Floor Statements

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Madam President, I rise to join my good colleague Senator Rosen and my other colleagues in urging our friend and Senator from Arkansas to allow the nomination of these candidates for U.S. attorney and U.S. marshal to move forward.

And let me just start by answering the question that you have posed to both of my colleagues because I think it needs to be reframed. I think the premise really is this. There is no doubt that your ultimate goal here--and you have an ultimate goal that you are trying to achieve, and I don't question that. I do question, though, the procedure and the means by which you choose to succeed in your goal. And that is what we are talking about, Senator Cotton, because, at the end of the day, what you are trying to do is literally stand for U.S. marshals while at the same time harming the U.S. Marshals Service by not allowing two nominees to go before and get appointed to the U.S. Marshals Service. Likewise, you are adding to that--U.S. attorneys across the country, including one in the State of Nevada, who are on the frontlines of the law and order that we need in this country.

As you well know, U.S. attorneys work with U.S. marshals across the country to address violent crime in this country and prosecute it, to address drug trafficking, human trafficking, murders, and so on. So that means what you are trying to achieve here is actually harming law and order across the country. I don't think you intend to do that. I hope not. But that is what we are questioning right now, is the means by which you are trying to achieve here--what we are asking is for you to reconsider because at the end of the day--and I heard you earlier. I think you made some comment saying: Sorry your lawyers have to wait to get confirmed in a week or two. You know better. These aren't just lawyers. You know U.S. attorneys across this country are on the frontline of law and order. They are key to prosecuting essential crimes that we need to address in this country, including working with our U.S. marshals along with the FBI and other essential Federal Agencies.

I would ask that you reconsider the means by which you are trying to achieve your goal because in Nevada, the position of U.S. attorney has been vacant for a full year. The President has nominated Jason Frierson for that role. As you heard, Senator Rosen and I both support this excellent candidate, and the full Senate needs to confirm him and let him get to work.

You have heard his background. He is more than qualified for this position, and I am not hearing from you that you have concerns about his qualifications. But he is essential to ensure that we get somebody in place, confirmed very swiftly, so that he can get to work on behalf of the people in the State of Nevada and be on the frontlines of addressing and ensuring we have law and order not only in Nevada but across the country in these other States.

My question to you, Senator Cotton, is, would you reconsider the means by which you are trying to achieve your goal so that you are not harming those men and women who are on the frontlines of law and order across the country, including here in the State of Nevada that we are talking about? And you will hear from some of my other colleagues.

So I pose the question to you, Senator, through the Chair.

Yes.

Madam President, I am disappointed because I hear my colleague, but he is not listening. He keeps repeating the same talking point that he is defending law enforcement when, at the same time, he is harming law enforcement across the country. This really is nonsensical. It does not make sense not only to me and my colleagues but to the general public that is watching.

We are talking about filling positions at the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Attorney's Offices across the country. They are essential to addressing what we see across the country and ensuring that there is law and order.

So it is the means by which you are trying to achieve your goal which we would ask you to consider. Unfortunately, I am not hearing from my colleague from Arkansas that he is willing to reconsider it and stand up for law and order across this country and support the U.S. Attorney's Offices and marshals who need to be appointed.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, this morning, I have been listening to my colleagues, watching the news, watching our President, and reflecting on this day a year ago and where I was during this incredible insurrection that we now know happened on the Capitol.

I was in my Capitol office here, as we all have an office here in the Capitol. I was getting ready to come to the floor of the Senate and certify that Joe Biden had won the Presidency in a free and fair election. The senior Senator from Minnesota had organized many of us to stand in defense of that free and fair election, and I had been asked to stand in defense of the certified electoral votes in Arizona. And what I had been told, they were going to challenge Nevada. It was a significant moment.

Even before President Biden's victory, people had been spreading lies about the election for political gain, and I had planned to deliver a speech to combat those lies and explain in detail that the 2020 vote count was fair and accurate. So as I left my Capitol office and was walking to the Senate to deliver that speech, it became clear that something unprecedented was happening, because on my way out of my Capitol office, I came across two of my colleagues, one of them here today, Senator Smith, and Senator Murkowski. They were standing outside an open door to a restroom that we share amongst our Capitol offices, and I asked them what was going on.

They said: There is a Capitol Police officer in there. He has got something in his eyes, and he is flushing his eyes out with water.

