[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 186 (Monday, December 16, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7045-S7048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
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WILDLIFE INNOVATION AND LONGEVITY DRIVER REAUTHORIZATION ACT--Resumed
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the
Senate will resume consideration of the House message to accompany H.R.
5009, which the clerk will report.
The assistant bill clerk read as follows:
House message to accompany H.R. 5009, a bill to reauthorize
wildlife habitat and conservation programs and for other
purposes.
Pending:
Schumer motion to concur in the amendment of the House to
the amendment of the Senate to the bill.
Schumer motion to concur in the amendment of the House to
the amendment of the Senate to the bill, with Schumer
amendment No. 3317 (to the House amendment to the Senate
amendment to the bill), to add an effective date.
Schumer amendment No. 3318 (to amendment No. 3317), to add
an effective date.
Schumer motion to refer the message of the House on the
bill to the Committee on Armed Services, with instructions,
Schumer amendment No. 3319, to add an effective date.
Schumer amendment No. 3320 (to the instructions (amendment
No. 3319) of the motion to refer), to add an effective date.
Schumer amendment No. 3321 (to amendment No. 3320), to add
an effective date.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader.
Government Funding
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, as is typical this time of year, the
Senate's attention is focused squarely on a long list of business, with
deadlines fast approaching. Extending government funding by Friday is
our top priority. Shutting the government down is a one-way ticket to
needless disruption of important functions. It has never been a winning
proposition, and this time is no different.
Delivering urgent disaster relief is a nonnegotiable. As communities
across the country continue to pick up the pieces from a devastating
storm season, they are watching closely for the Senate to deliver on
the promise of a much needed helping hand.
And after months of unnecessary delay, the Senate will finally vote
on the National Defense Authorization Act. The Armed Services Committee
reported this year's NDAA 6 months ago by an overwhelming bipartisan
vote. The fact that it has only reached the floor a week before
Christmas is really inexcusable; so is the absence of a vote on defense
appropriations legislation. And the blame for this neglect will rest
squarely on the outgoing Senate majority. Ranking Member Wicker and our
colleagues on the committee tried mightily to ensure that the final
bill--Congress's main annual opportunity to shape national defense
priorities--backs tough talk on growing threats with the tools required
to meet them.
But the NDAA, like all major legislation, is a compromise product,
and the absence of the Senate-backed increase
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to topline investments will go down as a tremendous--tremendous--missed
opportunity. Artificial budget restraints mean that major bill
provisions, like a pay raise for enlisted servicemembers, will come at
the expense of investments in the critical weapons systems and
munitions that deter conflict and keep them safe.
For all the talk about growing threats to America's national
security, it is past time for an honest conversation about the military
requirements to meet those needs. And if this NDAA offers any valuable
lesson, it is that we have a tremendous amount of work to do.
Tribute to Mike Braun
Madam President, on an entirely different matter, my earliest
participation in politics was wearing an ``I like Ike'' pin on school
picture day. But, last month, the State of Indiana was chanting: ``I
like Mike.''
Mike Braun's fellow Hoosiers like him so much, in fact, they have
decided to steal him back from Washington to be their Governor. And if
I know anything about Indiana's junior Senator, he is probably looking
forward to trading in the trappings of this institution for a job a lot
closer to home. But I would like to say just a few words before he
goes.
Years ago, a local reporter asked Mike Braun about his approach to
life and work. He told them:
You live like you are going out of business every day, and
it makes you healthy.
For a spry, former three-sport athlete like Mike, that much checks
out. But, needless to say, in the process of keeping him young, our
colleague's mantra also brought a fair bit of political success.
Sure, a cushy, white-collar gig and a predictable corporate ladder
would have been the natural next step for a high achiever fresh out of
Harvard Business School. But where is the fun in that? For Mike, in
order to live like you are going out of business, you have to run a
business yourself. You have to build a team and take risks. And what
better place to do that than in your own hometown.
Most of us are familiar with at least some of what came next for Mike
and his high school sweetheart Maureen. The life and professional
lessons of Mike's dad Amos, a decorated World War II vet; steering a
15-person operation through the aftermath of the 1980s farm crisis and
turning it into a national team spread across 38 States; for years,
running that success, with sleeves rolled up, from a trailer office;
and raising four kids along the way, three of whom have found their own
callings in the family business--as I understand it, we have Maureen to
thank that this incredible story of hard work and entrepreneurial
spirit took a turn into politics in the first place. When friends
around Jasper tried drafting her to run for the school board, she
offered Mike instead. And so began two decades and counting of life in
politics.
