Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it recess until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 27; that following the prayer and pledge, 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 resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 3935, postcloture; that the Senate recess from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings; finally, that all time during adjournment, recess, morning business, and leader remarks count towards postcloture debate time.

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

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk due 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, earlier this morning, it was my distinct honor, along with Leader McConnell, to welcome Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to the United States. It is always a privilege to welcome a foreign head of state to the Capitol, but rarely in history have we heard directly from a leader who is fighting for his country's survival and fighting to preserve the idea of democracy.

I told the Members that, right now, this courageous man is at the fulcrum of democracy and freedom. And my message to President Zelenskyy and to my colleagues was simple: America must always stand with our friends around the world, and that includes the people of Ukraine.

President Zelenskyy could not have arrived at a more crucial moment for his country and for Congress. Right now, Ukraine is engaged in a major counteroffensive against Putin's forces to reclaim their own territory and turn the tide of their bloody and brutal conflict. But it is also a moment for Congress too. It is very clear that if we were to have a government shutdown or pass a CR without Ukrainian aid, the damage to Ukraine's campaign would be devastating.

In fact, to quote President Zelenskyy, in the room--and this is a quote--he said: If we don't get the aid, we will lose the war.

That is a quote from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That is how stark the issue is. Nothing would make Putin happier right now than to see the United States waver in our support for the Ukrainian people.

This is not just about Ukrainian security, but as President Zelenskyy reminded us, it is about American security, as well, because a victorious Putin would be an emboldened Putin.

What is the point of cutting off support now, when we are at a turning point in the war, when we have invested a large amount of resources to get to this turning point? To be sure, there are some on the hard right who say we should abandon Ukraine and negotiate with Putin. It is ironic that the hard right, which historically opposed communism, now openly flirts with autocrats like Putin.

Giving Putin what he wants, for America to abandon Ukraine--that is what Putin wants--would be a terrible, terrible mistake and one I think that would come back to haunt us more rapidly and quickly than people believe.

Now is not the time to take our foot off the gas when it comes to helping Ukraine. Turning our backs would make the world less safe for American democracy.

I commend President Zelenskyy for his leadership during this unprecedented moment in his country's history. I thank him for his visit. I thank him for his courage. I thank him for his steadfastness. And I will keep working to ensure we continue supporting the Ukrainian people.

Mr. President, on the CR, an ominous case of deja vu is playing out this week in the House of Representatives. A national crisis is around the corner. The solution demands bipartisanship, but Speaker McCarthy is wasting precious time catering to the hard, hard MAGA right. Catering to the hard right didn't work during the default crisis, and it will not work here in the shutdown crisis.

It has been a troublesome, vexing week for the House of Representatives. A few days ago, House Republicans released what they called the deal on a CR but which, in reality, read like a House Freedom Caucus screed. It called for a devastating 8-percent cut on virtually all nondefense spending. It would have gutted law enforcement funding, border protection, nutrition benefits, and so much more. But that still wasn't extreme enough for MAGA Republicans.

The House GOP's latest proposals are even more extreme, call for even greater cuts, and stand even less of a chance of passing the U.S. Senate. House Republicans are still trying to appease the most hard- right elements of their conference. It is almost as if a small handful are deciding what the whole body of 435 Members should do. It makes no sense. And the hard right, many of them, publicly say they want the government to shut down, despite the fact that it would hurt so many.

So that is what seems the Republican leadership is doing, instead of pursuing the one path we all know will work: bipartisanship. Instead of decreasing the chances of a shutdown, Speaker McCarthy is actually increasing it by wasting time on extremist proposals that everyone knows--he knows--cannot become law.

Let me say that again. Instead of decreasing the chance of a shutdown, Speaker McCarthy is actually increasing it by wasting time on extremist proposals that cannot become law.

In the Senate, many of us are united in the need for more Ukraine aid, but the hard-right proposals in the House fail to provide any. In the Senate, only an agreement that can get votes from both parties will be able to pass, but the hard-right proposals have all been drafted with zero Democratic input and zero effort to even appear bipartisan.

So for all the efforts Speaker McCarthy has spent on trying to find something that makes MAGA Republicans happy, there is no scenario where we avoid a shutdown without a bipartisan agreement. If the Speaker continues down on the path he is on, the odds of a shutdown, sadly, go up, and Americans will know that the responsibility of a shutdown will be on the Republicans' hands.

Mr. President, on TPS, yesterday, the Biden administration announced they will designate temporary protection status for Venezuela, giving migrants from that country relief from removal and the ability to get work authorization. This decision will affect more than half of the newly arrived asylum seekers in New York.

The administration's announcement is welcome news and one many of us in the New York congressional delegation have been calling on for months. I wrote to Secretaries Blinken and Mayorkas, in July, that country conditions in Venezuela clearly met the criteria for TPS. So this is a good step forward.

TPS will give much needed relief for New York systems currently straining to support newly arrived immigrants. It is going to save New York taxpayer dollars, and it will allow migrants from Venezuela who are seeking asylum to find temporary employment, support themselves and their families, contribute to our economy, and reduce the shelter burden that New York is now undergoing.

So this is very, very welcome news. Many of these migrants can now, hopefully, get closer to finding work and finding shelter, which they need, and I thank the Biden administration for taking this step.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 307, Philip S. Hadji, to be a judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims for a term of 15 years, 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.

Mr. 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 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:

committee on energy and natural resources

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a business meeting.

committee on health, education, labor, and pensions

The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet in executive session during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 11 a.m.

committee on homeland security and governmental affairs

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 11 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations.

special committee on aging

The Special Committee on Aging is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 9 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 211,

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

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call for the cloture motion filed today, September 21, be waived.

Mr. President, I have just filed cloture to move forward on FAA. As I have said for months, we must work in a bipartisan fashion to keep our government open, avoid a shutdown, and avoid inflicting unnecessary pain on the American people.

This action will give the Senate the option to do just that.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration, and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 208.

I ask unanimous consent that the Shaheen amendment at the desk to the resolution be agreed to; the resolution as amended be agreed to; the Shaheen amendment at the desk to the preamble be agreed to; the preamble as amended be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of S. Res. 358, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 359, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.