I leaned in, and I saw the officer at the bathroom sink. I thought to myself and I said aloud to my colleagues: I think he has been pepper- sprayed.

I asked him: Have you been pepper sprayed?

He said: Yes, but don't worry. Everything is fine. I am going to keep you all safe.

With that, he dashed back out the door, up the stairs, and outside to protect all of us and everyone else in this building.

Now, I knew there had been a rally going on near the White House and that there were protests. What I did not know that morning was just how close the protesters were to forcing their way into this Capitol.

Now, everyone knows what happened next. As we sat here, all of the Senators, all of the staff who work with us day in and day out, our partners, the next thing we heard was this Chamber being shut down by the Capitol Police, claiming that the Capitol had been breached. They told us to stay in our seats.

This is the safest place for you to be right now, and we will protect you.

At that moment, we could all hear outside the doors. We didn't know what was going on, because we can't see beyond this room, what was happening outside, but we knew. We could hear the voices, and we could hear what was happening. We also could hear, outside of the one set of double doors that we call the hallway with the Ohio Clock that leads to the Rotunda, a lot of noise. It was at that moment, as the noise was working its way toward the Rotunda, that the Capitol Police officers then told all of us to get up and move quickly. We moved out these opposite doors right here, moved as quickly as we possibly could.

That is when everybody came together, all of the Senators--I don't care if they were Republican or Democrat--our floor staff who was with us, grabbing those electoral votes, and we all started going up and down stairs, through hallways, up and down stairs, through hallways, until we could get to a secure location.

As we were going through the hallways and when we got to the secure location, it was clear why this was happening. We were under attack because insurrectionists had been whipped into a frenzy by the false claim that the election in Nevada and in other States was fraudulent. That is exactly what the speakers said during that rally before the violence began.

We saw the same false claims in Nevada, where extremists tried to challenge our election results in an effort to prevent Joe Biden from becoming President. The former President's campaign and his supporters filed a total of five lawsuits challenging the security of the election system and targeting our secretary of state in Nevada. Every one of those lawsuits was thrown out or failed, every single one of them in Nevada. When the official tally was completed, President Biden won Nevada by 33,596 votes.

The Nevada secretary of state not only certified the election, she also investigated each and every claim of election fraud, and she made clear that her office found no evidence of widespread fraud.

Now, I was the attorney general of the State of Nevada for 8 years, and I can tell you from personal experience, when we find voter fraud, we prosecute it. I also know there was, again, no widespread voter fraud in Nevada in the year 2020.

Let me explain what ``widespread voter fraud'' means because that is now being challenged by some of the former President's supporters. ``Widespread'' means that there was not enough to have changed the results of the election; that it was still a safe and secure election and Joe Biden is our President. In fact, not only Nevada's elections were safe, accessible, and secure, but across the country, they have been proven to be safe, accessible, and secure.

I also want to share with the rest of the country that in my State, in Nevada, we have enacted important protections for protecting voting rights, including automatic voter registration, vote by mail, early voting, and same-day registration. In the 2020 Presidential election, almost half of Nevadans--people from both parties--took advantage of our vote-by-mail laws.

But because the defeated former President and his supporters were upset that he lost the election, some of them publicized the lie that he had won, and that lie, in turn, spurred members of the public to violence that resulted in five deaths and countless injuries.

Now, we all know, after the Capitol Police helped us move to safety, my colleagues and I from both parties talked about what to do. We knew the insurrectionists were trying to stop us from certifying the election, and we knew we had to finish our job, no matter how late it was. We all agreed that we had to go back to the Senate Chamber so that we could show the rest of the country that we would not let our democracy be subverted by violence; that we would honor our Constitution and the peaceful transfer of power in this country.

I want to make this clear. I would have stood up to certify the valid results of the 2020 election no matter who won. This isn't about partisanship; it is about patriotism. I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and protect it against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and nothing and no one will prevent me from doing that sworn duty.

So I walked back to the Senate floor on the evening of January 6 to finish

my work. I will remember what I saw for the rest of my life. As I walked back, furniture had been thrown everywhere like matchsticks. Trash and broken glass littered the floor. It was like a war zone.

That night, I stood up and spoke in defense of our democracy as I had planned to do hours before. And at 3:42 a.m., Vice President Pence announced that Joe Biden was the President-elect.