Here in the Senate, Mike's ``going out of business'' approach to
public service made an early impression. Careful observers ranked him,
at one point, the most effective freshman in the Chamber. He dove head
first into legislation that mattered to him and to Indiana. He
advocated passionately for farmers and for families impacted by rare
diseases. He fought for outcomes, and he stood on principle.
But Hoosiers will be proud to know that he still doesn't like
dressing up here on the Senate floor. And who can blame him? By Mike's
own admission, most of what he likes to do--tend the farm, fish, and
hunt both animals and mushrooms--he can do within 60 miles of Jasper.
So it speaks to Mike's commitment to his neighbors that, even though he
is leaving Washington, he is not quite going home just yet, nor will he
be able to hang up the coat and the tie.
The trust of the people of Indiana is rightly a great source of pride
for our colleague, second only to his pride in the family he and
Maureen built, and I know he can't wait to get to work for all of them
in Indianapolis.
So I know I speak for our colleagues when I thank Mike for his
service these past 6 years. We wish him all the best in his next
chapter.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The senior Senator from Illinois.
Bitcoin ATM Fraud
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, the next time you are checking out at
your local grocery or convenience store, take a look around. There is a
good chance you will see a kiosk marked with the letter B with two
vertical lines running through it. It looks like the form of a dollar
sign. It is the symbol for Bitcoin. And what you are looking at is a
Bitcoin ATM.
Take a closer look. Is there somebody using the machine? Are they on
their phone while they are using the machine? Do they seem stressed? If
so, they might just be one of the growing number of victims of Bitcoin
ATM fraud.
These scams, which frequently target elderly Americans, start with a
phone call. A criminal calls his target and claims he is from their
bank, the IRS, or some Federal Agency. He tells his victim that their
bank account has been hacked or that they are late paying their taxes
and explains that they need to go to their bank immediately and take
out money--sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars.
He directs his victim to a local business that hosts a Bitcoin ATM.
He might even order them an Uber driver to pick them up. From there, he
walks them through, step by step, how to deposit their money into the
machine; how to use it to buy Bitcoin; and how to transfer the Bitcoin
to a digital wallet controlled by the criminal himself.
In a matter of minutes, the money is gone, lost to the anonymity and
irreversibility inherent to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Bitcoin ATM scams like these have exploded in recent years. According
to the data released by the Federal Trade Commission, the amount
consumers report losing in this form of fraud increased nearly tenfold
between 2020 and 2023, from $12 million to $114 million. In the first
half of this year alone, victims lost a staggering $65 million.
A disproportionate number of these victims were elderly Americans. In
2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 2,700
Bitcoin fraud complaints from individuals aged 60 and older--more than
all other age groups combined.
Earlier this summer, the Illinois Times reported that a small
business owner in my hometown of Springfield, IL, stepped in after he
witnessed a Bitcoin ATM in his store repeatedly being used by elderly
individuals to deposit large sums of money at the urging of fraudsters.
He explained to the Illinois Times:
One hundred percent of the time that we saw somebody at the
machine they were being scammed. So I was like, this machine
has to go. I'm not going to be a part of that.
He wisely removed the Bitcoin ATM from the store.
In Texas, a good Samaritan called 9-1-1 after she, in her words,
``noticed an elderly lady feeding thousands of dollars into the
cryptocurrency machine'' at the urging of a criminal. She tried to stop
the victim from feeding more and more of her money into the machine but
was unsuccessful. Only when the responding officer arrived and
intervened did the victim finally understand that she had been scammed.
Scenarios like these are playing out all across America. While we
should applaud bystanders who step in and stop--or at least limit--the
damage caused by these criminals, relying on good Samaritans is not a
solution to this growing problem.
That is why I led six of my colleagues in sending letters to the 10
largest Bitcoin ATM operators this last September. We wanted to
understand what they were doing, if anything, to prevent fraudulent use
of their machines. The responses we received were not reassuring.
While some safeguards, such as warning screens and ID checks, were
employed by all responding companies, other commonsense measures, like
analyzing transactions and digital wallets to identify and stop fraud,
were not.
Other best practices, such as setting maximum transaction sizes, were
left to the vagaries of State law, leaving too many Americans at risk
in too many States.
That simply isn't good enough. A company should meet certain specific
antifraud measures before dropping one of their machines into our
communities. That is why I am going to introduce legislation in the
next few weeks that establishes a Federal antifraud baseline for
Bitcoin ATMs.
