Floor Statements

Mr. President, the U.S. Innovation & Competition Act the Senate passed yesterday sends a loud, clear signal to the Government of the People's Republic of China and to the Chinese Communist Party: American foreign policy is grounded in our values, and we will work with our allies to defend our interests and to protect our friends. Enactment of this bill will place the United States in a much stronger position to thwart Chinese aggression, uphold human rights, increase U.S. competitiveness, and enhance our national security.

I am proud to have worked on a bipartisan basis with Chairman Menendez and Ranking Member Risch and other colleagues in both parties to put forward legislation ensuring that defense of human rights and good governance and upgrading our armory in the battle against corruption remains at the forefront of our national security policy.

This measure will complement the action President Biden took just last week to define the fight against corruption as a ``core U.S. national security interest.'' In the National Security Study Memorandum the President released on June 3, he ordered a high-level review of how our government, our partners, and others can work together to combat illicit, corrosive corrupt activity.

The interagency review that he directed the National Security Advisor to lead should yield a robust strategy that brings all the tools at the disposal of the United States to bear on one of the most consequential problems we face. I look forward to seeing the results of this high- level report and working with the Biden-Harris administration to target corruption wherever we find it. In the meantime, the legislation the Senate has passed will provide the Executive with more tools.

While corruption is a global issue--no country is immune from the disease that is corruption--it is important that we bring this fight directly to the Chinese Government. S. 1260 calls for a report to Congress on the corruption and corrupt activities of the senior officials of the Government of the People's Republic of China so that the United States can expose these individuals and hold them accountable.

Congress cannot--and must not--turn a blind eye to the People's Republic of China's shocking, systematic abuse of its Uighur population, as well as of ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgz, and other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region. This ongoing genocide demands a forceful U.S. response.

The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act protects the innocent victims of these atrocities by authorizing appropriations for protecting human rights to include programs that prioritize the protection and advancement of the freedoms of association, assembly, religion, and expression for women, human rights activists, and ethnic and religious minorities in China. The bill also authorizes and encourages the imposition of sanctions relating to forced labor and with respect to systematic rape, coercive abortion, forced sterilization, and involuntary contraceptive implantation in the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region.

Beijing's plan to circumvent Hong Kong's independent legal system with a far-reaching, oppressive national security law is dangerous and in complete disregard of the principles of the ``one country, two systems.'' S. 1260 ensures that we stand with Hong Kong's citizens for their freedoms, democracy, and basic human rights by authorizing funding for the promotion of democracy in China and specifically in Hong Kong.

Until the Chinese Communist Party changes its behavior, we and our allies and partners must hold it accountable. This bill reiterates our strong, bipartisan commitment to working together to call out brutal regimes and use tools like the Global Magnitsky Act to hold individuals accountable for their violations of human rights and corrupt practices.

The bill permanently reauthorizes the Global Magnitsky Act, allowing the U.S. Government to continue to utilize this valuable tool. While this is a crucial step, I also hope we significantly expand the Global Magnitsky sanctions authority by adopting parameters used to implement Executive Order 13818.

The United States can counter Chinese threats to our national security by upholding our values, emphasizing transparency, and exposing corruption, but other nations must see that we live, as well as preach, our values.

I am gratified that S. 1260 includes my proposal to expand a ban on postemployment by senior State Department officials on lobbying the U.S. Government on behalf of any foreign governments and state-owned entities. Doing so ensures that the U.S. Government practices what we preach, removing the appearance that our diplomats might be doing less than their best on behalf of the American people in order to position themselves for immediate postemployment jobs advocating for foreign interests.

I was pleased to join many of my colleagues in supporting several specific initiatives to hold the Chinese Communist Party and other regimes accountable.

The Transnational Repression Accountability & Prevention, TRAP, Act, which I am proud to co-lead with my colleague Senator Wicker, who is also ranking member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, takes aim at the pervasive and pernicious problem of authoritarian abuse of INTERPOL. Dictators regularly submit to INTERPOL abusive red notices and diffusions based on false or trumped-up charges in an effort to coerce law enforcement agencies in democratic countries to harass and even extradite those who have spoken out against oppression and corruption.

Bill Browder, who ensured that Sergei Magnitsky's courage and integrity became known to the world and who worked closely with me on the Magnitsky Act, has been subject to no fewer than eight abusive INTERPOL red notices submitted by the Russian Government. While Bill Browder's case is emblematic of the wider problem, he is by no means alone. Countries such as Russia, China, and Turkey regularly file abusive red notices to go after those individuals who have fallen afoul of these regimes, despite this being a clear violation of INTERPOL's constitution.

Adding the TRAP Act to S. 1260 would do three things. First, it sets priorities for the United States in responding to INTERPOL abuse and promoting reform within INTERPOL. It is critical that the United States use its voice, vote, and influence within the organization to reestablish its rule of law foundation. Second, it identifies areas for improvement in the U.S. Government's response to INTERPOL abuse and mandates that the Agencies tasked with managing U.S. engagement at INTERPOL examine and determine who the abusers are, their tactics, and how the United States can best respond. Finally, it protects the

U.S. judicial system from the influence of abusive INTERPOL notices by clearly mandating that no person may be extradited solely because of a red notice or diffusion.

Thanks to the TRAP Act, autocrats will be much less able to abuse INTERPOL's information-sharing protocols, and dissidents can sleep better at night knowing that the long arm of dictatorship will be held at bay.

I am also pleased to have worked with Senator Rubio to include in S. 1260 the South China Sea & East China Sea Sanctions Act. This measure authorizes the President to impose blocking sanctions and prohibit visas for Chinese individuals who contribute to construction or development projects and those who threaten the peace, security, or stability of the South China Sea, SCS, or East China Sea, ECS. China's military has been creating artificial islands in the South China Sea and thereby asserting that its sovereignty extends into the long- recognized territorial waters of other nations and they are using these creations as military outposts to threaten their neighbors further. The SCS & ECS Sanctions Act also imposes sanctions on foreign financial institutions that knowingly conduct or facilitate a significant financial transaction for sanctioned persons if China takes several actions in the SCS or ECS.

Finally, the measure gives the Executive authorization to curtail foreign assistance to countries that recognize China's sovereignty in the SCS or the ECS, with exceptions for Taiwan, counterterrorism, democracy support, counter-narcotics, global health, and humanitarian assistance.

Collectively, all of the provisions I have just discussed reinforce the values that drive our foreign policy. The U.S. Innovation & Competition Act will prove to be an important tool in countering the People's Republic of China and other authoritarian regimes around the world. I want to commend Senator Schumer for his persistence with respect to bringing this bipartisan bill to the floor, and for allowing its consideration under regular order.

Mr. President, I have the opportunity to chair the U.S. Helsinki Commission.

I am taking this time--I understand there is a break in the action in regards to the underlying bill. If I am wrong on that, I will yield the floor to someone in regards to moving us forward, but I understand that we are not ready for the next issue yet.

So with that in mind, let me just take this time as the Chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission representing the U.S. Senate. In the Helsinki Commission, my Republican counterpart is Senator Wicker. Senator Wicker, by the way, is the vice president of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, and I am the Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance.

The Helsinki Final Act speaks very clearly against all forms of intolerance and discrimination. And we have seen in recent months current events trigger latent bias in our community.

We go back to 9/11, where we saw the uprise of hate against the Muslim community, which was translated into violence against Muslim Americans.

We saw during COVID-19 latent bias against the Asian-American community. As a result, we saw a rise of hate, of anti-Asian activity, bias, and violence, and this body took action.

And, once again, as a result of recent violence in the Middle East, we see a rise of anti-Semitism here in the United States and around the world.

