Floor Statements

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 444.

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, December 13, be waived.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 90, 341, 343, 434, 437, 438, excepting Col. Benjamin R. Jonsson; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 366, 411, 412; that the Senate vote on the nominations en

bloc without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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

Madam President, I have four 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:

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate bills: Calendar No. 173, Calendar No. 261, and Calendar No. 262.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendments, where applicable, be agreed to; that the bills, as amended, if amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions, S. Res. 499, S. Res. 500, S. Res. 501, S. Res. 502.

Madam President, these resolutions concern requests for evidence in two criminal actions pending in Federal district courts, one in the District of Columbia and the other in the Southern District of Texas. Trials in both matters are expected to commence on January 8, 2024.

In the first case, pending in Federal district court in the District of Columbia, the defendant is charged with multiple counts arising out of the events of January 6, 2021. In this case, brought against Anthony Antonio, the prosecution has requested testimony from Daniel Schwager, formerly counsel to the Secretary of the Senate, concerning his knowledge and observations of the process and constitutional and legal bases for Congress' counting of the Electoral College votes. Senate Secretary Berry would like to cooperate with this request by providing relevant testimony in this trial from Mr. Schwager.

In the second case, pending in Federal district court in the Southern District of Texas, the defendant is charged with threatening to injure and murder Senator Ted Cruz in a voicemail he left with the Senator's Houston, TX office. In this case, brought against Isaac Ambe Nformangum, the prosecution has requested testimony from Amy English, the Senator's staff assistant, and Grant Murray, the Senator's special operations adviser, who witnessed the relevant events. The prosecution has further requested trial testimony from Anthony Rodregous, Senator Cruz's counsel, who has knowledge of the Senator's official duties and position on the 1965 Civil Rights Act, which formed the basis of the defendant's threat. Senator Cruz would like to cooperate with these requests by providing relevant employee testimony from his office.

In keeping with the rules and practices of the Senate, the enclosed resolutions would authorize the production of relevant testimony from Mr. Schwager, Ms. English, and Messrs. Murray and Rodregous, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, 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 Thursday, December 14; 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 Edwards nomination; further, that if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday's session, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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, earlier this morning, Senator McConnell and I welcomed Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to the U.S. Senate, his third visit to the U.S. Capitol. It was a very powerful, enlightening, and positive meeting.

President Zelenskyy's message was direct: Ukraine will win the war against Russia if more aid is approved. But his message to the contrary was also true: If no more aid is approved, Putin will win.

It is that simple. Ukraine, the West, the U.S. strength as a credible ally are all hanging in the balance right now. Also, President Zelenskyy urged that we need to pass this aid quickly because if we don't pass it quickly, it will send a signal to the whole world that we are abandoning Ukraine and could start a snowball cascading to Ukraine's detriment and to our detriment.

If Ukraine falls, it will be a historic and colossal tragedy. If Russia is victorious, future generations will remember this as a moment of shame for the West, for the United States, and for those in the Senate who sought to block it.

This is a moment when a friend in need called on our help. We must rise to the occasion. If we abandon Ukraine to the dark forces of autocracy, we will all pay a price. The price won't be tomorrow, meaning next week, but it will be in the months and years ahead but will be an awful price. And everyone who voted against aid to Ukraine will have to live with it.

This is a time for Republicans to be serious about reaching an agreement. ``Serious'' is the word we are saying to our Republican colleagues. It is not a time for one side to demand maximalist, fringe policies that they know are unrealistic and then say ``our way or the highway.''

If our Republican colleagues want an agreement on the border, they must meet us at the middle. They need to show us they are serious. So far, when they just ask for H.R. 2--or something like it--they are not showing seriousness.

There are two words to describe Democrats right now. Just like the Republican word should be they need to be ``serious,'' the two words that describe Democrats right now: ``still trying.'' We are still trying to find a good-faith compromise with Republicans, but they must do the same.

Now, last night, I got on the phone with Speaker Johnson and urged him to keep the House in session to give the supplemental a chance to come together. I told him that the House should stay in session because over the past 24 hours, I have been alarmed to see some of the same Republicans in the House--and now a good number in the Senate--who had previously demanded action on the border are now suggesting there is no urgency to act before Christmas. After months of saying the border is a crisis, that we must get something done yesterday, many Republicans now seemingly prefer to go home rather than pass a bill.

If Republicans are serious about getting something done on the border, then why are so many of them in such a hurry to leave for the winter break? Has the border simply been an excuse to kill funding for Ukraine?

By Republicans being unwilling to budge on H.R. 2 and getting ready to rush out of town, unfortunately, it may seem the case that these are both excuses, and they really want to kill funding for Ukraine and never had any intention of passing it. That is not true of all Republicans but too many--enough simply to hold us up right now from getting something done.

Do Republicans not realize how thrilled Putin must be right now seeing the gridlock? Russian state TV is even running segments on how great it is for Russia that Congress can't pass Ukraine funding.

Think about that. Putin's allies on Russian state TV are running segments right now on how great it is for Russia that aid to Ukraine is stalled.

Democrats remain committed to finding a realistic, bipartisan agreement on securing the southern border. We will not accept Donald Trump's cruel border policies as envisioned in H.R. 2, which even Speaker Johnson has reminded his colleagues didn't get a single Democratic vote in the Senate. But if Republicans show they are serious about meeting us in the middle, we are willing to meet them in the middle.

I hope my Republican colleagues take to heart President Zelenskyy's warnings: The one person happy right now about the gridlock in Congress is Vladimir Putin. He is delighting in the fact that Donald Trump's border policies are sabotaging military aid to Ukraine.

I urge my Republican colleagues to show they are serious about getting a supplemental package done. Democrats are still trying, and we will continue to work with Republicans in good faith in the coming days.

