Floor Statements

I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 512.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, now, I see my friend Senator Blumenthal is on the floor, and I would ask him to engage in a colloquy on a very important issue, a top priority of mine, and a bill that I am a proud cosponsor of--the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA.

I yield the floor.

I thank my colleague.

Like him, I have personally met with the families that have been harmed. I have seen their terrible stories, and I am committed, completely, to work with them to get KOSA across the finish line. With the hard work of Senator Blumenthal and Senator Blackburn, KOSA has passed through the Commerce Committee unanimously and has gotten up to 70 cosponsors.

Last month, I put together a plan to get KOSA done through unanimous consent for a time agreement on the floor. I personally helped resolve issues and mitigated unintended consequences of the bill. That effort has significantly reduced the opposition, but there are still holdouts.

I thank my colleague once again for his good work. After weeks of work, we have made real progress in removing objections to this bill. Sadly, objectors remain. I hope the progress can continue over the coming days.

If the objectors refuse to come to a resolution, we must pursue a different legislative path to get this done.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading.

In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceedings.

Mr. President, it should never take a tragedy of a mass shooting for the Senate to pass commonsense gun safety legislation.

Thankfully, today, we have a chance to make our community safer if Republicans don't stand in the way.

This afternoon, my colleague Senator Heinrich will come to the floor and seek passage of a Federal ban on bump stocks. I applaud this effort. I applaud his bill. I am proud to support and speak on behalf of it.

We must act because a few days ago, the MAGA Supreme Court struck once again saying the Federal Government has no power to ban the sale of bump stocks.

The MAGA Court's decision is an utter disgrace that will endanger our communities, endanger law enforcement, and make it easier for mass shooters to unleash carnage.

Last week's decision is another warning sign that this MAGA Court is going off the deep end, aligning with the most extreme elements of the hard right.

Bump stocks are truly dangerous devices. They allow people to use rifles essentially as machine guns, which the national Firearms Act banned in the 1930s. Even Donald Trump banned bump stocks shortly after the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, when a shooter in Vegas used bump stocks to fire over 1,000 rounds in 10 minutes. And we know the tragic results of 60 people dead and hundreds and hundreds injured. Donald Trump is no friend of gun safety, but there was such huge pressure after we saw the carnage that bump stocks created that even he introduced a resolution to ban them.

What today's bill does is return things to the status quo set by Donald Trump, saying bump stocks are dangerous and should be prohibited. Senate Republicans, by and large, supported Trump's ban on bump stocks back then, so they should support this bill today.

But, sadly, some of our colleagues on the other side are making it clear they will ignore the immense worry most Americans have about gun violence, and they will block today's bill.

Some on the other side say this bill is political theater; that it does nothing; that it is a stunt. Go tell the families of those who lost loved ones that this is a stunt. Go tell the many who have recovered from injuries that this is a stunt.

Are my Republican colleagues serious? Do they really think banning bump stocks is some kind of stunt? Again, they should tell that to the people of Nevada who have dead relatives because of bump stocks.

Whenever Republicans use the cliche ``show vote'' argument, that is their way of saying they don't want to engage the issue on the merits.

Remember what happened 2 years ago on the Senate floor: Democrats and Republicans worked together to pass bipartisan gun safety legislation-- something almost nobody thought possible. I am very proud that both sides persevered because we passed that bill, and it has done a lot of good for this country already.

Today, we have a chance to add to the success of 2 years ago by passing a simple measure that restores the Trump-era prohibition on bump stocks.

I implore--I implore--my Republican colleagues not to stand in the way of today's bill because if we can pass it today, we will be one step closer to ensuring that a tragedy like what happened in Las Vegas never happens again. But if Republicans get in the way today, if they decide to side with the gun lobby instead of parents and teachers and law enforcement, they are asking for another tragedy to strike sooner or later.

Mr. President, on MAGA extremism in terms of abortion, yesterday, I took the first procedural step to place on the legislative calendar the Reproductive Freedom for Women Act, sponsored by Senator Murray and myself and cosponsored by every woman Senator on our side of the aisle.

This measure affirms a woman's fundamental right to choose and calls for enshrining the protections of Roe into law, as most Americans say they want. I will work with my colleagues to bring it to the floor as soon as possible.

As we approach the 2-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned, this month could have been a month when the Senate came together to protect Americans' reproductive freedoms. This could have been a month when both sides came together to pass commonsense legislation protecting reproductive care like contraception and IVF. This could have been a month when we put to rest the worries of the millions of women across America enduring attacks on their reproductive freedoms in the aftermath of Roe. But instead, June has been a dismal month for MAGA Republicans and their attacks on women, families, and reproductive rights.