I mention all of that because we need to speak out whenever we see the rise of intolerance in our community. So let me just talk about anti-Semitism and what has happened recently.

A 29-year-old Jewish man was punched, kicked, and pepper-sprayed last week in New York in broad daylight, as a group of men yelled anti- Semitic statements. People in cars began throwing bottles and yelling anti-Semitic slurs, including words like ``dirty Jew,'' at a dinner party in Los Angeles. In Skokie, IL, someone shattered a window at a synagogue. In Bal Harbour, FL, men yelled, ``Die Jew,'' at a man in a skull cap, and then threatened to rape his wife and daughter.

These instances are compounded by an uptick in anti-Semitic speech online, with the Anti-Defamation League finding 17,000 tweets between May 7 and May 14--1 week--with some variation of the phrase: ``Hitler was right.''

These attacks follow the January 6 Capitol insurrection earlier this year, where White Supremacist and extremist groups displayed anti- Semitic and racist symbols and recited conspiracy theories blaming Jews for the pandemic. These conspiracy theories have proliferated alongside anti-Semitic stereotypes and images being mainstreamed by some political leaders and public figures.

While these events are shocking, perhaps we should not be surprised. The ADL Global Index on Anti-Semitism, updated in 2019, found that more than 1 billion people--nearly 1 in 8--around the world harbor anti- Semitic attitudes.

Over 30 percent of those surveyed said it was ``probably true'' that Jews have too much control over financial markets; that Jews think they are better than other people; that Jews are disloyal to their country; and that people hate Jews because of the way Jews behave. A full 41 percent think Jews are more loyal to Israel than the country they live in.

Such sentiments too often translate into violence, leaving 40 percent of European Jews to report in 2018 that they live in daily fear of being physically attacked. Here at home, Jews make up fewer than 3 percent of the American population, but the majority of reported religious-based hate crimes targeted Jewish people and institutions.

I strongly agree with ADL's CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, who said last week:

[W]e are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-

Jewish hate. . . . To those who choose to indulge in age-old

antisemitic tropes, exaggerated claims and inflammatory

rhetoric, it has consequences: attacks in real life on real

people targeted for no other reason than they are Jewish.

This is antisemitism, plain and simple. And it's indisputably

inexcusable in any context.

In 2004, I had the opportunity to represent America at the Berlin Conference on Anti-Semitism, where we developed an action plan to stand up against anti-Semitism. The very first recommendation coming out of the Berlin conference is that leaders must speak out against anti- Semitism in any form; that leaders need to be heard. They cannot be silent. So I was very pleased when our President, Joe Biden, stated this past week:

The recent attacks on the Jewish community are despicable,

and they must stop. I condemn this hateful behavior at home

and abroad--it's up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor.

Thank you, President Biden.

I was proud of our colleague Senator Mazie Hirono, a leader in the Asian-American community, who posted on social media:

I've said it before and I'll say it again--an attack on one

of us is an attack on all of us. We all must condemn the

recent surge of antisemitic attacks in our country. Each of

us needs to stand up, speak out, and confront this hatred.

At my last in-person OSCE meeting before COVID-19, I hosted an event with my European colleagues entitled ``Lessons From the Past, Leadership for the Future,'' where we spoke about the lessons from the Holocaust, including early warning signs from the past--some of which have been rising to the surface again. These early warning signs include the rise of populist leaders, demonizing of minorities, propagandizing of hate, and the neglect of refugee protections, which ultimately became the factors that resulted in genocide.

This month, I chaired a Helsinki Commission hearing on preventing mass atrocities with Professor Timothy Snyder and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Center for the Prevention of Genocide director, Naomi Kikoler. This Center's Early Warning Project provides an innovative risk assessment tool using quantitative and qualitative methods to spotlight countries where mass atrocities have not begun, but where the risk of such violence is high.

The warning signs are there. My colleagues, we are painfully reminded of our past. The OSCE has repeatedly reaffirmed that hate crimes pose a threat to the security of individuals and society, given their potential to lead to conflict and violence on a wider scale. The spread of hateful ideology and recent acts of hate crimes and extremism across the OSCE region attest to this.

In response, I have called for a plan of action to address violence and discrimination across the OSCE region, including here in the United States, so that we may have a more strategic and cross-border approach to addressing hate. I have also supported the OSCE initiatives that address security concerns of Jewish communities, including by improving relationships between law enforcement and justice institutions and vulnerable communities, educating communities on anti-Semitism and how to counter it, and building alliances with other communities to counter hate.

Over the past decade, I have also worked to ensure that the State Department's budget annually includes funding to fight anti-Semitism globally by creating civil society partnerships between the United States and Europe to work as allies to fight against anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, anti-Muslim bigotry, hostility to the LGBTQ-plus community, and other forms of hate. The United States should be a global leader in fighting such intolerance.

It would be hypocritical for us as a nation to preach to the world against hate if we let it fester and grow here at home. Like a virus, as we all know too well, if hate exists in one country, it has the capacity to spread around the world.

Therefore, I ask all my Senate colleagues to join me in supporting these efforts at home and abroad to achieve safe and just societies for all. Hate takes many forms, but none of them should be acceptable here in the United States of America or anywhere else in the world.

With that, I yield the floor

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I rise today in recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This annual commemoration offers the opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the rich history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Mineta of California and later Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga, both of Hawaii, first introduced a resolution in 1977 to establish an annual commemoration of the contributions of this community. That first resolution proclaimed the first 10 days of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Week. Congress passed a modified version of that resolution in 1978, which President Jimmy Carter signed into law. In 1990, Congress expanded Asian Pacific American Heritage Week to the entire month. Just 2 years later, Congress passed a final resolution permanently designating the month of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This timing is deliberate: It commemorates important milestones--the arrival of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869.

The Asian-American population is the fastest growing population in the United States, having risen from 10.5 million in 2000 to more than 23 million in 2020. More than 1.6 million individuals identify as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. With these combined figures, the Asian-American and Pacific Islander, AAPI, community makes up almost 7 percent of the U.S. population and roughly the same percentage of Maryland's population.

Nationwide, demographers estimate that this population, which consists of over 40 subgroups, will more than double from 20 million to more than 51 million by 2060.

Over the past year, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played a vital role in our Nation's battle with COVID-19. Serving as frontline workers, first responders, and emergency personnel, they have provided lifesaving and critical care to hundreds of thousands of people during unprecedented times.

The approximately 555,200 Asian-owned businesses in the United States represent approximately 1 in 10 businesses in the United States. As the chairman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, I know the importance of each of these enterprises to our national economy and to the local communities they serve. I also know the serious challenges that all small business owners but particularly minority-owned businesses have faced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some research indicates

that these businesses may have suffered the most significant economic effects of all demographic groups. Through the past year, I have sought to ensure that the Small Business Administration's grants and loans flow to smaller and minority-owned businesses.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have also served our Nation in important public service roles. Norm Mineta, after spending 20 years in the House of Representatives, served two Presidents--Bill Clinton and George W. Bush--first as Secretary of Commerce and then as the longest serving Secretary of Transportation. I was proud to serve with him in the House and with Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii from 2006 to 2012 during his tenure as President pro tempore of the Senate, a role that made him the highest ranking Asian-American government official in the history of the United States. Of course, Kamala D. Harris eclipsed that distinction this year when she became Vice President--the first Asian American ever to hold that role. I am also proud every day to serve alongside Senators Mazie Hirono and Tammy Duckworth, two strong leaders who are committed to promoting the well-being and progress of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders along with all Americans.

