[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 93 (Monday, June 2, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3171-S3172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 259--RECOGNIZING JUNE 2, 2025, AS THE 39TH
ANNIVERSARY OF C-SPAN CHRONICLING DEMOCRACY IN THE SENATE
Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Young)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 259
Whereas, for nearly 4 decades, Cable-Satellite Public
Affairs Network (C-SPAN) has served as an essential conduit
between the United States Senate and the American public;
Whereas, since its launch on June 2, 1986, the channel C-
SPAN2 has offered uninterrupted, unfiltered access to the
debates, votes, and deliberations of the Senate;
Whereas, over the course of 39 years, C-SPAN2 has recorded
more than 43,830 hours of Senate sessions, capturing more
than 169,000 speeches that span the spectrum of political
thoughts, policy debates, and personal testimony;
Whereas these recordings preserve the voices of 359
different Senators, including 185 Republicans, 167 Democrats,
and 7 Independents, across nearly 4 decades of service;
Whereas C-SPAN2 has documented more than 23,493 roll call
votes, each a building block of American law and policy, a
living ledger of Senate decision-making;
Whereas C-SPAN operates without public funding or
government oversight;
Whereas the continued availability and success of C-SPAN is
due to the funding provided by cable and satellite television
operators in the United States; and
Whereas all television providers, including streaming
services, should make delivery of C-SPAN a priority so
Americans can watch Congress in action, in real time: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate recognizes--
(1) June 2, 2025, as the 39th anniversary of C-SPAN
chronicling democracy in the Senate; and
(2) the importance of continuous Senate coverage for all
Americans and the need for live coverage to be accessible on
all platforms.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today is the 39th-year celebration of
the U.S. Senate being covered by C-SPAN2.
I have come to the floor countless times since my first term in the
U.S. Senate, beginning in 1981. It is a privilege to represent Iowans
and my home State here in the greatest deliberative body in the world.
For more than four decades and counting, I have joined my colleagues
here in this Chamber to debate public policy, shed light on wrongdoing,
and celebrate historic milestones. I have cast votes on behalf of
Iowans, given my assent or dissent to nominations and legislation on
matters both foreign and domestic on issues from A to Z.
For a period of time spanning more than 27 years, I held the longest
voting streak in Senate history. My 8,927 consecutive rollcall votes
ended in November of 2020, when I was quarantined for exposure to
COVID-19.
My good friend from Maine Senator Susan Collins now holds the baton,
as she continues her unbroken voting streak since she was sworn into
office in 1997.
During the 116th Congress and now the 119th Congress, I am honored to
serve as Senate President pro tempore. From this leadership position, I
open the Senate daily, lead the Pledge of Allegiance, and often take
the opportunity to deliver brief remarks during what we call morning
business.
Since 1986, every minute of the people's business conducted here in
the Senate Chamber has been made available live to the public, from
memorable moments--including televising 16 Supreme Court nomination
debates and 3 Presidential impeachment trials--to subjects that are
often very mundane.
Thanks to C-SPAN2, this public service allows our constituents to see
the swearing-in of newly elected Members, watch all-night sessions
during vote-aramas, and tune in to history being made.
Speaking of the historic moments, it was 39 years ago today, June 2,
when C-SPAN2 started its gavel-to-gavel coverage of the U.S. Senate.
That was 7 years after C-SPAN started broadcasting live coverage of the
U.S. House of Representatives in 1979. At that time, I was a Member of
the House and appreciated C-SPAN's mission to foster civic engagement
and let the sun shine in on the people's business.
So, today, I wish C-SPAN2 a happy birthday and thank those who are
dedicated to its mission to bring the people's business to the people
of our country.
C-SPAN does not receive one penny of taxpayer dollars. It is funded
primarily from satellite and cable providers.
Senator Klobuchar of Minnesota and I have introduced a bipartisan
resolution to recognize C-SPAN2 and the public service it provides the
American people through its live, nonpartisan coverage. Our resolution
calls for television providers, including streaming services, to make
C-SPAN public affairs programming available to all Americans in
realtime on all platforms.
For tens of millions of Americans who have cut the cord and get their
content from streaming services, they should not be cut off from the
civic content made available by C-SPAN. C-
[[Page S3172]]
SPAN gives our constituents a front-row seat to the legislative branch,
providing unfiltered access to debates and deliberations that impact
their lives and their livelihoods.
C-SPAN2 has recorded more than 43,830 hours of Senate sessions that
span the spectrum of political views, policy debates, and personal
testimony, including more than 169,000 speeches. It has documented more
than 23,439 rollcall votes, providing a live testimonial of Senate
decision making. Its coverage helps hold elected officials accountable
to our constituents, who are able to see every rollcall vote as it
actually happens.
And it just so happens, on C-SPAN2's inaugural day, on June 2, 1986,
I took my turn as Presiding Officer during the Senate session. I also
delivered remarks to introduce a bill on human rights and free speech,
issues that involved protesters outside of the then-Soviet Embassy,
here in Washington, DC.
Thanks to C-SPAN, Americans can watch history unfold before their
very eyes. As an advocate for civic engagement and transparency, I
applaud C-SPAN's commitment to chronicling democracy in action here in
the Congress.