In the last 2 weeks, Senate Republicans have shown that, for all their attempts to sound moderate on reproductive care, when it comes time to vote, they choose MAGA extremism over the wishes and desires of the American people. When Republicans blocked Federal protections for contraception a few weeks ago, they chose MAGA extremism over the American people. When Republicans blocked Federal protections for IVF a few days ago, they chose MAGA extremism over the American people.

And when Donald Trump continues, to this day, to brag about working with Senate Republicans to confirm three hard-right Supreme Court Justices to eliminate Roe, that is choosing MAGA extremism over the American people.

Republicans cannot run away from a basic truth. That is why, when we return, our bill to make sure that Congress ensures the right to choose, the right to an abortion, will be before the Senate for a vote. Republicans cannot run away from a basic truth: Their record on women's healthcare is outright abysmal; it is shameful; and it is dangerously out of step with the views of most Americans.

Mr. President, now on the fire bill, on a happier note, I am proud to say the Senate will send to the President's desk bipartisan legislation to support our brave firefighters in New York, on Long Island, and across the country. Our firefighters are heroes, whether it is New York's bravest at the FDNY or the smaller volunteer departments protecting suburban communities in Long Island and in Westchester or protecting rural communities throughout Upstate New York. Our firefighters represent the best of our community. They rush to danger every day to protect us, putting all else aside to help those in need.

Now it is time for the Senate to be there for our firefighters. The Fire Grants and Safety Act reauthorizes a series of important grants that help keep our fire departments up to speed with Federal dollars. I was proud to help create these grants years back, and I have long supported this legislation to protect our firefighters so they have the support they need.

The Federal funding in these grants goes directly to making sure that they have the lifesaving equipment and personnel they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. When it comes to protecting firefighters, we should spare no expense, and this legislation shows our firefighters that we have their backs as they rush to danger, as they risk their lives for our safety. This is especially true in smaller, more rural areas and in more suburban areas where there is often not enough revenue to afford more resources. Our volunteer firefighters are brave. They volunteer. They don't get paid. But they need the best equipment just like all the other firefighters, and this grant makes sure that that happens in many places.

So this bipartisan legislation will ensure that our firefighters can continue working to keep their communities safe--in the larger cities where there are paid fire departments and in suburban and rural America where there are volunteer fire departments. It unites both of them in this legislation.

I look forward to voting yes and sending this bill to the President's desk today.

Mr. President, now on immigration, 12 years ago this week, President Obama announced the creation of DACA, one of the most important programs in our country's history on immigration. It changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people for the better, people who came to this country when they were very little and who, for all intents and purposes, knew America as their only home.

Today, President Biden is announcing the most significant relief program for immigrants since DACA, expanding protection for hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. They are not documented, but they are married to a U.S. citizen.

I applaud President Biden for today's truly significant announcement. It is going to help keep hundreds of thousands of families together. That is what it does: bring families together, keep them together. And it will provide peace of mind and dignity and, most of all, opportunity to contribute so that these people can contribute to this country even more.

The announcement will help make our economy stronger, as these spouses will be eligible for work permits at a time when there is a shortage of workers in so many different professions and give them a long-term path to stability.

The announcement is an affirmation of what America is truly about at its core: a land built by immigrants; a land of opportunity for people who want to contribute to this country, who know that our way of life is the best way if you work hard to get ahead and provide a better life for your children. The vast majority of those who will benefit from today's announcement have been in this country for decades--an average of 23 years they have been here--but in a state of limbo, according to the White House. To them, America is home. America is where they have built families. America is where they gained skills, worked hard, contributed to our economy, earned a living, and had children who will often go on and do better things than they.

That is the American dream. That is the American story. And that has been

true for generation after generation, until a MAGA group of Republicans decided that they were anti-immigrant.

Let's not forget, President Reagan, President H. W. Bush, and President George W. Bush were all pro-immigration until this 180-degree reversal by the Republican Party to be anti-immigrant, which hurts America.

Of course, we need to secure our borders--of course. No one denies that. But to just bash immigrants is bad for America, bad for America.

Fighting for Dreamers and pushing for comprehensive immigration reform is one of the issues that has burned strongest inside me since I joined the Senate. I was proud of leading the Gang of 8--bipartisan-- with John McCain over 10 years ago to pass comprehensive immigration reform, which passed the House with strong bipartisan support. I think it got 68 or 69 votes before House Republicans killed the bill--House Republicans poisoned by the thinking of the MAGA Republicans in their midst.

I celebrate today's announcement. But Congress must do its part. Republicans must stop getting in the way of meaningful, comprehensive immigration reform and getting in the way of border security. They wouldn't even support our tough border bill, put together with bipartisan efforts.

We are going to keep working until we get the job done, both in securing the border and in making America welcome to many immigrants who will work hard and become American citizens eventually.

