[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5964-S5965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           August Work Period

  Madam President, on another matter, since the Senate gaveled out 
nearly 6 weeks ago, I, like the rest of my colleagues, have traveled 
all around our State. My State is a little bit bigger than the average 
State. We have 30 million people, 254 counties. I don't claim to have 
gone to all of them, but I tried my best to cover as much ground as I 
could.
  Of course, it is a great opportunity to get outside the bubble of 
Washington, DC. And this is indeed a bubble. This is not the real 
world. I tell my constituents who come to Washington, DC--I say: This 
is like Disneyland. It is not real. It is fascinating, it is 
intriguing, and important things happen here, but it is not real.
  What happens outside of this bubble, that is real. For example, at 
Memorial High School in Houston, TX, I joined online safety experts, 
education leaders, advocates, and parents to discuss more ways that we 
can help protect our children from online threats. This includes the 
Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy 
Protection Act, both of which passed the Senate with huge margins 
before we broke in August. I hope the House will take these 
nonpartisan, noncontroversial bills up soon.
  I remember thinking--as I met with the principals and talked to some 
of the parents about what our young people are exposed to on their cell 
phones and online on a daily basis--that I am glad my daughters are 
grown because growing up is hard enough without

[[Page S5965]]

being under constant attack by people who want to entice you to do 
things that you should not do or share with you information you would 
just as soon not see.
  Then I went to Austin, where I met with my former colleague on the 
Texas Supreme Court, Nathan Hecht, and Travis County District Judge 
Julie Kocurek. Judge Kocurek is actually a survivor of an assassination 
attempt. She was a district judge in Austin, TX, Travis County, and 
somebody who was a criminal defendant on her docket decided he wanted 
to assassinate her.
  We met with her as well as other local leaders in a roundtable to try 
to figure out what we can do to try to keep our judges, our court 
personnel, and the public that needs to have access to our courts--how 
we can keep them safe. This includes my Countering Threats and Attacks 
on Our Judges Act, which passed the Senate in June and would establish 
a State judicial threat intelligence and resource center to provide 
technical assistance, training, and threat monitoring for State and 
local judges and court personnel.
  We all know the Federal Government only handles a small fraction of 
what the judicial branch handles, and most of that is handled by the 
judiciary at the State level. So it is really important to provide best 
practices and resources to our judges, court personnel, and the public 
that needs to have access to courts and access to justice around our 
country.
  I was then glad to join our good friend Senator John Boozman from 
Arkansas, who is the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture 
Committee, in the Rio Grande Valley. That is the southernmost tip in 
the middle of Texas, and it is one of the most prolific regions for 
agriculture in our State. We heard from farmers and ranchers about the 
importance of passing a timely and strong farm bill, and in particular 
we heard about the challenges they face because Mexico continues to 
withhold water that it owes the United States under a 1944 water 
treaty.
  Then, in Round Rock, just outside of Austin, I visited with business 
leaders and community members on economic issues important to Central 
Texas, including the looming deadline to fund the Federal Government.
  Then I had a chance to travel to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX. 
Parkland Hospital is famous because that is where John F. Kennedy was 
treated after he was shot, tragically, in Dallas. It is a huge, huge 
healthcare enterprise. I joined healthcare leaders, law enforcement, as 
well as two mothers who tragically lost their daughters to fentanyl 
poisoning, to discuss the impact of my Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act, 
which would have a positive impact on our efforts to eradicate this 
silent killer from our communities. I introduced this bipartisan 
legislation last month to make it easier for law enforcement to take 
action against criminal cartels' use of illicit pill presses by 
requiring that those presses be engraved with serial numbers so that 
law enforcement can better track them.
  While I am glad the online safety bills and my Countering Threats and 
Attacks on Our Judges Act have advanced out of this Chamber, there is 
still a lot of work that Senator Schumer, who sets the schedule in the 
Senate, has left until the last minute.
  As I heard from my constituents about some of these events in the 
State, Texans are rightly concerned about the Senate's inaction on 
critical priorities like the farm bill and like additional legislation 
to combat the scourge of fentanyl poisoning. Fentanyl actually now is 
responsible and the main leading cause of death for Americans between 
the ages of 18 and 45 years old. Then, they are also worried about 
whether the government is going to remain open and be appropriately 
funded, and they understand the impact of short-term funding bills and 
its negative impact on our military and on our national security.
  So that is why I don't understand why Senator Schumer continues to 
waste our time on show votes and ignore predictable deadlines that lead 
to inevitable drama about a potential shutdown when none of that is 
necessary. So I hope Senator Schumer will take advantage of the next 10 
days that remain this month to do something about it rather than just 
kick the can down the road once again.
  I yield to my colleague from Missouri.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Rosen). The Senator from Missouri.


            23rd Anniversary of September 11, 2001, Attacks

  Mr. SCHMITT. Madam President, before I get into my remarks, I would 
just like to say a few words on this 23rd anniversary of the September 
11 attacks.
  Twenty-three years ago, America and the world changed forever. We 
will never forget those who lost their lives, including the first 
responders who rushed into danger that day to save many lives. At a 
time when first responders are running into buildings and people are 
running out, we appreciate their sacrifice and their service.
  May God bless and continue to bless this beautiful Nation and all 
that she stands for, now and forever.