We honored the Democratic transfer of power for the 59th time in American history, but I am here to tell you, there is so much to do to ensure that there will be a 60th time. Our democracy is more fragile than it has been in decades. The same bad actors who fueled the violence in the first place, including the defeated former President and his supporters, continue to spread the Big Lie that the election was stolen, and they are using these false claims to pass legislation threatening our very democracy.

Around the country, more than 400 State laws were introduced to restrict voting last year alone. In Nevada, we expanded vote-by-mail drop box locations, but in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, and Indiana, new laws make it harder to use those drop boxes. Nevada has same-day voter registration, but Texas just made it harder to register, not easier. In Georgia, it is now even illegal to give food or water to people waiting in long lines to vote. The list goes on and on.

These are partisan laws. They are designed to favor one group of voters over another. That is not democracy. A real democracy honors everyone's right to be heard. It makes sure that everyone gets a vote and that every vote is counted.

Democracy is a remarkable thing--a system where the people get to choose their own leaders. We all need to stand up for it, just as the countless heroes of our history have done, from Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Abraham Lincoln, to Martin Luther King, Jr.

I will not stop fighting to protect our country and our democracy. I will continue working with my colleagues to pass voting rights legislation. We need to follow Nevada's lead and protect access to the polls. We cannot let anyone silence America's voice in their own government.

I also want to recognize many of the heroes who protected us that day, like the Capitol Police officer I encountered that morning. After the attack was over, I learned that 140 police officers I pass in the halls of Congress every day had broken bones or worse. Four of them later took their own lives. These are brave men and women who put themselves at risk every day to protect not just the people's elected representatives but our dedicated staff and the hardest working people here at the Capitol, from the janitors to the cafeteria workers, to the postal employees. All of these people carry their own memories of January 6, and we need to make sure they never have to go through something like that again.

So many of them are still here at the Capitol, still doing their jobs, like the Capitol Police officer I saw earlier who had been pepper-sprayed. But I will tell you what: They give me hope, and they remind me that all of us have a job to do just like we did on January 6. One year later, it is clear that we all must stand united in defense of our democracy. I hope we can do just that.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 485, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 12 noon, Friday, January 7; that follow the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Bose nomination.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order, under the provisions of S. Res. 485.

Mr. President, today, I rise to pay tribute to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a champion for Nevada. He was one of the most powerful, dedicated, and effective advocates that my home State has ever seen. He worked for the benefit of Nevadans for almost 50 years in both State and national politics. Everyone living in the Silver State today has benefited from his wise and tenacious efforts.

But before Harry Reid was my Senator and the Senator for the State of Nevada, he was a neighbor to my family. He was a mentor and a friend.

Now, I grew up in Las Vegas, just down the street from the Reid family, and my sister and I attended public school with their oldest son, Rory. And the entire Cortez family and Masto family and I want to send our condolences to his beautiful wife Landra; his children, Lana Reid Barringer, Rory, Leif, Josh, and Key; and his 19 grandchildren and his great-grandchildren.

Harry Reid was irreplaceable, not just to them but to so many people, including me and many of my colleagues in this Chamber. He was unfailingly supportive of me throughout my entire time in public service.

You know, I remember when I first decided to run for the office of Nevada's attorney general. One of the first people I called was Senator Reid, and I asked him for advice. I asked him for advice on running for office because it was the first time I had ever run for any type of office, and I had chosen to take on a statewide campaign. Not only was he supportive, but he was candid in his comments--as only Harry can be--about campaigning, the types of individuals working in the campaign world, and what to beware of, of those working in that campaign world. His advice still rings true today.

When I was serving, and fortunate enough to be elected statewide as the attorney general, Senator Reid was always available for a call. And he never forgot about Nevada and working with everybody in Nevada from his seat here as a majority leader.

I remember one time, as the attorney general, I got a call from a Senator here in the U.S. Senate, and the Senator said to me: I was just talking to Senator Reid, and there is an issue that came up that I would like to focus on, but Senator Reid said: You better call my attorney general first in Nevada to make sure that she and the State of Nevada are supportive of it. And to this day, I now serve with that Senator. I will never forget getting a call from a U.S. Senator, as a sitting attorney general, to talk about an issue that was important for Nevada because Senator Reid knew what was important for him and his State.

He also had this uncanny ability to call you at just the right time, when you needed support or encouragement, when you needed advice or just someone to commiserate with. We all know

he didn't like to stay on the phone long, but he knew when you needed him, and he would be there. He was a compassionate and kind man, a side of him that many people did not see but many people also benefited from greatly over the years. It is my incredible honor to be able to hold the seat he occupied so well for so long.

