Floor Statements

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, today, President Biden announced he is taking new steps to protect U.S. workers and put the Chinese Communist Party on notice with a new round of tariffs on goods vital for America's economic future.

I commend President Biden for standing up for American workers and making it clear to the CCP that they will face the consequences for their trade abuses. Fighting the CCP's unfair trade practices is something I have cared about for a very long time. It was one of the very first issues I focused on when I first visited Upstate New York as a Senator and saw for myself jobs leaving the shores. The CCP has shown that they will stop at nothing to steal our intellectual property and undermine our economy.

When I met with President Xi during my codel last fall, I pointedly confronted him about the Chinese Government's history of trade abuses and said we need to create a more even-leveled playing field.

Today's tariffs are thus a good step towards reversing America's trade imbalance and protect U.S. production of everything from batteries to solar cells to semiconductors to steel and aluminum.

I am particularly pleased that President Biden's tariffs will boost American EVs and clean energy manufacturing. With all the investments we Democrats made in the Inflation Reduction Act to boost EV manufacturing--something I care a lot about and worked hard for--it would be terrible for America's roads to become saturated with EVs made in China, and these tariffs will help prevent that. We have taken major steps to reverse the ossification of U.S. manufacturing with the infrastructure law, the IRA, and Chips and Science, but the President's tariffs are also a critical part of the solution.

Mr. President, now on FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission might not sound like the flashiest Agency in the world, but, yesterday, they had a lot of flash. They made a game- changing announcement that can only be described as dramatic change and help for the American people and for a clean environment.

Yesterday, after years of planning--and after I called FERC to take a strong action last summer and was pushing FERC repeatedly to do this-- the Commission announced a pair of rules that will revamp America's power grid. FERC's new rules will require both long-term transmission planning and establishing a way for States to split the bill for big transmission projects.

These sound esoteric, but they are huge. The result, in the long run, will

help clean energy compete on equal footing with fossil fuels and result in lower energy costs and increased reliability.

Nearly 2 years ago, Congressional Democrats, led by the Democrats in the Senate, made history by passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest downpayment for clean energy production the United States has ever seen. Our bill, which I was proud to lead in the Senate, provided hundreds of billions to boost U.S. production in solar and wind and other forms of clean energy, and it is hugely successful. All the programs are being oversubscribed. Many more people are in line-- companies, et cetera--to build solar and wind production and other forms of clean energy.

But it was only half the battle. It matters little if we build lots of solar panels and windmills if we don't have a way of transmitting all that clean energy to communities that need it most. And, frankly, transmission was tied in knots.

What good is it having a lot of wind offshore or solar energy throughout our more sunny areas if you can't get that energy to the people who need it and want it, to the people whose costs it will lower?

And so it was really important to me that we do something about transmission. Unfortunately, we were not able to get that done when we tried to do it here in the Senate. Our Republican colleagues were not amenable. So we had to find another way. According to one study, without more transmissions, the United States could squander up to half the climate benefits of the IRA--what a colossal tragedy.

We all see what global warming is doing. You look at the weather reports every day. All of these tornadoes and everything else, where the heck are they coming from if the weather is not changing?

So that is why Senate Democrats tried to include transmission reforms in the IRA. And after that, when that didn't work--the Parliamentarian knocked them out--we tried to work them with Republicans, but they blocked our efforts.

So I had to find another way, and I was very eager and almost desperate to find another way because we so needed to bring this clean energy to people's homes and reduce their costs. So, last summer, I wrote a letter to FERC to help provide a remedy, because I knew that FERC could strengthen the rules--and they did. They could strengthen rules so we could more quickly build transmission lines and ensure clean energy could compete with fossil fuels on an even footing.

I spent months working with my team and with one expert after another to quietly but forcefully fine-tune what FERC needed and change our letter on how the Agency could make the most of this opportunity.

Well, hallelujah, this is a major change that people are not paying attention to, but it will have dramatic effect. FERC's rule contained almost all of my requests.

The result of yesterday's announcement: more clean energy going to people who need it, lower costs, increased reliability. We are unlocking the clean energy revolution along the day.

So let me say this--this was a major announcement--yesterday's announcement from FERC was a turning point in the effort to transition the United States to a clean energy economy. I am very pleased with FERC. I salute their leadership for doing what they did, and I thank my staff, who worked so long and hard to make this happen.

It is great news for the environment, great news for the electricity consumer, great news for America and our globe.

Mr. President, now on the border, it has been 97 days since Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans blocked the strongest, most comprehensive border security bill America has seen in a generation, and they still have zero plan to actually fix the problem.

President Biden, meanwhile, is taking action to secure our border. Last week, the President began announcing a series of administrative actions to go after bad actors in Central America and to use whatever powers he can from the executive branch.

Here in the Senate, we have not walked away from the table. We know we need to fix the border. The American people demand we fix the border, and we call on our Republican colleagues, once and for all, to join us in taking real, bipartisan action.

