Floor Statements

Mr. President, finally, to the Senate Curator, last week, I was saddened to hear about the passing of the first permanent Senate Curator, Jim Ketchum.

Very few in the history of the U.S. Senate have been tasked with the immense responsibility of preserving the history of this storied institution. Jim was one of them, and the very best.

A proud son of New York, Jim's career took him on a tour through some of America's greatest national landmarks, including the Arlington National Cemetery, the White House, and, of course, the U.S. Capitol.

At the White House, Jim served as Curator for not one, not two, but three administrations: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon. When President Kennedy first appointed him at the ripe age of 24, he was concerned he was ``too young'' to hold the post, to which Jackie Kennedy responded: ``That's what they told Jack.'' So Jim was truly special, and everyone saw it.

Here in the Senate, Jim led a long list of initiatives to preserve the Capitol Building, not just as a museum of American history but as a bustling beacon of democracy.

It is thanks to Jim that the Old Senate and Supreme Court Chambers were restored and now welcome millions of visitors every year. It is thanks to Jim that countless paintings, artifacts, and pieces of furniture documenting our history were recovered and preserved. And it is thanks to Jim that we all have a better understanding today of this building, this institution, and our place in history.

So Jim will be deeply missed. But I think it is safe to say that Jim will live on in this institution he worked so doggedly to preserve.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 7463, which was received from the House and is at the desk, and that the only motions and amendments in order to the bill be the following: Paul amendment No. 1614; Marshall motion to commit, which is at the desk; Lee motion to commit, which is at the desk; and Cruz motion to commit, which is at the desk; further, that the Senate vote on the above motions and amendment in the order listed, with 60 affirmative votes required for adoption of amendment No. 1614; that upon the disposition of the Cruz motion to commit, the bill be considered read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage, without further intervening action or debate, and with 2 minutes for debate, equally divided, prior to each vote; further, that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Republican leader but no later than Friday, March 8, 2024, the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 3853; that there be up to 1 hour for debate, equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the bill be considered read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, all without intervening action or debate, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage.

Mr. President, I am pleased that Democrats have just reached an agreement with the Republicans to pass a temporary extension of government funding tonight. We will have up to five votes: four on amendments and then final passage. This agreement is an important step because we not only avoid a shutdown on Friday, we also clear the way for passing the first six appropriations bills next week.

We want to move quickly. So I ask Senators to stay in their seats or near the floor until we finish our work. We are going to try, starting on the second vote, to keep votes limited to 10 minutes. So please stay in your seats.

Now, Mr. President, this year, the good Lord gave us an extra day in February. So let's make sure we finish the job and don't drag this debate into March.

I yield the floor.

Excuse me. Just one more thing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all votes in this series after the first vote be 10 minutes in duration.

Has time expired for both sides?

Mr. President, we are going to enforce the 10-minute rule. We announced it earlier. So please stay in your seats. Let's get the next amendments done with expedition.

Vote on Motion to Commit

Mr. President, that one took 14 minutes. Let's beat it on this one. Please stay in your seats.

Vote on Motion to Commit

Mr. President, that one was 11 minutes. Let us get to 10.

Mr. President, I am happy to inform the American people there will be no government shutdown on Friday. When we pass this bill, we will have, thank God, avoided a shutdown, with all its harmful effects on the American people.

I thank my colleagues for working together. It is good we are not shutting down. Now let us finish the job of funding the government so we don't have to do this again.

As I have said repeatedly to the Speaker, the only way to get things done in divided government is bipartisanship. I am glad the Speaker heard our plea and worked with us to avoid a shutdown.

Next week, we hope to bring the first six funding bills to the floor and send them to the President's desk before March 8. The vote tonight is a strong indication that we can work in a bipartisan way to get those bills passed.

We hope to finish funding all of the government by March 22. That is the commitment the Speaker made to us yesterday, and we are counting on him to follow through.

What we have done today has overcome the opposition of the MAGA hard right and gives us a formula for completing the appropriations process in a way that does not shut down the government and capitulate to extremists.

I thank Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Chair Murray, Vice Chair Collins, and all the appropriators who helped reach this agreement.

Vote on H.R. 7463

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 518.

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 send a cloture motion to the desk.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 529.

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

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 456.

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

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, February 29, be waived.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 517, Douglas Craig Schmidt, of Tennessee, to be Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, Department of Defense; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, on voting rights, later today, I will join several of my Democratic colleagues at a press conference to mark the reintroduction of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

John Lewis once said:

Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation

must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved

Community.

That is what John Lewis said.

With this legislation, we are not only honoring John Lewis and his lifetime fight for voting rights, we are also committed to doing our part to expand access to the ballot box and end voter discrimination, which has plagued this Republic since its founding.

I will have more to say later, but recent history makes it absolutely clear that we need these protections on the books. MAGA Republicans across the country are continuing their dangerous crusade--self- serving--to restrict access to the ballot box, particularly when it comes to people of color ahead of the November election.

So Democrats will continue to heed the words of our late colleague, John Lewis, and we will work tirelessly to safeguard the right to vote and our democracy, advancing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.

We can--and must--build a more responsive democracy, a more perfect Union.

Madam President, on voting rights, later today, I will join several of my Democratic colleagues at a press conference to mark the reintroduction of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

John Lewis once said:

Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation

must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved

Community.

That is what John Lewis said.

With this legislation, we are not only honoring John Lewis and his lifetime fight for voting rights, we are also committed to doing our part to expand access to the ballot box and end voter discrimination, which has plagued this Republic since its founding.

I will have more to say later, but recent history makes it absolutely clear that we need these protections on the books. MAGA Republicans across the country are continuing their dangerous crusade--self- serving--to restrict access to the ballot box, particularly when it comes to people of color ahead of the November election.

So Democrats will continue to heed the words of our late colleague, John Lewis, and we will work tirelessly to safeguard the right to vote and our democracy, advancing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.

We can--and must--build a more responsive democracy, a more perfect Union.