Floor Statements

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senators Cardin, Lankford, and Lee.

Madam President, I have five 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 S(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. President, now, over the past few months, the Senate appropriations process has been a shining example of how things should work in Washington.

These are divided times, in a closely divided Chamber, but, nevertheless, we can summarize the Senate's work of funding the government down to one word, bipartisan--one word, bipartisan.

Thanks to the outstanding work of Appropriations Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins and many other colleagues from both sides, all 12 appropriations bills have been reported out of the committee with bipartisan support.

Some of them--many of them were with unanimous bipartisan support. That doesn't mean everyone agreed on everything. It means something more important. It means that disagreements haven't paralyzed the process.

This month, one of the Senate's top priorities will be to keep the government open beyond the September 30 deadline. Both parties in both Chambers will have to work together if we are to avoid a shutdown. So when the House returns next week, I implore--I implore--my Republican colleagues in the House to recognize that time is short to keep the government open and

the only way to avoid a shutdown is through bipartisanship. House Republicans should follow the Senate's example and work with Democrats to pass strong, bipartisan appropriations bills. They will have their first chance to show their commitment to bipartisanship when they return next week.

The last thing Americans need right now is a pointless government shutdown. Our economy has come a very long way since the darkest days of the COVID pandemic. Inflation is slowing down, job growth remains strong, the investments we have made through the infrastructure law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act are paying off with new projects and new good-paying jobs. We shouldn't squander all of that now.

A shutdown is unnecessary and would harm so many American families and businesses. But if both sides work in good faith, embrace bipartisanship as we have done in the Senate, and avoid all-or-nothing tactics, then there will be no shutdown, and that will be very good news for the American people because it is the American people who suffer most when there is a shutdown.

Mr. President, now on our AI insight forums, next week, the Senate will host a gathering unlike any we have seen before here in Washington when we kick off our inaugural AI Insight Forum on September 13--a gathering unlike any seen before to debate a topic unlike any other.

Our world is already changing in dramatic ways because of artificial intelligence, but we are likely just at the start. So to meet the challenge of this moment, our AI Insight Forums will convene some of America's leading voices in AI from different walks of life and many different viewpoints--executives and civil rights leaders, researchers, advocates, voices from labor and defense and business and the arts.

I am proud to say next week's AI Insight Forum--the first of a whole series we will host this fall--will be high-powered, diverse, but above all, balanced. That is precisely what Congress needs right now. Our committees have already done great bipartisan work on this topic, and ultimately they will be the ones tasked with drafting legislation. But these insight forums will supercharge the committee process by getting to the root of AI--where to start, what questions to ask, how to move forward. They will provide the nutrient agar to help committees do their work.

Let me stress something else. There is truly bipartisan interest to work on AI here in the Senate. I want to thank my colleagues, Senators Rounds, Young, and Heinrich, for working with me to organize these forums, as well as all my colleagues on both sides who recognize that we must move quickly on this issue.

Legislating AI is certainly not going to be easy. In fact, it will be one of the most difficult things we have ever undertaken. But we cannot behave like ostriches sticking our heads in the sand when it comes to AI. Both parties must work together and treat AI with the same level of seriousness as national security, job creation, or civil liberties because very soon, if not already, AI will impact all these issues and more.

Finally, on student debt relief, last month, President Biden announced his new SAVE plan for student loan borrowers, calling it the most affordable student loan repayment plan ever created, and not 1 day into this work period, Senate Republicans are already trying to torpedo this new lifeline for millions of American borrowers.

In the wake of the Supreme Court's horrendous decision earlier this year, President Biden has unrolled a student debt plan that already is helping millions. It is targeted relief for those who need it most-- working-class families, middle-class families, borrowers of color. Remarkably, 4 million--4 million--borrowers have already enrolled. Those with undergraduate loans will pay no more than 5 percent of their income. Many borrowers with lower incomes will see their monthly student loan payments cut in half. Some will see it drop to zero, and many more will save up to $1,000 a year on payments.

Think about what these savings will empower people to do--save for a downpayment on a home, start a family, create a business, contribute to the economy. Isn't that something we should all get behind? Well, apparently and unfortunately, Senate Republicans think not. On the very same day the administration announced that 4 million borrowers have enrolled in the SAVE plan, Senate Republicans announced their plan to eliminate this lifeline. It is becoming a trend--Democrats work hard to find new ways to provide relief for borrowers in need, and then Republicans, instead of working with us to find a fix to our broken student loan system, immediately shoot them down.

My colleagues on the other side like to talk about lowering costs, but then they turn around and oppose any attempt to give student loan borrowers the help they need, and for them, that is one of the biggest costs they have.

