Floor Statements

Mr. President, I understand that there are two bills at the desk due for a second reading en bloc.

Mr. President, in order to place the bills on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceeding en bloc.

Mr. President, 105 years ago today, Congress passed the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote under the Constitution for the first time ever. In the 240-year history of our country, the passage of the 19th Amendment is, without question, one of America's best moments. It was one of the greatest leaps ever in our march to become a more perfect Union, but it was also, more importantly, a great culmination of decades of sacrifice, struggle, and persistence, much of which was centered in Upstate New York, I am proud to say, in Seneca Falls and other places. We cannot possibly name the countless women and Americans who sacrificed in ways big and small to secure for women the right to vote, but we honor their memories all the same.

Today, I am wearing this yellow rose to honor that historic observance, and there will be a viewing for the original signed copy of the 19th Amendment today in the Capitol. I will be stopping by, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same, because it was truly a landmark moment for America.

Of course, we celebrate today's anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment being mindful of the great task still in front of us. More than a century stands between this generation and the generation that made it possible for women to vote, but in many ways, we still share in their struggle for greater justice and greater equality. We still carry the same moral duty they bore to make our Nation a more faithful reflection of our founding ideals. The march for equality for women and for all Americans is still not over.

When the fundamental right of women to make their own choices about their bodies has been stolen from them, the march is still not over. When women are told by hard-right politicians that their healthcare decisions

are not theirs to make and that they must travel, in some instances, across State lines and across time zones to access basic reproductive care, the march is still not over. When a radical, conservative, MAGA majority of the Supreme Court overturned decades of precedent by repealing the protections of Roe v. Wade, the march is still not over.

On this 105th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, we must confront the ugly truth: that women, sadly, have fewer freedoms than they did just a few years ago. Let's remember that. As we are all commemorating the right to vote on this 105th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, we must confront the ugly truth that women, sadly, have fewer freedoms than they did just a few years ago.

So, Mr. President, tomorrow, the Senate will take action. Tomorrow, the Senate will defend the freedom of choice with a vote on the Right to Contraception Act, led by Senators Markey and Hirono.

Federal protections for contraceptives are a critical piece of protecting women's reproductive freedoms, and this legislation would codify the right to contraception into Federal law. As MAGA Republicans continue to block protections for access to contraception on the State level--in States like Virginia, Nevada, and Arizona--it is all the more reason to move to protect contraception at the Federal level.

To those who think that Federal action in protecting access to birth control is unnecessary, just look at what is happening in States like Virginia and Nevada and Arizona, where Republicans are openly blocking these very protections.

I would hope that protecting access to birth control would be the definition of an easy, uncontroversial decision here in the Senate, but the vote will tell all when we gavel in tomorrow. And there will be more action to come.

Last night, I began the rule XIV process for the Right to IVF Act, led by Senators Duckworth and Murray and Booker, to place it on the legislative calendar and make it available for consideration on the floor. I intend to bring this legislation protecting access to IVF up for a vote very soon.

Millions of Americans have relied on IVF to have children, but after a stunningly radical decision by the Alabama Supreme Court jeopardized access to IVF, families are rightfully worried that this option could be stripped away. So Senate Democrats will act to safeguard and strengthen IVF access for all Americans so that everyone has a chance to start a family.

In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will put reproductive freedoms front and center before this Chamber so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties.

Mr. President, on the border, later today, President Biden is expected to issue an Executive order addressing the problems happening at our southern border.

As the President makes his announcement, let's be very clear about one thing: Legislation would have been the more effective way to go. President Biden has been clear from the beginning that he prefers legislation, but given how obstinate Republicans have become, turning down any real opportunity for strong border legislation, the President is left with little choice but to act on his own. Republican intransigence has forced the President's hand.

For years, Republicans have insisted, again and again and again, that the border was in crisis, but when they had the opportunity to correct it, they killed the strongest bipartisan bill Congress has seen in decades. Why did they kill it? At the behest of Donald Trump, who said he wanted chaos at the border until after the election.

Shame on our Republican friends. They say they want to protect the border. Donald Trump comes out with a very crass statement--``Let's keep in chaos so I might win the election''--and they go along? They do a 180-degree turn? That is a disgrace, and it has forced President Biden to act the way he does, which is a lot better than doing nothing but not as preferable as passing legislation, as the President admits.

We had an opportunity to pass a strong bipartisan border bill back in February and just over a few weeks ago. Both times, Republicans put politics ahead of bipartisanship and blundered the best chance we have seen in decades to pass a border security bill America urgently needs. Americans will not easily forget it.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I am so glad to come to the floor today to support my colleagues--the Presiding Officer, who is Senator Markey, and Senator Hirono--as you champion a great and necessary bill, the Right to Contraception Act. I am proud to stand with my colleagues, and I am so proud to support this bill.