In fact, for more than 20 years, I have pushed to allow cameras into
the Federal courthouses, including the Supreme Court, to foster a
better understanding of the Federal judiciary and its role in our
system of checks and balances and in resolving legal disputes.
Keeping C-SPAN's cameras rolling here in Congress keeps lawmakers
accountable to our constituents by providing a valuable conduit for
civic engagement and civic education.
As James Madison wrote in 1822, after he had been President 10 years
before--no, I better say 6 years before--some 35 years after he helped
write the Constitution, he had this to say:
A popular Government, without popular information, or the
means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a Farce or
Tragedy; or perhaps both. Knowle[d]ge will for ever govern
ignorance: and a people who mean to be their own Governours,
must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.
C-SPAN helps arm Americans with knowledge in realtime and in a
refreshing, nonpartisan lens. In this era of civil discord and
polarization, C-SPAN serves the public interest, not a partisan agenda.
I encourage my colleagues to support our bipartisan resolution that
Senator Klobuchar and I have introduced.
And I will finish with another James Madison remark. As he noted, an
engaged and educated citizenry is necessary to advance the public good
and secure the longevity of our Republic.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise today in the middle of a whole
lot going on, concerned about the reconciliation bill that will be
considered in the Senate and what it means to the people of my State
and in the country. But one of the ways that people find out what is
going on here, whether they agree with us or not, is by watching us and
listening to speeches. And one of the ways they do that is where? On C-
SPAN.
That is what I am here to talk about today because Senator Grassley
and I have joined together on a resolution to celebrate the years that
C-SPAN has been around in this Chamber. But it is also forward-looking
in that we believe that we don't rest on our laurels in the Senate. We
don't rest on our laurels with the work we do. C-SPAN doesn't rest on
their laurels. And when I get to the end here, I will have a
recommendation so that more people will have access to C-SPAN.
So we are celebrating 39 years of C-SPAN's coverage of the Senate.
And it is worth looking back at what was going on in 1986 when it all
began. Prince had recently--a Minnesotan--released his eighth album;
Ronald Reagan was President; and my colleague on this resolution, Chuck
Grassley, was already in the Senate.
While C-SPAN had begun airing floor activities over on the House side
back in 1979, the Senate had been a tougher sell. It wasn't until
someone introduced then-Senate Minority Leader Byrd as the ``Speaker of
the House'' on a trip back home in West Virginia but gave him the wrong
title--``Speaker of the House'' because people were watching C-SPAN in
the House, and they had no access in the Senate--that then-Senator Byrd
started to think, Hmm, maybe we should have TV coverage in the Senate
as well to make sure that the Senate wasn't outshined by the House. The
Senate voted, and C-SPAN2 was born 39 years ago today.
According to Senator Leahy, Senators initially struggled with the
lighting because they would see themselves on C-SPAN--especially one in
particular that had, in Senator Leahy's words, a ``terrible toupee.''
He never let us know who that Senator was, but I guess that person had
complained to him about the C-SPAN lighting.
But Senators eventually came around to see this asset to our
democracy for what it is: a way to shine sunlight on our work here in
the Senate and to showcase the hard work of democracy to our
constituents back at home.
While much has changed with our technology since then, C-SPAN's
commitment to offering uninterrupted, unfiltered access to our debates,
votes, and deliberations in the Senate has not. C-SPAN2 has recorded
more than 43,000 hours of Senate sessions, capturing more than 169,000
speeches. These recordings preserve the voices of 359 different
Senators, including 185 Republicans, 167 Democrats, and 7 Independents
across nearly four decades of service.
These hours include memorable moments like Senator Ted Kennedy's
speech in July 1987; then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and then-
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's fireside chat about baseball
in 2010; the first time Senator Duckworth brought her baby to the floor
after Senator Blunt and I worked to change the rules to allow parents
to bring brandnew infants to the floor; Senator Booker's recent 24-hour
recordbreaking floor speech; and debates on key legislation.
C-SPAN brought this work directly into our constituents' living
rooms, as it has done for every monumental development in the Senate
for the past 39 years. C-SPAN2 has also documented nearly 24,000
rollcall votes, providing the transparency and accountability our
democracy needs to thrive.
That is why, on its 39th birthday, Senator Grassley and I wanted to
highlight how important it is for all television providers, including
major streaming services like YouTube TV, owned by Google, and Hulu +
Live TV, owned by Disney, to provide the American public with C-SPAN
and the opportunity to see their government work on the Senate floor.
If you look at these packages with these channels, you will see so
many channels, as all of us know, so many offered, but somehow omitted
from those channels of YouTube, Google, and Hulu + Live TV is C-SPAN,
which would allow the people of this country, for no cost, to be able
to see the deliberations that go on in the House and the Senate.
Access to this live coverage on all platforms, being able to see
hearings, congressional hearings, being able to see what we say is so
important for the American people.
So we got used to this 39 years ago when only the House had it and
the Senate thought it was too cool to do. No, no, this is our Chamber.
We are not going to let any TV cameras in.
We let those TV cameras in. Well, now we are at a different stage in
our history, and a lot of people are seeing their news this way. So we
need to expand it and make sure we are on all of those platforms, as
well as the ones we already are on.
Thank you again to Senator Grassley for working with me to highlight
C-SPAN's critical role, and thanks to everyone who has had a hand in C-
SPAN's success. Happy birthday.
____________________