Harry Reid accomplished so much as a Nevada Senator. Born in the little town of Searchlight, NV, he knew his home State better than anyone. He understood that Nevada was a microcosm of our country. He knew that Nevada's diversity mirrored this Nation's, and that is why Senator Reid worked to give Nevada a greater role in deciding each party's nominee for President. He wanted to ensure that a State as diverse and dynamic as Nevada played an important role in choosing America's leaders.

Harry Reid also understood Nevada's landscapes, from the desert outside of Searchlight that so many of us have heard about to the snowy peaks of the Ruby Mountains in winter, to the glistening waters of Lake Tahoe. He was a dedicated environmentalist who helped conserve Nevada's abundant national treasures, keeping our State beautiful for future generations and protecting outdoor recreation that fuels our State's economy.

And we all know he would not back down from a fight, especially when it involved Nevada; whether that was blocking every effort to dump nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain without Nevada's agreement or advocating for Federal funding to help upgrade Nevada's schools, airports, roads and bridges, he was relentless in his push to get our State the resources that we deserved.

Harry Reid was as diligent in supporting Nevada's rural and Tribal communities as he was in building up our world-class cities. He helped create Nevada's booming clean energy economy and make the State a destination for those looking to build an innovative, sustainable future.

The changes that he helped set in motion were so far-reaching that they allowed Nevada to benefit from the innovation economy of the 21st century. He paved the way for us. It isn't just Nevadans who are better off because of Harry Reid; the entire country gained because of his hard work and his dedication. He helped rescue the country by getting America through the great recession, taking extra care to support the hospitality and tourism economies that are so vital to the economy and the jobs in Nevada.

He was instrumental in protecting Nevada's and the Nation's Dreamers and immigrant families.

In his crowning legislative achievement, he fought tirelessly to get millions of Americans access to affordable healthcare. His work was key to ensuring that the Affordable Care Act became law, lowering healthcare costs and giving access to high-quality care to millions who didn't have it before.

Harry Reid was a great American, but first and foremost, he was a great Nevadan. He never forgot where he came from, and there is no doubt in my mind that is what motivated him every single day. As Nevada's son, he made a tremendous difference for our State and for every American. He was a wonderful friend and a true public servant and for that we will miss him in the Senate and across the Nation.

Mr. President, like all Americans, Nevadans have been through a difficult 2 years. Our State was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. Nevada relies on tourism and the travel industry, and with the country in lockdown, a huge proportion of our families saw layoffs or furloughs. In fact, we had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country at one time: 30 percent.

For those families, the middle-class tax cuts we passed in the American Rescue Plan have been an incredible lifeline. Today, I am joining my colleagues to stand up for extending these tax cuts. It is so important that we get this done for people not only in the Silver State but across the country.

In many cases, this is money that Nevadans have earned, and it really needs to go back into their pockets. We are talking about a tax cut that benefits the vast majority of families in Nevada.

In July of this year, because of the American Rescue Plan, the child tax credit increased to $300 per month for children under 6 years of age and $250 a month for children between 6 and 17 years of age. Working families with two young kids are receiving more than $500 a month back from the government to help them make ends meet, and it is making a tremendous difference. Over 594,000 children in Nevada and their families qualify for this money.

I have heard story after story from people in the Silver State about the way the money is supporting their children. Some families are using the money for rent, to make sure that their kids don't suffer from housing insecurity. Others use it for clothes for their children or schoolbooks and other school supplies.

Lori Munoz from Henderson, NV, told the Las Vegas Sun that she uses it for school lunches and other school expenses. She said, ``You always think, `oh, it's some extra money.' It's never extra money. . . . Kids always need, there's always something that needs to be bought.''

Many families use it just for food on the table. After those first payments were issued in July, the number of adults reporting that children in their households didn't have enough to eat fell by one- third.

And Jessie Cartinella from Reno told me that receiving the monthly payments let her stay afloat as a single mom on a teacher's salary and kept her from running up credit card bills. She said, and I quote: ``Thanks to the Advance Child Tax Credit, I've mostly avoided this and been able to pay bills and even enjoy special outings with my children. The Child Tax Credit encourages my family to make better choices in general--affording me assistance with quality childcare, options for healthier products and food, and providing the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities that I believe are critical to a kid's social and physical development.''