You know, today should have been a day of celebration. It was the 105th anniversary of the Senate's passing the 19th Amendment--one of the greatest amendments ever passed--granting women the right to vote under the U.S. Constitution. That was truly a proud moment for this Chamber and one of the greatest victories ever in the march toward women's equality--a march that New York proudly advanced. Upstate New York was a hotbed for the women's suffrage movement, including in places like Seneca Falls.

But, on this 105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment's passage, we must confront the ugly truth that women, sadly, have fewer freedoms today than they did just a few years ago, because, a few weeks from now, America will observe a different anniversary, a much darker anniversary, that of the MAGA Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. Thanks to that decision and thanks to the hard right's war on women, reproductive freedoms are at their lowest point in modern history, and who knows how far the hard right will go. Two years ago, the MAGA Court eliminated the protections of Roe. Tomorrow, it could be something else. Maybe, it could be the Griswold decision that protected the right to use birth control.

To those who think that is outlandish or impossible to happen, just remember Clarence Thomas himself opened the door to this possibility in his concurring opinion on the day Roe was overturned. We are kidding ourselves if we think the hard right is satisfied with simply overturning Roe. And, for all those who say it can never happen, remember people said that before Dobbs--that Roe would never be overturned. Of course, unfortunately, it was by the rightwing MAGA Court, appointed by Donald Trump and our Republican colleagues here in the Senate.

So, tomorrow, the Senate will act. We will vote to move forward on the Right to Contraception Act. Supporting Federal protections for contraceptives should be the definition of what is a simple, commonsense, and easy choice. The bill we will vote on tomorrow simply says: If you want access to birth control or if your healthcare provider wants to prescribe birth control, the government has no right to interfere.

Doesn't that seem like common sense? After all, access to birth control is something that 90 percent of Americans support.

Of course, we are already hearing the same predictable, tired, and unpersuasive retorts from the other side: that this vote is somehow unnecessary; that birth control could never possibly be at risk; that this is much ado about nothing. That is simply not true.

To those who argue Federal protections for birth control are unnecessary, go ask the people of Virginia what they think after their Republican Governor vetoed a bill that would have protected contraceptives at the State level. Go ask the people of Nevada what they think after their Republican Governor also vetoed a bill to protect access to birth control. To those who say birth control will never fall at risk, go ask the people of Florida or Arizona or Idaho or Iowa or Missouri. In each of these States, Republican Governors or Republican State legislators are on record blocking protections for birth control access in some form or another.

It is unacceptable--simply unacceptable--for Americans to even question whether or not access to birth control should fall at risk, but that is precisely the worry one in five Americans has today. We can eliminate that worry in one fell swoop by passing the Right to Contraception Act.

I hope both sides join together to show strong support for this essential bill tomorrow when we vote on it.

Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 400,

I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, last Thursday, a jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush money scheme. Former President Donald Trump is now a convicted felon.

The most important takeaway from this case is that nobody is above the law, including Donald Trump. The former President went through the same legal process that all Americans go through. He was tried according to the facts and the law and was found guilty--guilty--by a jury of his peers.

As Donald Trump considers his next steps, there should continue to be no outside political influence, intimidation, or interference in the case. I encourage Mr. Trump's supporters and critic alike to let the process move forward according to law.

Madam President, now on reproductive care, this month, America marks a dark and somber anniversary--2 years since a radical MAGA majority on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision to overturn Roe will go down as one of the worst Supreme Court cases in modern times. It will be remembered as one of the most draconian reversals of individual liberty in American history.

There should be no question who brought our country to this crisis. It was Donald Trump and hard-right Republicans, who have made clear that they will not rest until freedom of choice is eliminated across the country.

Democrats will not stand for Republicans' relentless attacks on reproductive freedoms. This week, the Senate will begin our defense of freedom of choice with a vote to protect access to contraceptives.

Before the Memorial Day holiday, I began the process for the Senate to consider the Right to Contraception Act, led by Senators Markey and Hirono. Today, I just filed cloture on the motion to proceed to that bill. Members should expect a vote moving forward on the Right to Contraception Act on Wednesday.

Federal protections for contraceptives are a critical piece of protecting American women's reproductive freedoms, and this legislation would codify the right to contraception into Federal law.

For those who think that Federal protections for birth control are unnecessary, just look at what is happening at the State level. Republican Governors in Virginia and Nevada have already vetoed bills to protect birth control, and the Arizona Legislature has blocked similar bills too. The Federal Government should absolutely have a say in ensuring every American has access to birth control if they need it.