And as I start to develop this bill, there are a few things that
strike me
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as absolutely necessary. First, Bitcoin ATMs should have daily
transaction limits, particularly for new customers. As these machines
are increasingly used to perpetrate fraud, we should limit potential
losses.
Second, any transactions initiated by a new customer should be held
for some reasonable period of time before it is processed. This will
allow new customers to cancel their transactions--particularly if they
learn that they have been victims of fraud.
Minnesota and Connecticut recently passed legislation requiring
Bitcoin ATM operators to wait 72 hours before processing a new
customer's transaction. This seems like a good place to start.
Third, Bitcoin ATM operators should be required to use analytics to
screen for fraudulent or otherwise illicit transactions. Many Bitcoin
ATM operators already employ this technology; there is no reason it
shouldn't be used across the board.
Fourth, Bitcoin ATMs should be required to provide transaction
receipts that include transaction hashes. This will allow law
enforcement to more easily trace the transaction, collect evidence of
the crime, and maybe even recover the stolen funds.
These are just a few pillars that this legislation will include.
I plan to work with stakeholders to make this the best bill possible.
That includes State attorneys general and organizations like AARP, who
have been real leaders on this issue.
It also includes Bitcoin ATM operators. In their responses to my
letters, many of these companies offered to work with Congress to craft
appropriate regulations for the industry. I hope they will come to the
table in good faith.
I am not going to stand idly by while thousands of Americans--
particularly elderly Americans--are ripped off in Bitcoin ATM scams. My
bill will address this problem before it spirals out of control.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Recognition of the Majority Leader
The majority leader is recognized.
Dr. Barry C. Black
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, first, our thoughts and our prayers are
with our dear friend Chaplain Barry Black, who was unexpectedly
hospitalized Thursday afternoon. We are relieved and thankful that he
is expected to make a smooth recovery.
Chaplain Black is one of the most beloved individuals in the entire
Senate. Every day we gavel into session, he is always here to start us
off in prayer, delivered with his profound sense of wisdom, grace, and
eloquence.
So we pray for the Chaplain and can't wait to see him back very soon.
Drone Sightings
Madam President, now on drone sightings, yesterday, I called on
Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas to quickly deploy any available
drone-detecting tools to help New York and New Jersey deal with the
mysterious drone sightings of the past few weeks. This week, I will
also come to the floor of the Senate to seek passage of legislation
that will give local officials greater authority to swiftly respond to
these sightings.
The reports of the past few weeks have ignited immense anxiety and
confusion for millions of people across the Northeast. Thankfully,
there is no reason to believe these drone sightings pose a national
security threat, but even so, they can be disruptive if they fly over
restricted airspace, particularly near airports and bases.
While there is no shortage of reports about possible drone activity,
we still have very few answers on where some of these drones come from
and who may be operating them. The people of New York and New Jersey
have a lot of questions and haven't gotten many answers. We know one
thing, though: Local officials now don't have the resources nor the
authority to get to the bottom of what is happening. This is Federal
jurisdiction. But, of course, because drones are so new and there are
so many in so many different places, including recreational users, we
need to do a lot more.
So to repeat, this week, I will move for the Senate to pass
legislation giving local officials the tools and authorities necessary
to act quickly and in lockstep with the Department of Homeland Security
and other Agencies. Local authorities can do a lot to help answer our
questions, but right now, they are not empowered to do so because the
Federal Government has total jurisdiction.
In the meantime, I urge DHS to take all necessary action to deploy as
many drone-detecting resources as possible. Right now, they have not
deployed close to enough, and that is why these questions that so many
people have are going unanswered.
Some of the new technology, like the Robin's systems, are 360-degree
radar--they can see 360 degrees, not at one beam--and could go a long
way to help local officials collect real data about where these drones
are coming from. I want to see a flock of Robin-like technology systems
deployed across the New York City metropolitan area, so we need the
Department of Homeland Security to spring into action.
Business Before the Senate
Madam President, Senate business on the NDAA, the CR, WRDA, and noms:
The Senate gavels back into session for a very busy week. We must
finish our work on the NDAA, and we must keep the government open, act
on the Social Security Fairness Act, act on WRDA and EDA, and confirm
more of the President's nominees. It is going to take cooperation from
our Republican colleagues to get these things done in a timely fashion.