Mr. President, now, on the NDAA, the Senate will move forward on the annual Defense Authorization Act, moving us closer to passing this bill for the 62nd year in a row.

Both sides have done terrific work these past few months getting the NDAA over the finish line. The Senate passed our version of the NDAA with a strong 86-to-11 vote back in July. That is a good bipartisan vote, majorities of both parties supporting it. And over the past few weeks, conferees have done commendable work reconciling the Senate and House version. And I am pleased that the conference has reported a strong defense bill that contains many of the policies the Senate passed back in July.

We are making major strides to outcompete the Chinese Government by approving President Biden's trilateral U.S., U.K., and Australia nuclear submarine agreement. This historic agreement will create a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines to counter the Chinese Communist Party's influence in the Pacific. And AUKUS, in general, will be a critical part of ensuring stability in that region. We have worked all year long to get it passed through Congress, and I applaud my colleagues on both sides for their efforts.

As I have said repeatedly, we began the month of December with three major goals here in the Senate before the end of the year: First, we had to end the unprecedented monthslong and destructive blockade of hundreds of military nominees. We have done that. Second, we needed to pass the NDAA as we have for decades on a bipartisan basis. We are on track to do that this week. And, finally, most difficult of all, we must reach an agreement with Republicans on the national security supplemental.

Democrats' attitude on the supplemental can be boiled down two words: We are ``still trying.'' We want to get something done. We hope our Republican colleagues are serious--serious--about getting something done too.

Mr. President, tomorrow morning, Leader McConnell and I will welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Senate. This will be the third time President Zelenskyy meets with Senators since the start of the war, and it will be his most important visit of all.

The war in Ukraine stands at a crossroads, with our friends in desperate need of American aid to maintain pressure on Vladimir Putin. The last time President Zelenskyy spoke to the Senate, he warned us that without more aid, Ukraine will lose the war--simple as that. Earlier today, he warned military officers at the National Defense University that ``if there's anyone inspired by unresolved issues on Capitol Hill, it is just Putin and his sick clique.''

So if there is a word for what we most need this week, the word is to be serious about the task at hand. If Republicans in the Senate do not show they are serious about finalizing an agreement for the national security package, Vladimir Putin is going to walk through Ukraine and right through Europe.

Both parties understand that aiding Ukraine and resisting Putin are critical for our national security, but Republicans and only Republicans are holding everything up because of unrealistic, maximalist demands on the border.

Last week, we put forth a serious bill to address our national security needs. The package included robust border security provisions. Republicans rejected it out of hand, demanding their way or the highway, even though they were offered an amendment of their choosing-- and they only need 11 Democrats to go along.

This posture is unserious. Again, Republicans and only Republicans are holding everything up because of unrealistic, maximalist demands on the border.

I want to be very clear. Democrats very much want an agreement if possible. We talked all weekend with our Republican counterparts to find some kind of agreement. We talked again earlier today. We are not there yet, but as a sign of good faith, Democrats are going to keep trying.

If Republicans keep insisting on Donald Trump's border policies, then they will be at fault when a deal for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza falls apart. The onus is on Republicans to show they are willing to moderate.

Let me say that again. If Republicans keep insisting on Donald Trump's border policies, then they will be at fault when a deal for Ukraine, Israel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza falls apart. Republicans will be giving Vladimir Putin the best gift he could ask for.

Democrats are serious about reaching reasonable, bipartisan compromise to pass this package. The question is if Republicans are now willing to do the same.

On NDAA, at the beginning of December, I said the Senate has three major priorities before the end of the year.

First, we needed to end the blanket holds on hundreds of military nominees by the Senator from Alabama. We have now done that. Before we finish for the year, the Senate plans to move to confirm the 11 four- star military officers awaiting confirmation.

Second, we must pass the annual Defense authorization bill, which has been one of the most bipartisan priorities in Congress for over 60 years. This will be our focus on the floor this week.

Third and hardest of all, we must reach an agreement on the national security supplemental. We are still working, and while we are not near an agreement yet, we are going to keep pushing as the week progresses.

Last week, I filed cloture on the NDAA conference report, and we expect to move forward on the NDAA conference report after lunch tomorrow. At a time of huge trouble for global security, passing the Defense authorization bill is more important than ever.

This year's NDAA makes strong downpayments in outcompeting the Chinese Communist Party, particularly by approving President Biden's trilateral U.S., U.K., and Australia nuclear submarine agreement. We have been working on AUKUS all year. It is one of the most important tools we have against the Chinese Government, and it is a major accomplishment to get it done.

I want to thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed, and Ranking Member Wicker for their good work in shepherding this bill through committee and through the conference process. I commend all conferees for their good work over the past few weeks.

I thank my colleagues for working together to ensure the Senate's six-decade streak of passing the NDAA remains unbroken.

Mr. President, now on judges and nominations, today, the Senate will confirm the 39th circuit judge under President Biden--Richard Federico to be circuit court judge for the Tenth Circuit.

Mr. Federico is precisely the type of judge we need on our circuit courts--a brilliant legal mind who has dedicated his life to service as a lawyer in the Navy and as a public defender.

Thanks to the work of President Biden and the Senate majority, we have confirmed more public defenders to circuit courts than under any President in history. Of course, we also confirmed the first-ever public defender to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, the great Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Now this Senate majority has confirmed over 160 judges to lifetime appointments on the bench, including more Black judges, more women judges, and more judges of color than the full first term of any other President; more women to circuit courts than any President in their entire time in office; the first Muslim-American woman on the Federal bench; the first Navajo Federal judge; and, of course, as I mentioned, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

All year long, this Senate majority has prioritized confirming judges who add to the bench's personal and professional diversity, and we are going to continue going into the new year.