The Republicans use the same old tired excuse--that student loan relief only helps the few, the wealthy. That is utter nonsense. President Biden's SAVE plan will benefit the Americans who need it most--working and middle-class families, students of color, community college students, and borrowers working in public service.

Senate Democrats will strongly oppose this Republican measure should it come to the floor for a vote, and we will stand with student loan borrowers as we continue to push for as much relief as possible.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, another criminal trial arising out of the events of January 6, 2021, is scheduled to begin on September 13, 2023, in Federal district court in the District of Columbia. The defendant in this case is charged with multiple counts, including unlawfully entering and remaining in a restricted area within the U.S. Capitol grounds.

The prosecution is seeking trial testimony from Michael J. Mastrian, Director of the Senate Radio and Television Gallery, and Jeffrey S. Kent, Director of the Press Photographers' Gallery, which operate under the authority of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, relating to the regulation of access to the Capitol by bona fide members of the electronic news media, news photographers, and heads of photographic news bureaus.

Senate Sergeant at Arms Gibson would like to cooperate by providing relevant testimony in this proceeding from Messrs. Mastrian and Kent.

In keeping with the rules and practices of the Senate, this resolution would authorize the production of relevant testimony from Messrs. Mastrian and Kent, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

Mr. President, welcome back to you and our great staff, and it is good to be back.

Leader McConnell will speak after me here on the floor, and I am glad to see him back and doing well.

Mr. President, let me begin by welcoming back all of our Senators from the August work period. August was a busy month for all of us back home, a time to listen to constituents about what is on their minds, like lowering costs and increasing paychecks.

It was also a time for ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings as the historic investments that Democrats made come to fruition; and, of course, it was a time to prepare for the very busy month in front of us.

On the implementation side, August was a month of action, of groundbreakings, celebrating new factories and new good-paying jobs that will stick around for a long, long time. When a parent sees his or her son or daughter get these jobs, they know they are going to be around for a long time; they are not going to be gone in 2 or 3 years. It is a great thing for optimism and the future of America.

And it was even nice to see Speaker McCarthy in my home State of New York, celebrating the new jobs secured by Democrats, when he visited JMA Wireless last month. I have been there many times too. In fact, it was from my own visits there and to other companies across New York that I saw firsthand the opportunity to invest in companies like JMA by buy-in-America provisions that we added to the legislation, and it helped us shape the Inflation Reduction Act.

As the Speaker saw with his own eyes, Democrats' investments are already bearing fruit. In just one year alone, the Inflation Reduction Act alone has resulted in over 200 new clean energy jobs and created 170,000 new good-paying jobs, and it is projected to create another 1.5 million jobs over the next decade. Pick any region of the country, and you will have no trouble seeing Democrats' agenda in action.

One of the amazing visits I went to was in Allegany County in Upstate New York. It is in Appalachia. By income levels, it is one of the poorest counties

in our State. And there, the Inflation Reduction Act is blowing new life into Ljungstrom. This is a company that used to make coal technology equipment and has transitioned to making parts for wind turbines and is hiring 150 new workers, all in a place where people thought they didn't have much of a history, because they knew the coal industry was declining.

It has happened all over America. In Georgia, Hyundai and LG announced they are increasing their multibillion dollar investment towards a major EV and battery manufacturing plant, one that will be the State's largest project ever, creating thousands of good-paying jobs in years to come. And in New Mexico, Arcosa broke ground on a new wind tower production facility expected to create 250 new jobs. These jobs will help fill the over $1 billion worth of wind tower orders they have received since President Biden signed the IRA into law. These investments, and many others, are supporting the whole of America, red and blue States, rural and urban, everyone, everywhere. And you can be sure the best is yet to come.

Last month, we saw other examples of implementation, too. Over the past few weeks, President Biden made groundbreaking announcements on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, on prevailing wage, and more. Many of these are a direct result of the work that we have done in the Congress.

So Democrats are very proud of the agenda now taking hold across America, and we intend to keep going.

Now the Senate gavels back into session with a lot to do, but there is one clear place to begin: Keep the government open. As we all know, government funding is set to expire on September 30. By the end of this month, the House and Senate--Democrats and Republicans--all must get on the same page about keeping the government open and avoiding a pointless shutdown--a shutdown that will hurt just about every single American; a shutdown that, of course, shouldn't happen.

To accomplish that, the answer is very simple: All sides must work together in good faith, without engaging in extremism or all-or-nothing tactics.