That was Jessie. And that is why it was so beneficial to her family and her children.

Social interactions are so important for kids' mental health as well, and we have known that throughout this pandemic. Treanna James, a single mom in Las Vegas, used her extra funds to take her two sons to visit an uncle and an aunt in northern California for the first time since the pandemic began. Because of underlying medical issues, they had to be very careful about travel; but she said the child tax credit helped make it possible for them to spend time with family again at Thanksgiving.

So these tax cuts have really been key for Nevada families. Now, they are set to expire at the end of 2021, but the budget proposal that we are considering extends them for 1 more year.

Our hard-working families want us to keep this critical support going to them. This is not the time to make it harder for people to keep a roof over their heads or give their kids the essentials they need.

So let's make sure Nevadans can keep that money that they have earned and extend these middle-class tax cuts to Nevadans and all families across the country. Let's support the working people. Let's support hard-working individuals every day and help them with their economic recovery.

I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, this morning, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether it is constitutional for Mississippi to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. This is by far the biggest threat to Roe v. Wade in almost three decades.

I am here today to sound the alarm and call on my colleagues to stand with me to protect the health of America's women.

There is every reason to think that extreme Justices on the Supreme Court are poised to either overturn Roe or fatally undermine it. If the Supreme Court gets rid of Roe, which has been the law of the land for five decades, each individual State will decide whether to let women control their own bodies and their own lives.

Without Roe, abortion will be immediately illegal in about 12 States, and more than a dozen others will likely put severe abortion restrictions in place. It is even possible that a future Republican Congress would try to restrict abortion nationally.

Now, you know reproductive rights have been protected for so long in the United States that it has been easy for us to forget what happens when we don't safeguard them. But when women cannot control what reproductive care they receive, their health suffers--their physical, emotional, and economic health--and the health and welfare of their entire families.

We can see that now in Texas, where a new law creates incentives for vigilantes to pry into their neighbors' lives by letting anyone sue who would aid and abet abortions and get a $10,000 reward for doing so.

Texas doctors have reported that they are afraid to give essential medical advice to women at risk of life-threatening complications in their pregnancies. One woman in Texas was even refused care for an ectopic pregnancy, which cannot be carried to term and must be terminated to save the patient's life.

Women seek access to reproductive care for all kinds of reasons-- reasons

that are personal and intimate and sometimes heartbreaking. And Americans understand this. They get it. Three out of every four of us, including the vast majority of Nevadans, agree that the people who should be making decisions about pregnancies are women and their doctors.

It is unthinkable to me, then, that the Court is on the verge of taking that decision away from women and medical professionals and giving it to politicians instead.

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, nearly half of women nationwide will see the nearest clinic close. The average distance to the nearest reproductive healthcare clinic will go up by more than 10 times, from 25 miles to 279 miles.

Now, if you have ever worked for minimum wage, you know that taking days to travel across State lines for healthcare is a luxury that many Americans can't afford. That is reality for many low-income women, including women of color.

We have to stop treating women's healthcare as optional.

In Nevada--and I say to the Presiding Officer, you know this better than anyone in the Senate--we have worked hard to protect reproductive health. In the nineties, we passed a ballot initiative to enshrine choice into law.

More recently, in Nevada, we have done away with the kind of restrictions on abortion that are popping up in State after State. But make no mistake, as long as there are active efforts to eliminate the right to choose, whether in the courts or in Congress, the reproductive freedom of women everywhere is in jeopardy.

We must do everything we can to protect a woman's right to choose. That is why it is so vital that Congress pass the Women's Health Protection Act. This bill would outlaw bans and other medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion across the country. It would mean that States could not impose medically unnecessary ultrasounds, excessive waiting periods, and other extreme burdens on healthcare providers intended to limit abortion access. It would guarantee women control over their reproductive decisions, in consultation with medical professionals.

Now, that is what three-quarters of us think is right. I will do everything I can in the Senate to protect women in Nevada and across this country, and I would hope that our colleagues would join us.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I have 9 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 408.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m., Monday, October 25; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Cobb nomination; further, that at 5:30 p.m., the Senate resume consideration of the Parker nomination, as provided under the previous order; and, finally, that if any nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

For the information of Senators, there will be two rollcall votes starting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday on the confirmation of the Parker and Perez nominations.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.