The Asian-Americans and Pacific Islander population has long endured racism and prejudice. This discrimination reached a peak when President Roosevelt ordered the incarceration of over 100,000 Japanese Americans in internment camps as war began with the Empire of Japan in World War II. Over the last year and a half, we have seen an alarming and dangerous rise in prejudicial treatment and racially motivated hate crimes and attacks. According to a recent report, there were nearly 3,800 reported cases of anti-Asian discrimination related to COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2021. Dangerous rhetoric such as calling COVID-19 the Chinese virus jeopardizes the safety and well- being of millions of Asian Americans.

It is time we stand up and protect our fellow neighbors, friends, coworkers, and loved ones. We need an all hands-on-deck approach to combat anti-Asian bias, prejudice, discrimination, hate crimes, and violence. Congress overwhelmingly passed S. 937, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which Senators Hirono and Duckworth introduced. This legislation serves as a pledge to our Asian-American community that we, as the United States of America, stand in solidarity with you and will not tolerate violations of your civil rights. I was proud to cosponsor Senators Hirono and Duckworth's resolution condemning discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders stemming from the COVID- 19 pandemic. Working together with our local, State, national, and international partners--along with our allies in the private sector and faith community--we can stem this dangerous trend and provide a sense of peace and security to our Asian-American brothers and sisters. In doing so, I am committed to listening to and being guided by the voices of those individuals and communities who have suffered harm.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month offers all Americans the opportunity to recognize and to appreciate the important role of this community in our Nation, both throughout history and today. It is more important than ever that we all take advantage of it.

Madam President, I rise to ask the Senate to join me in recognizing the Maryland State Bar Association on the 125th anniversary of its founding. Since its founding on August 28, 1896, the Maryland State Bar Association, MSBA, has advanced and protected the interests of Maryland attorneys, their clients, and the general public.

Over the past 125 years, the MSBA has grown into a premier professional trade association comprised of over 20,000 members from every segment of the legal profession. This includes large law firms, solo and small-firm practitioners, government lawyers, in-house counsel, nonprofit attorneys, judges, and legal academics. The MSBA has steadfastly supported the Maryland legal community in its important work to serve the public interest, facilitate commerce, and create a more fair and just society.

In the decades since its founding, the MSBA has advanced and supported the demographic diversification of the Maryland bar. In partnership with the Judiciary of Maryland and numerous nonprofit partners, the MSBA and in particular its Committee on Diversity & Inclusion have fostered policies and programs to enhance the diversity of the practice of law in the State to the benefit of all Marylanders. The committee is charged with promoting recruitment, hiring, and retention processes to create environments within the legal community in which all individuals are encouraged to join, thrive, and lead the legal profession regardless of race, color, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other characteristic of identity.

Over the years, the MSBA has also expanded its vision and mission to include efforts to promote access to civil legal services. The association has advocated for legislation to support the Maryland Legal Services Corporation, a critically important organization that raises and distributes funds to nonprofit organizations that provide civil legal assistance to low-income individuals in Maryland. As chair of the corporation from 1988 to 1995, I know firsthand the extraordinary and needed service that it provides. In addition, MSBA has in recent years integrated the operations of the Maryland Access to Justice Commission, an independent entity that convenes partners from the State attorney general to the private sector, to academia, to advance equal access to the civil justice system.

In the community at-large, the MSBA has played a significant role in enhancing civic literacy in Maryland, including by hosting thousands of high school students participating in mock trial and moot court competitions. These programs offer students the opportunity to enhance their skills and expose them to the practical implications and importance of the law. As a Maryland lawyer myself, I ask the Senate to join me in congratulating the Maryland State Bar Association for its exemplary service to the Maryland legal community over the past 125 years.

Mr. President, I first want to thank my colleague and friend Senator Carper for leading this effort with S. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. It is long overdue that we acknowledge an injustice in our country and give the citizens of the District of Columbia their full representation rights by statehood.

I have been working on this issue for a long time. When I was the speaker of the Maryland General Assembly almost 40 years ago, the Maryland General Assembly took action to give full representation to the people of the District in the Congress of the United States. That was 40 years ago, and we are still working on this issue. It is long overdue that we acknowledge a shortcoming in our own system for 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia.

I had the honor of chairing the U.S. Helsinki Commission. It is the implementing arm for the Helsinki Final Act of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It has the membership of all of the countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union, Central Asia, Canada, and the United States. I mention that because in 1975, those countries entered into an agreement on basic, fundamental democratic principles, including the right to have representative government.

That document also gives us the opportunity and obligation to question whether member states are in compliance with the Helsinki Final Act. Quite frankly, we have used that opportunity to raise issues in countries.

Our Presiding Officer has been very aggressive in his comments about Russia, and we have used that to bring up the fact that Russia violated the commitments of the Helsinki Final Act when it invaded Ukraine and when it took over Crimea, and it is still interfering with the sovereignty of Ukraine. We have offered our objections when Russia's Government has stepped on the human rights of the people of its own country--like those of Aleksei Navalny's, the opposition leader, being imprisoned and tortured. That is in violation of the Helsinki Final Act. We have raised those issues.

We have raised those issues about another member state, Turkey, when they have jailed journalists or failed to allow civil society an opportunity to be heard, for they are violations of the Helsinki Final Act.

For us to have credibility in raising these issues of other countries that are violating the fundamental principles, we have to self-evaluate where we are. If we are going to be leaders, we have to acknowledge our own shortcomings and take steps to eliminate those shortcomings.

Quite frankly, we are an outlier when it comes to the representation for the people of the District of Columbia. We have violated their basic rights. We are the only country in the world wherein the citizens of its capital do not have the opportunity to vote for representatives in the national legislature. That is not a distinction that we want to have

The 700,000 people who live in the District are being denied representation in their government. As has been pointed out, it is larger than some of our States. Those States have fewer people but have two U.S. Senators and a Member of the House of Representatives, and the people of the District should be likewise treated.

This is not a matter of politics; this is a matter of fundamental rights. America's strength is in our values, in who we are as a people. Our ability to lead globally depends upon our doing the right thing at home.

We need to give the District of Columbia that status. The House has already done this. It passed H.R. 51. It has done this and has given the bill to us. All we need to do now is take it up and pass it. So let us act now, at long last, and do what is right for the people of the District and do what is right for the people of our Nation by correcting this violation that we have in our system. Let's pass S. 51, led by Senator Carper, for DC statehood and make sure that America continues to lead in democratic values around the world.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to complete my remarks before the scheduled vote.

Madam President, I am fortunate enough to live in Baltimore, and I say that because I can commute every night to home, which is a real pleasure, to be able to be with my family in the evening. My wife Myrna and I normally take a morning walk before I start the day, and I can get the morning report from my neighbors as to what is on their minds.

So, this morning, you might be surprised to learn that the major topic of discussion was the Brood X, also known as the cicadas. These are the cicadas that appear every 17 years. Now, I must tell you, that became our subject because we were all trying to avoid stepping on them as we were walking.

Most of us would describe world events of the past calendar year as unprecedented, and this characterization is not wrong. For public health, for the economy, and for our democracy, the year 2021 has indeed brought us challenges previously unimaginable. However, 2021 also marks a predictably predictable natural phenomenon: the emergence of what is known as the 17-year cicadas. Reliably, every 17 years, these insects emerge in the Mid-Atlantic in droves. People greet their visits with equal amounts of scorn and excitement. Some of that is depending upon age.

I hope that we can use this 17-year marker to celebrate the scientific contributions of an unappreciated Marylander and reflect more broadly on the history of the relationship between humans and the natural environment in the Mid-Atlantic, especially the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland sees the highest concentration of cicadas on the east coast. Scientists estimate that in some places, we have more than 25 or 30 cicadas per square foot or more than 1 million per acre. In addition to this astonishing quantity, male cicadas will perform a mating song that, in large groups, can reach the same decibel level as a lawnmower.