I yield the floor.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), and the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema), are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motion with respect to the Kasubhai nomination be withdrawn.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and the Chair execute the order of June 13, 2024; further, I ask unanimous consent that the order be modified so that the time until 5:45 p.m. be for debate, equally divided, with all other provisions of the previous order remaining in effect.

Mr. President, I move to concur in the House amendment to S. 870.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

Thereupon, the Senate, at 12:52 p.m., recessed until 2:15 p.m. and reassembled when called to order by the Presiding Officer (Mr. Booker).

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

Mr. President, I am proud to come to the floor today to stand with my good friend and a great leader on this issue, Senator Martin Heinrich, on a matter of life and death.

A few days ago, the MAGA Supreme Court struck once again, reversing a ban on dangerous bump stocks like the one used in the Las Vegas shooting--the deadliest mass shooting ever committed by one person.

Today, the Senate must step into the breach and pass a Federal ban on bump stocks, which Senator Heinrich has championed. I urge Republicans not to block this commonsense safety measure.

Banning bump stocks should be the work of 5 minutes. It is an idea that even some conservative Senators have claimed to support in the past. One conservative colleague of mine on the Republican side said a while ago that if a bump stock ban ``actually gets on the Senator floor, I'd vote for it.''

The senior Senator from South Carolina also said:

I think doing away with bump stocks, that's achievable. . .

. I'm willing to get rid of that.

Senate Republicans even supported Donald Trump when he, hardly a friend of gun safety, backed bump stocks after the Las Vegas shooting. If banning bump stocks was good enough for Republicans in the past, it should be good enough for them today.

But if Republicans block this bill today after claiming to support bump stock bans in years past--a ban even President Trump supported when he was President--shame on them. They would be siding with the gun lobby over families exasperated by gun violence.

Mr. President, it is amazing to me that the MAGA Supreme Court even went to the right of Donald Trump on this issue. It is surprising, appalling, and very, very hard to swallow that they would have this kind of reasoning.

If Republicans now believe a ban on bump stocks is simply too much, they should explain their change of heart to the families in Nevada who lost loved ones. If Republicans block this bill today after claiming to support bump stock bans in years past, shame on them. Republicans should explain to parents and teachers and students why they would rather make it easier for murderers to access dangerous weapons instead of making it harder. It is not enough for Republicans to roll their eyes and dismiss this bump stock vote as a show vote. Tell that to the families who lost loved ones.

I urge Republicans not to object. Americans are sick of gun violence. They are especially sick of lawmakers who obey the gun lobby and kill any effort to make our communities safer.

I want to thank my friend and great leader in the Senate Martin Heinrich on this and so many other issues,

whether it is conservation or environment or protecting the rights of people or just helping New Mexico in every way, as he is now vowing to help them with the fires that are ravaging in his State. The Senator from New Mexico is one of our great leaders here, and I am so proud to yield to him to make the unanimous consent request.

Mr. President, first, let me thank Senator Peters, Senator Whitehouse, and so many others for their great work on this.

Today, the Senate does a great thing for our firefighters in New York and across America by passing the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act. The Fire Grants and Safety Act reauthorizes several expiring funding programs that help firefighters with the basics, from staffing to equipment, to training, and more. I was very proud to help create these programs a long time ago with Senator Chris Dodd, but they would have expired in a few months had we not acted today. Today's bill keeps our firefighters whole.

This helps two kinds of firefighters. It helps our paid firefighters in larger cities by giving the ability of those communities to hire more firefighters, but it also particularly helps our volunteer firefighters. These are people who volunteer, who rush to danger in suburban and rural communities. They are particularly strong on Long Island, which I represent. Yet they can't afford and their communities can't afford the equipment that is so desperately needed. They are rushing to danger, risking their lives. They ought to have the best equipment, and these grants allow that to happen. It is so important to our volunteer firefighters in New York, particularly on Long Island, and for our paid departments in New York City, Albany, Buffalo, and across New York State. The ability to get more firefighters to help them so they are not overstretched and help communities pay for them is so important.

I am also glad that today's bill includes the ADVANCE Act, which secures America's leadership in the next generation of clean, safe, and affordable nuclear energy. Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Capito, and Sheldon Whitehouse, who sponsored the legislation, have done a great job. It is going to support job growth, clean energy, and American leadership, while preserving the NRC's fundamental mission of safety.

This is a great bill. I am sorry it took so long. The House dithered after we passed it. But now our firefighters, both paid and volunteer, can breathe a sigh of relief. This is going to happen very, very soon, and it will go to the White House and be signed into law.

I yield the floor.

Vote on Motion to Concur

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), and the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema) are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume executive session and resume consideration of the Maldonado nomination.

I yield the floor.