There will be more action to come after that. Over the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will put reproductive freedoms front and center before this Chamber so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties.

The erosion of freedom of choice is perhaps the defining worry for tens of millions of Americans since the MAGA Court eliminated Roe.

Today, at least 20 States have near total bans or severe restrictions on abortion. Tens of millions of women lack access to reproductive care. Even services like IVF, which millions of Americans have relied on to have children, to start families, can no longer be assumed as totally safe.

None of this happened in a vacuum. This is all a direct result of Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans who made the repeal of Roe their North Star for decades, and Republicans aren't even hiding it. Donald Trump, in fact, said he was ``proudly the person responsible'' for the disastrous Roe reversal.

Does anyone seriously think that if Donald Trump and Republicans get into power again that they won't try to restrict abortion and reproductive care even more? Of course they will. Of course they will. That is why it is more important now than ever that we pass legislation like the Right to Contraception Act to protect this vital lifeline for millions of women across the country.

This week and in future weeks, Senate Republicans will have to answer for their anti-abortion, anti-women agenda, and my Republican colleagues should know that the American people are closely watching.

Madam President, on Big Oil, well, we just finished celebrating the Memorial Day holiday. On one hand, it is a solemn holiday, a remembrance of all who died to protect our country. On the other hand, of course, Memorial Day weekend is an unofficial start to summer. Schools go out on break, families and friends get together, and millions of Americans go on road trips. So it is not hard to feel the frustration, the sheer exasperation felt by millions when America's biggest oil companies rake in record profits but still raise prices at the pump. It is deeply, deeply unfair. And now we have reason to believe that in some cases it may be unlawful.

Last week, I joined with my Democratic colleagues calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the oil industry after the Federal Trade Commission uncovered evidence of price fixing and of collusion.

According to the FTC, Pioneer Natural Resources--one of the most important producers in the country--may have colluded unlawfully with the foreign nations of OPEC to limit production and artificially boost prices during the early days of the pandemic.

Much of the evidence in the FTC's complaint is redacted, but even what is public is very, very troubling. According to the FTC, Pioneer's former CEO worked extensively with OPEC as early as 2020 to limit production, assuring them that American companies who normally competed against each other were ``working to keep output artificially low.'' Artificially low output means higher prices for Americans.

Pioneer's former CEO reportedly told his competitors that they need to ``stay in line'' and that ``if anybody goes back to growth, [shareholders] will punish those companies.'' A month ago, he went as far as saying, ``Even if oil gets to $200 a barrel, the independent producers are going to be disciplined.''

This strong-arming seems to have worked, unfortunately. Today, growth in U.S. oil output is down 50 percent since the pandemic, but the average household is paying $500 more a year per car because of possible collusion--$500 more a year per car for gasoline because of possible collusion.

That is what frustrates Americans so much about Big Oil: Even when they are making money hand over fist, they will keep raising prices on us; they will keep squeezing us for everything we have got. And now, they may--may--have crossed the line into unlawful behavior.

So the DOJ needs to step in and determine if any laws against collusion or price fixing have been broken. At minimum, the American people deserve to know if Big Oil executives are conspiring with each other or with OPEC behind our back to illegally raise prices at the pump.

Madam President, finally, on the Trump tax cuts, we knew from day one that Trump tax cuts stunk to high heaven, and now CBO has shown us they are even worse than we thought. Last month, the CBO reported that an extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts would add a whopping $4.6 trillion to the deficit.

Hear that deficit hawks on the other side of the aisle who keep complaining that the deficit is getting higher? The Trump tax cuts would add a whopping $4.6 trillion to the deficit. That is 50 percent higher than original estimates.

The latest CBO report is a harsh reality check for the self- proclaimed fiscal hawks on the right who complain about the deficit. They complain about spending $50 million to help feed kids, but they seem to have no concern about a tax cut that mainly goes to the wealthy and big corporations that increases the deficit by $4.6 trillion.

It is another reminder why, at the end of the day, the Trump tax cuts were a dud for the economy and a political loser for the Republican Party.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam 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.

Madam President, I understand that there are two bills at the desk, and I ask for their first reading en bloc.

I now ask for a second reading, and I object to my own request, all en bloc.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 4; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that following the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Hanson nomination, postcloture; further, that all postcloture time be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. and following the cloture vote on the Bosier nomination, the Senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings; further, that if cloture has been invoked on the Bosier nomination, all time be considered expired at 2:15 p.m.; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Tuesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 397, S. 4361.