The cicadas' visits last only a matter of weeks for the purpose of mating, molting, and laying eggs that will eventually burrow into the ground and repeat the process in another 17 years.

In the words of prominent Maryland scientist Benjamin Banneker, ``If their lives are short, they are merry,'' noting that ``they still continue on singing till they die.''

Benjamin Banneker's original handwritten document describing the cicadas in 1800 is at the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Baltimore. He accurately predicted the next 17-year cycles. Over the course of his life, he witnessed four 17-year cycles of cicadas. Benjamin Banneker may have

been the first scientist to observe and record the 17-year lifecycle of cicadas.

Banneker was born in 1731. His father, Robert Bannaky, was a formerly enslaved Black man. His mother Mary was a free woman of mixed racial heritage.

Banneker demonstrated a keen interest in the sciences after his maternal grandmother taught him to read and write, and he continued his education at a Quaker schoolhouse in Baltimore County. He quickly excelled in the area of mathematics and astronomy and is now considered one of the first African-American intellects to gain widespread fame.

He is probably best known for authorizing a series of commercially successful farmers' almanacs that predicted weather and tidal patterns for farmers and fishermen. Banneker also predicted lunar and solar eclipses, contributed to surveying the land for the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, and reportedly built the first domestically produced wooden clock in the country.

In addition to his contributions to science and agriculture, Banneker advocated for abolition in a series of letters he exchanged with President Thomas Jefferson.

Mainstream historical narratives have largely excluded Banneker's accomplishments as a prominent Black intellect in the early days of our Nation. As we consider the enormous interest in the arrival of cicadas, it is appropriate that we acknowledge Banneker's early leading role in predicting the 17-year cycle.

There are few historical artifacts from Banneker's home in Maryland, which burned down shortly after his death. Fortunately, we have the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum in Catonsville, MD, which Baltimore County administers. The park tells the story of his remarkable life and the impact the natural environment of the Chesapeake Bay had in sparking his intellectual curiosity.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued a proclamation declaring May and June 2021 as Maryland Magicicada Months to recognize the return of the 17-year periodical cicadas and to generate public awareness about this phenomena.

Fortunately, cicadas' buzz is worse than their bite. Cicadas do not chew, bite, or sting, so they are not a threat to humans, pets, animals, or most plants.

The unit of time marked by the arrival of the periodic cicadas in the region is a useful interval to observe how the local environment has changed over time.

Two years after the last emergence of cicadas in 2006 was the first year the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's report card was released. The habitat health values were generally poor overall in 2006, with a dramatic reduction in bay grasses. In 2019, the overall score for Chesapeake Bay was a C-minus. This means the bay is in moderate health and is slightly improving over time. For its first ever score, the Chesapeake Bay scored B-minus. That means the larger watershed is in good health.

The path to success for Chesapeake Bay's restoration remains steep and is only becoming more challenging due to the harmful effects of climate change. Warmer and wetter weather conditions work against progress on removing pollutants and creating habitats conducive to population regrowth. The Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint set forth a timeline for the six watershed jurisdictions that end in 2025.

Now more than ever, we need State, local, and Federal partners working in tandem to meet these goals. The Chesapeake Bay Program will play a central role in that effort, bringing various Federal Agencies, State and local governments, and nonprofit organizations together to meet these goals.

A 17-year review of progress for the Chesapeake Bay should energize the community to work hard to meet our goals. In order to do so, we need the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to play its role as the referee for the Chesapeake Bay Program. The success of the effort depends on the stringent enforcement of statewide pollution reduction plans by the EPA.

As we consider the next arrival of cicadas in the area in 2038, it is impossible not to look ahead to the climate goals the Biden administration has enumerated. By 2030, President Biden has pledged that the United States should have reduced economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution by 50 to 52 percent. This goal is also referred to as the nationally determined contribution, which is formally submitted to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. President Biden made this announcement during the Leaders Summit on Climate, which serves to demonstrate the return of the United States to leadership on climate issues.

The natural environment is probably one of the most obvious markers of the passage of time and provides an appropriate moment of reflection. Seasonal changes, growing trees and crops, and even the arrival of the cicadas can push us to acknowledge where we have met our objectives and where we have fallen short on our goals. In terms of our local and global environmental restoration goals, we have a lot of work to do before 2037.

Tribute to Louise Foster

Madam President, as we reflect on change, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate a member of my personal staff, Louise Foster, on her matriculation at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs this fall.

``Weezie,'' as everyone who knows her calls her, has spent the last 3 years providing outstanding public service in my Washington, DC, office, first as a staff assistant on the frontline of constituent service and now as a legislative aide, applying science to environmental and infrastructure policy.

While my staff and I will miss her, we wish her the very best of luck and a little cicada magic in her academic pursuits.

With that, I yield the floor.

Amendment No. 1517

Madam President, shortly, we are going to be taking up S. 914, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, and I would urge my colleagues to approve this legislation promptly.

The Environment and Public Works Committee reported this legislation by a unanimous vote. We don't get too many unanimous votes here on substantive, important legislation, and we were able to get that because this bill is truly bipartisan.

I want to congratulate the leadership of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Chairman Carper, for the management of the committee to bring us together, and Senator Capito, the ranking Republican member. The two of them set the climate for us to work together to bring out a drinking water and wastewater infrastructure bill. I also want to compliment my counterpart in regards to the Subcommittee on Infrastructure, Senator Cramer, who is the ranking member--I am the chair--and Senator Duckworth, who is the chair of the Water Subcommittee, and Senator Lummis. All six of us worked together so that this Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act really does represent the views of all the Members of the Senate, and it is a bill that is desperately needed by our communities.

Water infrastructure is critically important to our Nation. It is important for drinking water. It is important for how we treat our waste, wastewater. The needs are tremendous. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives us a report card grade of D in 2021. The gaps are billions of dollars a year necessary to bring our water infrastructure up to standard.

This legislation will move us in the right direction. It authorizes $35 billion of water infrastructure, which is desperately needed in our communities. It will allow us to upgrade aging infrastructure, address the threat of climate

change, invest in new technologies, and help marginal communities in dealing with these needs.

COVID-19 has made the challenges even more dramatic for our communities. Water utilities have incurred additional costs. I think that is quite obvious. They had to deal with the protective equipment for their workers to deal with COVID-19. They had workers who were out as a result of COVID-19. They had to deal with changing the way they operated their business. There was a demand for greater water during COVID-19, just the washing of our hands frequently. It requires us to have access to more clean water.

The ability of our customers to pay their bills was challenged during COVID-19. As we know, American families' incomes were very stressed and are still stressed as a result of COVID-19. The gap between the ability of the public support for water infrastructure and what ratepayers are asked to pay is getting larger and larger. We haven't made the money available from the public side for water infrastructure, and to put more pressure on the rate when customers are already having a difficult time paying their bills is not a viable option. That makes S. 914 even more urgent.

I want to talk about a couple provisions that are included in S. 914 that are bipartisan that I worked on that I think are extremely important parts of this legislation.

One, working with Senator Wicker, we have in this bill a pilot program that will establish 40 grants around the Nation so that we can establish programs to help low-income households. By way of comparison, this is similar to the LIHEAP program that we use to help our low- income families deal with their utility bills for heating their homes and air-conditioning their homes. This will provide similar help for low-income families in dealing with the price of their water bills.

Having been through Maryland and some of our centers, I can tell you that there are many communities where individuals literally cannot afford their water bills. It is an essential utility. We need to do something to fill the gap. So this bill will establish a program so that we can take some of the pressure off of the ratepayers and therefore allow local utilities to be able to use rates to do some of their improvements without adversely affecting low-income families. This pilot program, to me, is long overdue, but I am pleased to see it is included in this legislation.