First, as I said, we must pass our annual Defense authorization bill,
the NDAA. This afternoon, we will take the first procedural vote on the
NDAA package sent to us last week by the House. If cloture is invoked,
I hope we can find a path to passing NDAA as soon as tomorrow.
This year's NDAA is not a perfect bill, but it nonetheless has some
good things that Democrats have worked hard for and that will
strengthen military families and boost tech innovation here at home--
something very important to me and to the Presiding Officer. To be
sure, the NDAA has some bad provisions Democrats would not have
included, and there are other provisions that were left out of NDAA
which we still hope can get done elsewhere.
I want to thank Chairman Reed, Ranking Member Wicker, and all the
members of the Armed Services Committee for their good work on this
year's Defense bill.
Madam President, on another matter, by the end of the week, the
Senate must also pass a temporary extension of government funding
before December 20 or else the government will shut down right before
Christmas.
Democrats have spent weeks working in good faith with our Republican
counterparts on crafting a strong CR that will keep the government open
while also providing much needed disaster relief for the American
people. We kept working through the weekend on finalizing an agreement,
but our Republican colleagues are still sorting through disagreements
on their end, and there are many.
Democrats will keep working to finish the job on passing a strong and
bipartisan CR. We don't want the government to shut down during the
holiday season, and I expect that many, if not most, of our Republican
colleagues feel the same way. So let's finish the job.
Besides keeping the government open, the Senate will also vote later
this week on reauthorizing WRDA and the Economic Development
Administration.
Reauthorizing WRDA, the Water Resources Development Act, is vital for
strengthening America's ports and waterways, preventing flood damage,
protecting our wetlands, and boosting our economy. Reauthorizing the
EDA would provide critical investments in infrastructure, workforce,
and domestic supply chains that will help the United States outcompete
the rest of the world.
The House passed WRDA and EDA with overwhelming bipartisan support
last week. We expect it to pass here with equally robust support, and
we will work with our Republican colleagues on finding time to hold a
floor
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vote. I thank them for working with us to get these bills done.
Madam President, finally, before I get to the Social Security
Fairness Act, the Senate will also be working on nominations. Later
today, I will file cloture on the nominations of Benjamin Cheeks to be
U.S. district judge for the Southern District of California and Serena
Murillo to be U.S. district judge for the Central District of
California. Members should be ready to vote on and confirm these
outstanding public servants as soon as Wednesday. I will have more to
say on our outstanding nominees throughout the week.
Social Security Fairness Act
Madam President, now on Social Security, this week, the Senate will
vote to take up a bipartisan piece of legislation that impacts millions
of public retirees and their spouses: the Social Security Fairness Act.
I am proud to cosponsor this bill with my good friend Senator Brown as
a staunch advocate for working Americans, and he is a very staunch
advocate as well.
The Senate has a golden opportunity to deliver for our retired
firefighters, postal workers, teachers, and other public servants who
are retired by passing the Social Security Fairness Act this week.
The bill would ensure no public retiree or spouse is denied their
well-deserved Social Security benefits by repealing two widely
criticized policies that have eaten away at the benefits of millions of
people--the Windfall Elimination Provision, WEP, and Government Pension
Offset, GPO. Many of these retirees contributed toward Social Security
for years but are being penalized because at one point they worked as a
teacher, a firefighter, a postal worker, a police officer, or some
other public sector job.
The bill has already won immense support from Democrats and
Republicans alike. In fact, the House passed the bill with an
overwhelming 327-to-75 vote margin. There is no reason for the outcome
to be different in the Senate. Senate Democrats are ready to vote yes
on this legislation. We hope our Republican colleagues will join us.
Retirees have been pushing for action on WEP and GPO for decades, and
this week the Senate is going to act. We will vote, and every Senator
will choose. Where are you? Do you stand on the side of public retirees
who deserve their benefits or bungle this golden opportunity by
blocking this bill?
New York County Tour
Finally, the 62-county tour. Today is a very special day for me
because today you can flip one of my favorite numbers, 62--that is the
number of counties in New York--and get another very important number,
26. For the 26th year in a row, I have just completed, earlier this
afternoon, my annual tour of all 62 counties in New York State.
It is a promise I never fail to keep, not even after being named
majority leader, not even during COVID because it is the best way I
keep up with everything New Yorkers are doing, thinking, and saying.
Just as everyone knows here, you sit at your desk, talk on the
telephone, it is not the same as being out there. And the 62-county
tour makes sure I am out there week in and week out. I am so, so happy
that we have completed the tour, and I can't wait in January to start
doing it again for the 27th year.
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