[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 112 (Monday, July 8, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4220-S4221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Business Before the Senate

  Madam President, on another matter, we have officially crossed the 
halfway mark of 2024. Election day is only about 4 months away, and the 
Senate still has a mountain of work piled up to complete during that 
period of time.
  The first task on the list is to pass a strong National Defense 
Authorization Act. Congress, has, of course, passed the NDAA for the 
past 63 consecutive years. It is a must-pass piece of legislation. It 
is time to build on that record, particularly at this time--the most 
dangerous time, I think, our country and the world have seen since 
World War II. The threats are everywhere, it seems.
  I want to commend Chairman Jack Reed and Ranking Member Roger Wicker 
and our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee for doing their job 
in advancing the 64th annual NDAA last month.
  This bill was carefully crafted over a period of months and 
ultimately passed the committee on a bipartisan vote of 22 to 3. That 
strong bipartisan vote includes provisions offered by Members, of 
course, on both sides of the aisle.
  The NDAA, the Defense authorization bill, is absolutely essential to 
America's defense, our military readiness, and the safety and well-
being of our troops and our military families. At a time when America's 
position on the world stage is being tested by all of our adversaries 
around the world, a strong Defense authorization bill could not be more 
important. It should be signed into law before Congress funds our 
national defense, which brings me to our next big task, which is 
appropriations--paying the bills, keeping the lights on.
  Before September 30, which is not very far away, Congress needs to 
pass annual appropriations bills. There are 12 of them, as the 
Presiding Officer knows. These bills fund every aspect of the Federal 
Government, from our mighty military to disaster assistance programs. 
We know that passing these bills is no easy task. It requires a lot of 
time and consideration by our colleagues on the Appropriations 
Committee.
  But the majority leader's part-time Senate schedule has not given 
them much room to maneuver. By that, I mean we come into session often 
on a Tuesday and leave on a Thursday. This week, because of the 2-week 
break we have just returned from, is maybe an exception.
  Here we are on Monday, and we will have one vote--what is known 
colloquially in the Senate as a bed-check vote--at 5:30, on a 
nomination, but that is about it.
  But when the Senate is not meeting, which seems like most of the time 
now, we can't meet to consider bills or advance critical legislation. 
It makes it difficult, if not impossible, to solve the biggest 
challenges facing our country.
  This summer, the Senate's timeline is so truncated that the 
Appropriations Committee is skipping subcommittee markups entirely. 
They are moving bills straight to a vote by the full committee because 
there is simply not enough time, given the remaining time in the fiscal 
year, which ends September 30, to follow regular order, which is 
something both the majority leader and the chairman and ranking

[[Page S4221]]

member of the Appropriations Committee had said they wanted to do.
  Regular order simply means transparency and accountability and 
letting everybody know what is happening when the Federal Government 
pays its bills.
  Chairman Murray and Vice Chair Collins have both said repeatedly they 
want to return to a more transparent, more accountable, more inclusive 
process of funding the Federal Government, and last summer they proved 
that this is not just talk. They followed through on that commitment, 
and the committee passed all 12 appropriations bills for the first time 
in 5 years. That is an accomplishment, but it should be an 
embarrassment that the Senate has simply not done its job for the 
previous 5 years.
  I appreciate the time and the effort that the Appropriations 
Committee has invested in the process. And this is not a partisan 
matter; this is a bipartisan project and requirement. But I am 
disappointed that they are now forced to sprint a marathon during the 
month of July because the majority leader, our colleague from New York, 
has barely allowed the Senate enough time to do its work.
  Unfortunately, the Senate's to-do list does not end there. In 
addition to the Defense authorization bill and 12 funding bills, we 
also need to pass a farm bill by September 30. That is when the current 
bill expires. This legislation is critical to America's food security 
as well as to the hard-working men and women who grow and produce it.
  Our colleague from Arkansas, Ranking Member Boozman, has been a 
tireless champion for America's farmers and ranchers and producers, and 
I know he and our colleagues on the ag committee are committed to 
passing a strong farm bill as soon as possible. The House has already 
done its job, and now it is up to us in the Senate.
  But the majority leader's schedule has made their job difficult, if 
not impossible, to do before September 30. We don't have much time to 
complete this mountain of work. Including today, the Senate is only 
scheduled to be in session for 11 days during the month of July. That 
is not even a full 3 weeks of work. After that, we are scheduled to 
take a 5-week recess--a 5-week recess--during the month of August and 
return for a short period of time in September. Before September, the 
Senate needs to pass all 12 appropriations bills and a farm bill in 
order to meet the deadlines. But we are only scheduled to be in session 
for 12 days in September as well.
  Between now and election day, November 5, the Senate is only 
scheduled to be in session for 23 days. Election day is 120 days away, 
but we are only scheduled to be in session for 23 days. That should be 
a source of embarrassment to everyone. The schedule is not conducive to 
getting our work done. Given the important tasks before us, it is not 
just lazy; it is downright dangerous.
  Funding the government, protecting America's food supply, investing 
in the safety and security of the American people--these are core to 
governing. There is no excuse for the majority leader to give us only 
23 days to complete all of this incredibly important work. We have a 
lot to accomplish, and the majority leader, who sets the schedule, 
needs to let us get our work done.
  Forget voting on President Biden's nominees or scheduling partisan 
show votes, which is what I read that he has scheduled. We need to 
start doing our job, which is to legislate.
  Our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee have done their job. 
The Appropriations Committee, no doubt, will get their job done. 
Neither one of these are partisan bills, but we need to get them done 
and get them done before the deadline.
  The Senate needs to especially prioritize America's national 
security. I urge Senator Schumer to file for cloture to start the 
process of voting on the national defense authorization bill so we can 
have a full debate on the Senate floor and pass this legislation before 
the recess begins at the end of July. With everything we need to 
accomplish in the next few months, we can't afford to waste time on 
stunt votes or radical judicial nominees. Senator Schumer needs to file 
for cloture on the NDAA and give Members of this Chamber, on a 
bipartisan basis, the opportunity to do what we were sent here to do, 
which is to legislate.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Butler). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CASSIDY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.