Another provision that is included in this legislation is legislation that I have authored with Senator Capito, the Clean Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program. The two of us recognize that in the State of West Virginia and the State of Maryland, we have extreme weather events that are affecting our ability to handle drinking water and wastewater. That is true in every State in the Nation. I could tell you about Maryland and the community of Ellicott City, where they have had two 100-year floods in a period of less than 2 years.

These frequent, extreme weather events are happening in this Nation on a regular basis, and it is putting additional stress on our water infrastructure. The President had a recent summit on climate, and this is one of the issues that were brought up.

Wastewater treatment plants and drinking water systems--we need to increase their resiliency and add that ability. That is what this provision will do by providing grants that will assist in planning, designing, construction, implementation, operation, or maintenance of the facilities.

Stormwater runoff is one of the largest sources of pollutants in our environment. We have over 600,000 miles of rivers and streams in America, 13 million acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. I can speak personally about the impact that runoff has on the Chesapeake Bay, a national treasure. The fastest growing source of pollutant into the Chesapeake Bay comes from storm runoff.

This grant program on resiliency will help all of us plan for how we deal with water infrastructure in a way that can deal with our modern challenges.

Another provision in this bill comes from legislation that was authored by Senator Boozman and myself, the Water Resources Research Amendments Act. This provides help for research so that we can find effective and efficient new ways to deal with water treatment facilities.

In Maryland, we are proud that we have the Maryland Water Resources Research Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, that does this type of research that will help us to the next generation of how we can use technology to help deal with our water infrastructure in America.

The bottom line is that S. 914 is a bill that will help us preserve and provide drinking water to the people of this Nation and deal with wastewater. It is a very important bill for water infrastructure. It is bipartisan. It will be on the floor. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, which is clearly part of building America back better. I hope we can act on this bill this week and send to it the House and get this bill to the President for his signature. I can tell you, our local water systems desperately need the help.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I rise to join my friends in celebrating Earth Day. Senator Gaylord Nelson began the tradition in 1970, making today the 51st celebration of Earth Day. While it is always important to set aside a day to pause and reflect on our relationship with the natural world, I consider this Earth Day one of the most important yet. As we begin to emerge from the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and reset our new ``business as usual,'' we are stepping into a new world, ripe with opportunity for progress on climate change with a more meaningful understanding of what it means to live in a global community. Our Nation and planet are at a crossroads in determining the future of our climate. With a new administration that understands the threat of climate change and the role of the United States as a global leader, we are at the precipice of bold action.

The scientific consensus is that climate change will have devastating and far-reaching impacts on the environment, public health, and national security, and we must mitigate and adapt. In 2018, the United Nations U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC found that if a concerted multilateral effort is not made to keep global temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, we will cross a tipping point and cause the worst damage by climate change. The scientific community has been sounding the alarm for years, which too many of our colleagues have chosen to ignore.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the challenges and opportunities of our increasingly globalized world. More than ever, we are understanding how decisions governments, corporations, and individuals make have real-world impacts and consequences. Actions that affect our climate are no different. An understanding of our impact in determining our collective future will only help us in our pursuit of a healthier planet.

Fortunately, our communities have proven resilient and adaptable. Over the past year. Americans have been burdened with collective grief, fear, and uncertainty. Through it all, our Nation has demonstrated a grit and ingenuity unlike anything we have seen in generations. We saw parents step up as teachers, corporations pivot their business models to keep people safe, and an entire population of office workers transition to working from home. In terms of action on climate change, this flexibility proves that a departure from the status quo is not as unrealistic as we may have thought previously. In fact, a change from ``business as usual'' can have unforeseen benefits for our quality of life and our planet.

Equipped with the lessoned learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, I am more confident than ever that our Nation in ready to commit to action on climate change in earnest. Additionally, the Biden administration is already pursuing an aggressive climate agenda by reversing President Trump's shortsighted decisions and doubling down on President Obama's environmental regulations. The Build Back Better agenda recognizes both the need to mitigate emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change that are already harming our communities. A great and overdue need to update our Nation's infrastructure provides an opportunity to address some of our society's most insidious sources of pollution.

Emissions from passenger and freight transport makes up the largest proportion of our Nation's total greenhouse gas emissions--nearly 30 percent. The Federal Government can and must work quickly to address climate change through transportation and infrastructure policy. As chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I am committed to ensuring that any legislation the committee considers addresses greenhouse gas emissions reductions in a meaningful way. In 2019, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works unanimously reported an innovative surface transportation reauthorization that indicates a genuine bipartisan interest in action on climate change. I am confident the newest iteration of this bill will be even more ambitious.

The imperative to address climate change through transportation and infrastructure is particularly important to Maryland, a highly developed, low-lying coastal State with aging public works systems, which makes it particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. My constituents and future generations have a right to good air quality, water quality, and the resilience of infrastructure assets like

roads, bridges, and storm and wastewater systems.

In recent years, Marylanders have seen firsthand the effects of climate change in my State. Intense rainstorms have caused unprecedented flood damage to homes and businesses in Prince George's County, Southwest Baltimore, Ellicott City, and Hagerstown. The cost of rebuilding our infrastructure after these storms is significant. Unless we change the way we think about infrastructure in the future, taxpayer investments will be washed away with the next big storm. I requested a Government Accountability Office GAO report on the Federal Government's fiscal exposure to the effects of climate change. GAO found that in 2018, 14 separate natural and weather disasters occurred, costing the Federal Government a total of $91 billion. Unsurprisingly, GAO determined that this amount will rise as climate change causes more frequent and more severe weather events. Inaction on this issue amounts to a gross negligence by Congress in our management of taxpayers' funds. I consider it my duty to ensure that the Federal Government takes full advantage of the opportunity before us to make long-sighted upgrades to our systems.

In addition to building back physical infrastructure better, the Nation is in the process of rebuilding its reputation on the international stage as a leader on climate change. By rejoining the Paris Agreement, the United States is signaling its commitment to the global community. As I speak, the President is hosting the Leaders Summit on Climate, where world leaders will outline how their countries will commit to their own ambitious goals. The United States is committing to a bold 2030 emissions target as its new nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement. This summit represents the formal return of the United States to its leadership position and an opportunity to regain the trust from our international partners that President Trump decimated.

When President Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, I helped to maintain relationships with our partner-members by introducing a bipartisan resolution that expressed support for the Paris Agreement and assuring the international community that, despite President Trump's abdication of his duties, leaders on climate change in the U.S. Senate remained. I previously led the U.S. congressional delegation to the conference where the Paris Agreement was adopted and will continue to position our Nation as a strong partner in the international fight against warming global temperatures.

Domestically. this Earth Day, I will recommit to my long-term endeavor to preserve and restore the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is the lifeblood of the State of Maryland, and the communities that depend on it are seeing their livelihood threatened as the climate changes. Saltwater intrusion on agricultural lands and fragile fisheries make it harder for Maryland farmers and fishers to earn a living. In some cases, Marylanders are seeing their communities disappear before their eyes from the dual threat of sea level rise and subsidence. A healthy Chesapeake Bay watershed is essential to a thriving economy. Additionally, the Chesapeake Bay's wetlands are Maryland's best defense against climate change-induced flooding, as they act as natural buffers to storm surge during severe weather.

The good news is that action on climate change, through international commitments, domestic infrastructure improvements, and restoring regional natural resources like the Chesapeake Bay, will stimulate our economy. Stewardship of our environmental can and should go hand in hand with economic development. Our Nation will be grappling with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic for years to come, and bold Federal action is a time-tested practice for economic recovery. A truly bold investment in action on climate change will pay dividends for generations to come, but it must meet the size and urgency of the challenge before us.