Democrats agree that the status quo on the border cannot continue. We want to pass border security in Congress by working in a bipartisan way, and so, 3 months ago, we brought to the floor a comprehensive border security bill, months in the making--a bill that didn't just talk the talk about border security but walked the walk. It updated asylum, had more money for border agents and judges, and was supported by conservatives like the Wall Street Journal editorial board.

Our border bill was not a messaging bill. It was the result of bipartisan negotiation--Senators Murphy and Sinema and Lankford, with input from a wide range of stakeholders from both sides. If both Chambers would have had a chance to vote on our border security bill, it would have passed and become law.

Well, 3 months later, we are not walking away from trying to resolve the problems at the border. We hope Republicans will change course and join us. Instead of just making a lot of speeches, pointing a lot of fingers--blame, blame, blame--let's get something done. It is right within our grasp--a bipartisan bill that, when it was shown to many Republicans, they said, ``Wow.'' It wasn't until Donald Trump said, ``I want the border to remain in chaos so I can win election,'' that Republicans backed off. What shame--that is not what the American people want, and we are going to make sure they know it.

Mr. President, 2 years ago today, barbarity descended upon the ``City of Good Neighbors.'' My heart, my soul, and my spirit are with the people of Buffalo, NY, today, as they observe the second tragic anniversary of the shooting at the Tops supermarket. In the span of just a few minutes, 10 precious lives were extinguished in a senseless act of hatred from a White supremacist.

Racism is America's original sin. Our work will never be done until we do everything to rid our society of this vicious evil.

May God watch over the souls of those who died 2 years ago today. May those of us who remember them find strength and courage and the will to prevent tragedies like this in the future.

America has tragically endured many more senseless shootings since the massacre in Buffalo. Gun violence is one of America's gravest societal ills, and it seems to be increasing.

But 2 years ago, we also learned that the situation is not entirely hopeless, because after the advent of what happened in Buffalo, in Uvalde, and in some other places, Democrats and Republicans actually joined together to pass the first gun safety bill in 30 years--the first since the Brady bill, which I offered way back, a long time ago, when I was in the House. This is the first one since then.

Later this month, the administration will bring into effect one of the key elements of our bill by expanding background checks and closing loopholes for online sales and gun shows. Our rule expanding background checks shows change is possible when both sides work together, even if progress is hard and halting. A few years ago, the announcement would have been unimaginable.

We are never going to be able to fully heal the harms unleashed by gun violence, but we can honor those we lost by continuing the work to make mass shootings a thing of the past. We have a long way to go, but, today, as we remember those who tragically died in Buffalo, let us recommit to keep going, no matter what it takes.

Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk 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 proceeding.

Mr. President, on the border, when it comes to fixing our southern border, the American people demand that elected representatives prioritize action over rhetoric.

It is the easiest thing in the world to do what many Republicans have done this year and done year after year: come to the floor, complain that the border is a mess, and then do just about nothing to fix the problem.

It is the easiest thing in the world to do what Donald Trump and his followers have perfected over the years: demonize immigrants, pay lipservice to our border agents, but ignore the work required to make change happen.

Democrats know that the situation at the border is unacceptable. We know

that the status quo cannot continue. But Democrats also know that fixing the border requires bipartisan legislation from Congress.

Six months ago, Democrats sat down with our Republican colleagues to get to work on drafting the strongest border security bill Congress has seen in decades. It contained many of the biggest issues that our Republican colleagues have demanded: fixes to asylum, more money for border agents, and it increased the President's emergency powers to respond to high numbers of border crossings.

Our bipartisan bill was the closest Congress has been in decades to fixing our southern border--until Donald Trump blew it all up for political gain.

I have seen many cynical things around here over the years, but it is hard to think of something more cynical than Republicans blowing up their own border deal in order to help Donald Trump win an election because they think chaos will help him win. After all, how many times have we heard from Republicans that we need to fix asylum?

How many times did we hear Donald Trump say that our asylum system was ``archaic'' and that ``what Democrats should be doing now is . . . changing the loopholes''? That is Trump. Trump said that.

How many times did we hear our Republican colleagues say on the floor things like ``We've got to redo our asylum laws,'' as my colleague from Florida has said?

If my Republican colleagues care about fixing asylum, why did they vote to kill the best chance we have seen in decades to fix it? If my Republican colleagues care about our border agents, why did they vote against a bill that would have hired 1,500 more agents and given them more tools to stop the flow of drugs and weapons? If my Republican colleagues truly believe the system is broken, why did they vote against a bill that would have provided more immigration judges, more asylum officers, and had the support of the very conservative Border Patrol union? Two words is why: Donald Trump. It was Donald Trump who didn't like that Congress had finally reached a deal on the border that would have taken away a key issue for him on the campaign trail. It was Donald Trump who made clear that exploiting the border is great but actually fixing the problem is not.

I know this is a frustrating issue for millions of Americans. Many of us who want to solve the problem, on both sides of the aisle, are frustrated as well. Republicans are going to go on and on and on about the border, but facts are stubborn things. When Americans ask this year who is to blame for the continued mess at the border, they should listen to the words that came from Donald Trump himself. He said, ``Please, blame it on me.'' That is what Trump said.

