumer's 
leadership.
  The lack of action on the Senate floor is just part of the problem. 
It is really just scratching the surface. Committees, which is where 
most of the work gets done when the Senate is in session, clearly don't 
have much time to meet these days. And there are two committees that 
are working on absolutely critical and time-sensitive legislation right 
now, but when we are in session 2\1/2\ days a week, it is hard for them 
to get their work done.

[[Page S4013]]

  First is the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is crafting the 
National Defense Authorization Act, something we have passed more than 
60 years in a row here in the Senate. In times of peace, a strong 
Defense Authorization Act is critical, but in the current period of 
global turmoil, its importance cannot be overstated.
  The National Defense Authorization Act was the key to modernizing our 
military, supporting our troops, and preserving America's military 
readiness in a very dangerous world. Given the threats we face from 
every corner of the planet, it is absolutely imperative that the Senate 
pass a strong Defense authorization bill this summer, but the majority 
leader's schedule created an impossible time crunch.
  This week, members of the Armed Services Committee are effectively 
sprinting a marathon to complete their work on the National Defense 
Authorization Act. This is arduous, detailed, and time consuming, and 
it involves multiple hearings, markups, and hundreds of amendments.
  Now, I appreciate Senator Reed and Senator Wicker, the chairman and 
ranking member of that committee, and all of our colleagues on the 
committee who are giving the National Defense Authorization bill the 
time and attention it deserves. But the process here, under the 
majority leader, is making their job much harder, rather than easier.
  Another committee that is working overtime this month to try to get 
its work done is the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is trying 
to mark up 12 annual funding bills. These are bills that fund our 
national defense, pay our servicemembers, and ensure that we can keep 
the lights on here in Washington and ensure that all the government 
operations--big and small--continue day to day.
  When the Senate is only working 2\1/2\ days a week, it doesn't give 
the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray, or the 
ranking member, Senator Collins, much room to maneuver. How are the 
members of the committee and subcommittees supposed to debate, amend, 
and advance 12 funding bills when the Senate is only working 9 days 
during a given month?
  With this type of schedule, there is simply not enough hours in the 
day for our colleagues to complete their work. And given the Senate's 
schedule for the next several weeks, I am concerned about the prospects 
of any of these bills passing before the end of summer, much less 
before the end of the fiscal year, the end of September.
  Simply put, the majority leader is setting the Senate up for failure. 
Including this week, we are scheduled to be in session for 5 weeks--5 
weeks--before adjourning for the August recess.
  In total, we are only scheduled to be in session 8 weeks before the 
November election, which is almost 5 months away. When those weeks are 
wasted--squandered, really--on low-level nominees and partisan show 
votes, it comes with a serious opportunity cost.
  There are countless bipartisan bills that deserve a vote by the 
Senate, but the majority leader is simply disinterested. One example is 
drug pricing, something that affects almost every American. Senators on 
both sides of the aisle have offered bills to address rising prices at 
the pharmacy, something I think everybody can relate to.
  This has been a problem for years, of course, but it has become even 
more important given the effects of inflation. Families are paying more 
for groceries, as I mentioned earlier. They are paying more for rent, 
for insurance. Their mortgage rates are higher because of interest 
costs. Every penny counts, and my constituents in Texas want Congress 
to prevent bad actors from gaming the system at the expense of 
patients.
  By and large, this is a bipartisan priority. I am not talking about a 
partisan show vote. I am talking about a bipartisan approach to 
bringing down prescription drug costs.
  Just one example is the bill that Senator Blumenthal--the Senator 
from Connecticut, a Democrat--and I introduced, called the Affordable 
Prescriptions for Patients Act, to crack down on anti-competitive 
practices that game the patent system and keep prices high. This 
legislation was approved by the Judiciary Committee in February of last 
year, along with four other bipartisan bills to bring down prescription 
drug prices.
  The majority leader could bring those bills to the floor tomorrow--or 
today, actually. That would be doing something worth doing--not show 
votes, scaring people into thinking that in vitro fertilization or 
contraception are somehow going to be limited or whether that is 
actually a real, serious debate. It is not.
  Each of these drug pricing bills was crafted on a bipartisan basis. 
Each went through the committee process, which is important. And each 
was approved by the majority of the Judiciary Committee. But here we 
are, 16 months later, without any progress being made on the Senate 
floor, on something the American people really, really care about. Five 
bipartisan bills passed the Judiciary Committee nearly a year and a 
half ago, and the majority leader has higher priorities in partisan 
show votes involving in vitro fertilization and contraception. It is 
really sad and shameful.
  The American people deserve better. This is supposed to be the 
world's greatest deliberative body, but, lately, we haven't had the 
opportunity to deliberate on anything really of substance.
  Forget partisan show votes. Forget election year antics. This Chamber 
needs to get back to doing its job and doing its job for a full 
workweek, not halftime.
  This is the job each of us was sent here to do. But the person that 
occupies this desk, the majority leader of the Senate, is the only one 
who sets the Senate schedule and Senate agenda. No matter how much 99 
of the rest of us demand it, if he says no, we are going to waste our 
time on show votes and work 2\1/2\ days a week. That is the way it is, 
and it is a shame and an opportunity lost.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the 
quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.