I am certain that our Nation can honor our planet and our future generations with urgent, thoughtful decision-making. Earth Day is one of the most celebrated secular holidays in the world and for good reason. We are all stewards of our planet and now more than ever understand that we are on a journey together. I will embrace this Earth Day and the opportunities for progress that lie ahead. I hope my Senate colleagues and all Americans will join me honoring our planet through diligent work, today and every day.

Mr. President, Americans were horrified to witness a recent series of mass shootings involving the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community. On March 16, 2021, mass shootings occurred at three spas and massage parlors in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Eight people were killed, six of whom were Asian-American women, and one other person was wounded. The suspect was taken into custody that day and has been charged with multiple counts of murder. The investigation is continuing as to whether the suspect should be additionally charged with hate crimes, if he deliberately targeted Asian Americans with this senseless violence.

Unfortunately, this mass shooting is not an isolated incident in the United States in terms of hate speech, hate crimes, and violence against Asian Americans in our communities. Sadly, some political figures have used the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to fan the flames of hate by promoting stereotypes, fear, and xenophobia. Irrationally blaming Asian and Asian-American neighbors for the pandemic is simply wrong and reprehensible and can have deadly consequences.

Let us remember that our Asian-American brothers and sisters are an integral part of the United Nations on so many levels. Our immigrant story and our diversity are some of our unique strengths, not weaknesses, of the United States of America.

There are about 23 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, constituting 7 percent of the population of our country.

There are approximately 2 million Asian-American owned businesses that generate over $700 billion in annual revenue and employ millions of workers.

Two million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic as first responders and in healthcare, law enforcement, transportation, supermarkets, and other service industries. Our Asian-American brothers and sisters are putting their lives on the line every day to help protect our communities during the pandemic. That is why it is so despicable to see the rise of anti-Asian rhetoric and hate speech by political leaders and others, which inevitably gives oxygen to extremist groups and individuals and gives license to individuals to commit hate crimes and acts of violence.

The use of anti-Asian terminology and rhetoric related to COVID-19, such as the ``Chinese virus,'' the ``Wuhan virus,'' the ``Kung flu''-- phrases often used by former President Trump and some of his followers--has perpetrated an anti-Asian stigma. The use of anti-Asian rhetoric has resulted in Asian Americans being harassed, assaulted, and scapegoated for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since January 2020, there has been a dramatic increase in reports of hate crimes and incidents against those of Asian descent throughout the Nation. According to a recent report, there were nearly 3,800 reported cases of anti-Asian discrimination related to COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2021.

On April 3, 2021, the New York Times ran an analysis article on the rising tide of Asian-American violence entitled ``Swelling Anti-Asian Violence: Who is Being Attacked Where.''

The article stated:

Over the last year, in an unrelenting series of episodes .

. . people of Asian descent have been pushed, beaten, kicked,

spit on and called slurs. Homes and businesses have been

vandalized. The violence has known no boundaries, spanning

generations, income brackets and regions. . . . Those cases

include the fatal attack of a Thai man in January, as well as

the assaults of a 91-year-old man in Oakland's Chinatown and

an 89-year-old woman in Brooklyn. Those episodes, and

other[s] . . . have terrified the Asian community.

The article continues:

But there is no ambiguity about the cases The Times

collected: These are assaults in which the assailants

expressed explicit racial hostility with their language, and

in which nearly half included a reference to the coronavirus.

This article pointed out some sobering statistics when it comes to hate crimes. Over the last year, hate crimes as classified and reported by the police rose at a faster pace against people of Asian descent than hate crimes overall. In New York City and Boston, hate crimes overall fell while anti-Asian hate crimes spiked.

In New York City alone, the number of hate crimes with Asian-American victims reported to the New York Police Department jumped to 28 last year, up from 3 in 2019, and so far this year, the Department is actively investigating or has solved 35 anti-Asian bias crimes.

Congresswoman Grace Meng, of New York, said:

We've gone from being invisible to being seen as subhuman.

We just want to be seen as American, like everyone else.

On April 9, 2021, the Washington Post ran an article examining the effect of mass shootings on marginalized groups and how trauma ripples through those communities.

The article stated:

March 16 marked a turning point for many Asian Americans:

It was the day their community was stricken by a mass

shooting, becoming the latest minority group to suffer an

attack that killed several of its own . . . There's a

specific kind of grief that arises from being targeted, one

that more and more marginalized people in the United States

know too well. The shooting survivors and victims' family

members span geographies, races and religions, but they are

bonded by the shared trauma they have experienced.

The article continues:

These tragedies often leave many in those communities who

weren't directly affected feeling unsafe and traumatized.

After a shooting, many members of these communities say they

felt hyper-aware of their race and an escalated sense of fear

that the same could happen to them or those they love. A mass

shooting seems less senseless or inexplicable when it's

directed at one of your own.

I recall with sorrow that in 2018 a gunman killed 11 Jewish worshipers at the Tree of Life in Pittsburgh.

The article continues:

Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said his synagogue

practices the ``ministry of presence''. . . . After mass

shootings, synagogue members reach out to the affected

communities and let them know that they're present, they're

listening.

The Georgia massacre ``increases the fear level now of all Asian Americans who prayed, ``Am I next?'' I know how that feels to have your community wonder, ``Am I next?'' said Myers, a survivor of the deadliest attack against Jews on American soil.

In recent weeks, flyers have recirculated at Asian-American restaurants--posted in the synagogue's Squirrel Hill neighborhood after the 2018 Pittsburgh shooting--to show their support for the Jewish community.

One read:

Many of our business members have thrived in this city,

particularly in Squirrel Hill, and if we shared in this good

fortune, then we bear the burdens.

It was a reminder that Asian Americans and Jews share similar status as minority communities in the United States and now as communities affected by mass shootings.

I was pleased that, shortly after taking office, President Biden issued a Presidential memorandum, ``Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.''

We need to stop the hate. Referring to this global pandemic by anything other than its appropriate, medical names has inflamed the worst stereotypes, fear, and xenophobia in the face of a health crisis. Irrationally blaming Asian or Asian-American neighbors and random strangers is simply un-American. The Senate and every person in this country needs to call out the hate, bullying, and scapegoating whenever we see it and work together as one community to overcome COVID-19.

In my home State of Maryland, I was pleased to see that, last week, Governor Larry Hogan announced the formation of a statewide workgroup charged with developing strategies, recommendations, and actions to address the rise in violence and discrimination targeting the Asian- American community

Governor Hogan named the former U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, Robert K. Hur, to chair the workgroup and spearhead the effort. Mr. Hur was the first Asian American to serve as our U.S. attorney in Maryland's history, and I had the pleasure of working with him extensively on a number of criminal matters and civil rights issues during his tenure.

I also want to commend the work of our current acting U.S. attorney in Maryland and our FBI Special Agent in Charge, Jennifer C. Boone. They put out a recent statement which condemned bigotry and hatred against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community and encouraged members of the public to report to law enforcement incidents of violence, threats, and harassment.

Shortly before the shootings in Atlanta, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Maryland, on March 10, 2021, launched its Civil Rights Unit to ensure that the full spectrum of criminal and civil statutes are employed in addressing hate crimes and discrimination; to conduct outreach to government, not-for-profit, and private entities in Maryland; and to help provide training and resources to local and State law enforcement in Maryland.

Today, I rise in support of S. 937, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, introduced by Senator Hirono of Hawaii. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important legislation. I urge the Senate to pass this legislation without further delay.