Taxes

Mr. President, on taxes, yesterday, the CBO released a new report that should be a shot across the bow for all Republicans who supported the disastrous 2017 Trump tax cuts. The CBO reported that extending all of the Trump tax cuts, which Republicans support and Donald Trump has promised to do if elected, would add a whopping $4.6 trillion to the deficit. That is $4.6 trillion. Let me say that again. An extension of all of the Trump tax cuts would add a whopping $4.6 trillion to the deficit.

To the self-proclaimed fiscal hawks on the right who always complain about deficits, this CBO report about the Trump tax cuts is like a pie in the face.

This report should come as no surprise. We all saw what happened when Donald Trump and Republicans first pushed their tax cuts a few years ago. They blew a nearly $2 trillion hole in our deficit. They left American families out to dry, with no trickle-down stemming from the benefits for the very wealthy and the largest corporations. The Trump tax cuts were a dud for our economy and a political loser at the same time for the Republican Party.

So I ask my Republican colleagues: Are they really willing to double down on the disastrous Trump tax law and blow a $4.6 trillion hole in our deficit? Are our Republican colleagues, who claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility, so desperate to help the very wealthiest few and large corporations that they would add another $4.6 trillion to the deficit?

Do my Republican colleagues believe so deeply in giveaways to the ultrawealthy that they would let programs like Social Security and Medicare, which millions of Americans rely on every day--would they let them run dry? If nothing else, this shows how out of touch Republicans are with working- and middle-class America.

The American people don't want tax cuts that overwhelming favor the wealthiest few and corporations. They want a fair and equal Tax Code that works for everybody.

While Republicans keep pushing terrible tax giveaways for the wealthy and cuts to Social Security and Medicare, Democrats continue to deliver meaningful results for the American people.

This week, for instance, we learned that the United States will triple its domestic chip manufacturing by 2032, thanks to our Chips and Science Act. This is great news for both American jobs and the American economy. It is exactly what we envisioned when we were working on the bipartisan Chips and Science Act: a new wave of tech jobs, a new wave of scientific research, and a revival of Federal investment in the technologies of the future.

Under President Biden and Democratic leadership, America is on the right track.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2040 to the text proposed to be stricken.

I ask to dispense with further reading of the amendment.

Mr. President, in a few moments, I will make a unanimous consent request on a bill on airline slots, sponsored by Senators Warner and Kaine.

I am here for the sake of fairness--fairness. There are very strong feelings on both sides of this issue. It is not partisan but, rather, different people have different opinions. The proper and fair and only right thing to do is have a vote and let the body decide.

I yield to the senior Senator from Virginia to explain his amendment.

Mr. President, let me just reiterate: For the sake of fairness, it is only the right thing to do to allow a vote. We don't know what the outcome will be, but it is very fair to have a vote.

Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the only amendment in order to the Cantwell-Cruz substitute amendment No. 1911, as modified, be Warner amendment No. 2057 and that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate vote on the amendment; further, upon disposition of the Warner amendment, all postcloture time on substitute amendment No. 1911, as modified and as amended, if amended, be considered expired and all remaining amendments be withdrawn; that upon disposition of the substitute amendment No. 1911, as modified and as amended, if amended, the cloture motion with respect to the underlying bill be withdrawn; that the bill, as amended, if amended, be read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, with a 60-vote- affirmative threshold required for passage and with 2 minutes for debate prior to each vote, all without further intervening action or debate.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, after months of painstaking work, the FAA reauthorization is passing the Senate today.

Aviation safety has been front of mind for millions of Americans recently, and this FAA bill is the best thing Congress can do to give Americans the peace of mind they deserve.

Passing this FAA bill preserves critical funding for airport security, training for more air traffic controllers and safety inspectors at manufacturing plants.

Passing FAA means avoiding costly delays to airport infrastructure projects, and passing FAA means avoiding the furlough of over 3,000 Federal employees. I am especially proud that this FAA bill keeps in place the 1,500 hour rule for airline pilots, which I promised would not be weakened.

Thank you to Chair Cantwell--she worked so hard on this bill--and to Ranking Member Cruz for their work to finish this bill.

Thank you to all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who contributed to making this bill stronger.

Without everyone working together and being willing to reach consensus, this very difficult bill would not have gotten done.

So I know of no further debate on the substitute amendment No. 1911, as modified.

Mr. President, I withdraw my amendment No. 2040.

Mr. President, I withdraw my amendment No. 2026.

I ask unanimous consent that following disposition of the substitute, the cloture motion with respect to the bill--H.R. 3935--be withdrawn, and that the bill as amended, if amended, be read a third time, and that the Senate vote on the passage of the bill as amended, if amended, with a 60-vote affirmative threshold required for passage, and with 2 minutes for debate prior to the vote, all without further intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I yield back that time.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 579.

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 570.

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 460.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, May 9, be waived.

I yield the floor.