This legislation would direct the U.S. Department of Justice to designate a DOJ employee to assist with the expedited review of COVID- 19 hate crimes reported to Federal, State, and/or local law enforcement. The legislation would provide guidance for State and local law enforcement agencies to establish the online reporting of hate crimes or incidents and to have online reporting available in multiple languages; expand culturally competent and appropriate public education and the collection of data and public reporting of hate crimes; and issue guidance detailing best practices to mitigate racially discriminatory language in describing the COVID-19 pandemic, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, and community-based organizations.

In the 117th Congress, I was privileged to be named as the chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission. I additionally serve as the Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Over the past year, the world has suffered the crippling impact of COVID-19, which has disproportionately affected our most vulnerable citizens. Racist violence has, once again, reared its ugly head in many OSCE participating States, including our own. I pledge to continue working with the Helsinki Commission and the OSCE to shine a spotlight on discrimination, racism, and anti-Asian violence both at home and abroad as we work together with our partners in the United States and around the world to share best practices and combat this scourge against our democracy and freedoms we hold so dear.

In 2019, at the annual meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Luxembourg, I chaired a section dealing with anti-Semitism. One of the key findings that came out of that section was that every community needs to work together. We are all in this together. An attack on one community is an attack on all of us and the freedom of all of us, and we must join in unity to speak with a clear, strong voice against any of these hate activities.

We now need an all-hands-on-deck approach to combat anti-Asian bias, prejudice, discrimination, hate crimes, and violence. In working together--all communities--with our local, State, national, and international partners, along with our allies in the private sector and faith community, we can stem this dangerous trend and give a sense of peace and security back to our Asian-American brothers and sisters. It starts with our taking up the legislation before us and passing it promptly

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, reserving the right to object.

Madam President, first, let me thank the Senator from Oklahoma for bringing this to the floor.

Here is our challenge. If it gets onto the bill that we have before us, it will delay the continuation of the Paycheck Protection Program because it terminates on March 31. We are not going to have any program to modify. And the House is not in session until the second week in April so it is not possible to get this done before the program expires.

So, for that reason, we have to oppose any amendment on the underlying bill, which is a clean extension of the PPP.

But I want to thank my friend from Oklahoma for bringing this forward because I agree with you. As chairman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, I support making the changes that the administration made in regard to the determination for self-employed retroactive. I think that is a fair thing to do. I also support making sure that the business structure that is chosen by a small business also qualifies, whether it be a partnership or a traditional business arrangement.

I think we need to make those changes, and I know our staffs are working on the exact language. There is some challenge on how we draft the language. And you have my commitment that we will work during this recess, and I assure you that I want to see this done. I hope we can do it by UC when we return, when the House is in session, and get this done as quickly as possible.

The point the Senator from Oklahoma raises is very valid, but let me go back to the original bill for the self-employed that used, as you said, a formula that didn't work. In some cases, it was $50 or $80 that they got on the PPP, which was ridiculous because a self-employed person doesn't have the same payroll expenses that a traditional small business has.

We based the PPP calculations on the payroll amount. That didn't apply to the self-employed. So that is why the gross receipts are the right way to make those calculations, and that is what we want to do. That is what this administration did in its recalculation, but it made it prospective only. It needs to be retroactive.

So I agree with the gentleman, but I cannot consent to agree to it today. And it is not going to delay the Senate consideration of it because the House is not in session for the next 2 weeks.

So the first time we can really get this done is the second week in April, and you have my commitment that we will work together to get the provision made retroactive and to cover the legal structures that are used by some of our small businesses that are not currently covered under the current interpretation--I think legal, this is a legal issue that we have to resolve.

For all those reasons, I do object.

Madam President.

I ask unanimous consent that there be two minutes of debate, equally divided, before each vote in today's series.

Madam President.

I rise in opposition to the Kennedy amendment.

Let me be clear. Any amendment that is put on this clean extension will mean that the program will terminate in less than 1 week, and hundreds of thousands of small businesses will not be able to get their PPP loans. These are newly eligible. We changed the calculations on how much you can apply for. Those who have difficulty finding a financial institution to write the forgivable loan, those in hard-to-serve communities, all are going to be denied. The SBA has indicated there are hundreds of thousands of eligible applicants that have not been able to get in by the due date.

Now, in regard to the Kennedy amendment, the SBA COVID-19 relief is for existing businesses and current business owners with proven reentry track records. Anyone who has rebuilt their life after being incarcerated should be celebrated and supported. There is no reason why a business owned by someone with an unrelated criminal record should be treated any differently.

I would urge my colleagues, for the sake of getting this bill to the President and signed so we can help our small businesses, to reject the Kennedy amendment.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent for 30 seconds to respond.

The gentleman's amendment goes well beyond that. The gentleman's amendment goes back 2 years. It could have been a civil disturbance on a college campus if someone now has an existing business totally unrelated to any economic crime. It is just something that should not be in this law, and I urge my colleagues to reject it.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the Rubio amendment.

The policy that Senator Rubio is objecting to is implemented by the Small Business Administration to help the underserved communities.

During that 14-day period, 400,000 small businesses with 20 employees or less were able, at long last, to get PPP help. And almost half were first-time borrowers under the PPP program, those that had been shut out in the past.

But, specifically, the Rubio amendment, if it were adopted--and it is wrong policy--would require the House to concur. The House is not in session for 2 weeks. That could take us beyond the 31st of March, and the program would end, costing hundreds of thousands of small businesses the opportunity that--some are now eligible for the first time; some are trying to figure out the calculations.

So for all those reasons--and one last point: The Chamber of Commerce of the United States urges all of us to vote in favor of the underlying bill and oppose any amendment that would derail the expeditious approval of this measure.

Let's follow the Chamber's advice. Let's vote down the Rubio amendment.

Vote on Amendment No. 1405

Mr. President, I have been advised by the administration there is an excess of $50 billion available at the end of this month for the extension. So pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the waiver provisions of applicable budget resolutions in section 4(g)(3) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, I move to waive all applicable sections of those acts and applicable budget resolutions for purpose of the pending measure, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, first, I want to thank Senator Collins for her leadership on this issue. I want to thank Senator Shaheen for her help in getting this done.

This bill is widely supported. It passed the House by 415 to 3, supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the NFIB, and numerous other stakeholders in small business.

It will be 1 year since the passage of the CARES Act, and the PPP program has saved millions of small businesses from being shuttered. It has helped save our unemployment insurance system by keeping small- employer employees on the payroll. It has kept workforce together for small businesses, which is critically important to get through this pandemic.

Small businesses need additional time because we have changed the eligibility, we have changed the calculation, and you have to find private banks that are willing to take on this loan. And we are now into a second round. There is over $50 billion available at the end of this month to continue the program.

I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

I would yield the remainder of our time to Senator Collins.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I rise today to urge swift passage of the PPP Extension Act, which will extend the March 31 deadline for the Paycheck Protection Program 2 months, to May 31, and give the SBA an additional month, through June 30, to process any backlogged applications.

This Saturday, March 27, will be the 1-year date since the CARES Act was enacted. In that time, SBA has approved 8.2 million PPP loans worth more than $715 billion.

These loans have saved small businesses throughout our Nation. They would not be here today but for this program. It also saved the stress on our unemployment insurance system by keeping small business employees on the payroll. And as I am sure the Presiding Officer knows, for a small business, it is difficult to find a workforce and to keep a workforce, and the Paycheck Protection Program allowed small businesses to maintain their workforce so that when the pandemic is over, they are going to be ready for our growing economy.

The world feels a little different today than it did a year ago. The American people are finally beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. More than 124 million vaccine doses have been administered, and public health officials nationwide are beginning to ease restrictions on public gatherings.

We can see a light at the end of the tunnel, but we are not there yet. Small businesses are struggling, but in spite of those struggles, small businesses are still showing up for our communities.

The Baltimore Sun recently published a story about a restaurant in my hometown of Baltimore that captured the essence of the value that small businesses bring to our communities.

Steve Chu and Ephrem Abebe, co-owners of the popular restaurant in Baltimore named Ekiben, recently drove 6 hours from Baltimore to Vermont to prepare a meal for a longtime customer who was on her deathbed. They did this at their own cost because that is what small business owners do. They are part of our community. Afterward, Mr. Chu and Mr. Abebe called the decision a ``no-brainer'' and viewed their trip as a way to say thank you to a customer who had supported them for years.

That is what makes small businesses special. They are more than places we go to buy products or enjoy a meal. They are vital pillars in our community. That story and countless others like it are why we passed the PPP program initially and why we must pass the PPP Extension Act--so PPP can continue to be a lifeline for small businesses in the coming months.

Congress and the Biden administration have implemented significant improvements to the PPP in recent months that have made the program more equitable and useful. So we must now extend the deadline to allow small businesses and nonprofits to take full advantage and receive the help that they need.

In December, Congress passed the bipartisan Economic Aid Act, which provided an additional $284 billion to PPP and made second-round PPP loans available to small businesses that had spent their initial PPP loan and can demonstrate a 25-percent loss in revenue. The bill also expanded eligibility of PPP to include certain local newspapers, TV stations and radio stations, as well as 501(c)6 nonprofits.

I must remind my colleagues that while the SBA was beginning to implement the improvements we made to the PPP in the Economic Aid Act, the Agency was also undergoing a transition from the Trump administration to the Biden administration. Transitions, even under the best circumstances, can be disruptive to an Agency's work.

On February 22, the Biden administration took strong action to get funding to small businesses that were either left out or underfunded during prior rounds of PPP. The administration implemented a 14-day exclusive window for small businesses with fewer than 20 employees. It updated the maximum loan calculation formula for sole proprietors, and it eliminated rules prohibiting small businesses owned by formerly incarcerated individuals and individuals with delinquent Federal student loans from securing a PPP loan.

It made it possible and much more worthwhile for small businesses to apply for PPP loans, but it takes time. PPP is a forgivable loan, but you have to have a financial institution to make that loan. It has to be processed, it has to be approved, and it can't be done by the end of this month.

During the exclusivity period, SBA approved PPP loans for more than 400,000 small businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees, nearly half of which were first-time borrowers. We are reaching the hard to serve, the most needy of the small businesses. They finally got help.

Earlier this month, we passed the historic American Rescue Plan. The plan expanded PPP eligibility even more, to include more nonprofits as well as digital news platforms. The plan provides overdu aid to the local chapters of large nonprofits, such as the YMCA and Goodwill, which had not had prior access to PPP due to having multiple locations totaling more than 500 employees. The plan makes these nonprofits eligible for PPP loans worth up to $10 million, as long as each location does not exceed the employee limit. That makes sense.

During a hearing examining PPP last week, the small business community heard testimony from John Hoey, who leads the YMCA chapter that serves the Baltimore region. John urged us to extend the PPP to give nonprofit leaders more time to understand the program. He said:

I can tell you that colleagues of mine who run large Ys

around the country and large nonprofits in Baltimore are

still trying to understand the program and figure out if they

qualify. I think a 3-month extension is not only warranted

but owed to all of us after what we've been through this past

year.

We also heard testimony from Lisa Mensah, who leads the Opportunity Finance Network, which is the national

association of CDFIs, our mission lenders. She warned us that ``thousands of business owners will not receive access to PPP without an extension.''

She told us about a CDFI in Jackson, MS, that estimates that 1,300 loans from small businesses that applied for PPP will not receive funds if we do not extend the deadline. Of these 1,300 applicants, 98 percent are businesses with fewer than 20 employees, 95 percent are minority- owned, and nearly 100 of them are veteran- or veteran-spouse-owned small businesses.

This is only one CDFI out of hundreds nationwide. The story will be repeated--those that have been left out. The committee has also been urged to extend the deadline by the business community. On March 15, more than 90 chambers of commerce, trade groups, and business organizations sent a letter urging extension, and they said:

Nearly one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the continued

liquidity challenges of the small business sector are acute.

It is clear that there is still an overwhelming need for PPP loans, which is why the PPP Extension Act passed the House of Representatives by a 415-to-3 vote. This is bipartisan. The bill that we are talking about is sponsored by Senator Collins. Senator Shaheen and I are also on that bill.

The good news is that the resources are there. We have been informed by the SBA that the extension of the deadline can work within the funds that have already been made available by Congress. The money is there.

This is not the first time we have done this. I must remind my colleagues that, last year, as PPP was approaching its deadline, I brought a bill to the floor of the Senate and worked with Senator Rubio to give small businesses more time to get their applications filed. I must also remind my colleagues that we passed that extension to preserve access to PPP while we continued negotiating on broader changes to the program. We need to do the same thing again.

I know that there are other modifications to the program that we will have an opportunity to discuss, and I am committed to conducting those discussions in the same bipartisan manner that I have approached the development of these programs. In fact, later today, in just 45 minutes, there will be a hearing of the Small Business Committee where we will be doing oversight on the programs that we made available during COVID-19, and we will have representatives from government responsible for those programs, including the SBA.

But the bottom line: We first need to extend the program. We have got to make sure it doesn't expire next week. We must get this done. The need is there, and the funds are there.

Mr. President, today I wish to commemorate Irish-American Heritage Month and the many contributions of Irish immigrants to the United States of America. The Irish have been a part of our country since its foundation. Donegal-born Richard Montgomery was the first American general to lose his life in the Revolutionary War. Especially during the 19th and early 20th centuries, many Irish immigrants came to America to escape religious persecution, famine, and economic hardship, and to seek new opportunities for themselves and their families.

Maryland's long tradition of religious tolerance provided safe haven for many Irish Catholics fleeing religious persecution as early as the 17th century. Maryland again became a leading destination for the Irish during the Great Hunger in the early 19th century. The Irish helped build and defend our country. They became farmers, soldiers, firefighters, police officers, factory workers, labor organizers, and politicians. Many Irish immigrants settled in southwest Baltimore and contributed great numbers to the workforce that built America's first railroad, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

Irish Marylanders have made notable contributions to both our Nation and our State in politics, science, and education. Marylander Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a third-generation Irish American, signed the Declaration of Independence, was a Founding Father, and served as the first U.S. Senator for Maryland. Medical trailblazer John Crawford emigrated from Ireland to Maryland and became famous for his contributions to eradicating smallpox, helping to identify transmission pathways, and improving vaccine distribution. Maryland has been home to numerous Irish Catholic bishops including John Carroll, James Gibbons, and Michael Curley. Bishop Carroll founded two universities, including St. Mary's College and Seminary. Bishop Gibbons advocated for the protection of exploited laborers during industrial expansion. Bishop Curley expanded education opportunities throughout Maryland. Descendants of Irish immigrants have also left their mark on America and on Maryland. Famous Marylanders with Irish ancestry include Edgar Allen Poe and Michael Phelps.

When the Irish came to America, they brought a tremendous sense of pride and grit. The resiliency of Irish Americans has helped pull our Nation through difficult times. Irish Americans, despite facing trials and persecution, have persevered and have left a lasting, beneficial impact on our Nation; Yet they also maintain a strong and unique sense of identity and love for the Emerald Isle, enriching the diversity of our lives and communities. So, this month, in addition to donning your green and enjoying a pint of Guinness, I call on all Americans to remember and appreciate the many contributions of the Irish here in America.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.