Look no further than the example we have set here in a bipartisan way in the Senate: Democrats working with Republicans on a bipartisan basis; chairs, Democratic chairs, engaging fruitfully with Republican vice chairs and ranking members. All 12 appropriations bills have been reported out of committee with bipartisan support, some of them unanimously--unanimously. Both sides avoided dragging the process down with unseemly tactics. It sets a very good template for how things should work in Congress.

I want to thank all my colleagues, but especially Appropriations Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins, for their tremendous work thus far on the appropriations process. They truly deserve a lot of credit.

When the House returns next week, I hope House Republicans--I implore House Republicans to recognize that time is short to keep the government open and that the only way--the only way--we will finish the appropriations process is through bipartisanship, the idea of both parties working together, not one party, particularly if it is a party governed by an extreme 30 or 40 Members filling out a wish list that they know can't pass. They can't do that.

So let me repeat. Let me say it again. The only way to avoid a shutdown is through bipartisanship. So I urge--I plead--with House Republican leadership to follow the Senate's lead and pass bipartisan Democrat and Republican appropriations bills supported by both parties.

As we work to fund the government, there are plenty of other things we must do, too, both on and off the floor. We will, for one, continue laying a foundation for bipartisan congressional action on AI. Next Wednesday, along with Senators Rounds, Heinrich, and Young, I will host the Senate's inaugural AI Insight Forum, a first-ever convening of the top minds in AI here in the Congress. Voices from business and the civil rights community, researchers, worker advocates, and many more, all in one room having an open discussion about how Congress can act on AI: where to start, what questions to ask, and how to build a foundation for safe AI innovation.

These AI forums are vital. Artificial intelligence is unlike any topic we have undertaken in Congress. It moves faster; it is more complex; and there is little precedent for this kind of work.

This is not going to be easy. In fact, it will be one of the most difficult things we undertake, but in the 21st century, as technology moves forward with or without us, we can't behave like ostriches with heads in the sand when it comes to AI. We must treat AI with the same level of seriousness as national security, job creation, and our civil liberties.

Now, ultimately, of course, the real legislative work will come in committees, but the AI forums will give us the nutrient agar, the facts and the challenges, that we need to understand in order to reach this goal.

Of course, next week's forum is just the start. The Senate will continue hosting AI forums throughout the fall on a variety of topics, including finding ways to promote AI innovation, IP issues, workforce issues, privacy, security, alignment, and many more.

We will also move the ball forward on other items on our agenda wherever we can, but of course they will need Republican help to reach the necessary 60 votes to move forward, like lowering the cost of insulin and prescription drugs, something Members on both sides of the aisle are hard at work on. We did it in the IRA for insulin for Medicare for people over 65. We should do it for everybody else. Insulin is too vital and becoming too expensive for too many Americans. And making progress on cannabis through the SAFE Banking Act, as well as commonsense rail safety, which I said in July would be a big priority.

We also must build on the work we did during the NDAA to outcompete the Chinese Government, to keep the American people safe, to protect American businesses, and ensure that American innovation and technology leads the way this century.

We also must continue standing with our friends in Ukraine, now more than ever, as the counteroffensive against Putin's forces is in full swing.

And we must stand with our fellow Americans in places like Hawaii, Florida, Vermont, and other regions battered by storms and fires and flooding.

The topics continue: from advancing a farm bill to kids' online privacy, to reauthorizing the FAA, and to holding bank executives accountable for irresponsible behavior.

Our committees have done excellent work to move all of these issues along, but we are under no illusion that we can make progress on the Senate floor unless we get bipartisan cooperation. None of this will be easy either. The bills will require a lot of work and compromise, but if we can progress on these items, we will greatly improve the lives of average Americans.

Finding bipartisan compromise on issues like these is never easy, but that is what it will take to get things done, and our efforts to do precisely that have already led to significant accomplishments under this majority. As we gavel back in, we will keep going to reward the trust the American people have placed in us.

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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 327.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 6; 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 upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Jefferson nomination postcloture; further, that at 11:30 a.m., all postcloture time be considered expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination; that the Senate recess following the cloture vote on the Wilcox nomination until 2:15 p.m. to allow for

the weekly caucus meetings; and that if cloture has been invoked, at 2:15 p.m., the Senate vote on the confirmation of the Wilcox nomination; further, that if cloture is invoked on the Cook nomination, at 5:15 p.m. all postcloture time be considered expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.

For the information of the Senate, there will be two votes at 11:30 a.m., two votes at 2:15 p.m., and two votes at 5:15 p.m.

Mr. 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 the Senate will continue to process the National Defense Authorization Act, the NDAA. I believe we have had a really good process so far, and I hope this bipartisan work can get us through to the finish as soon as possible.

We made good progress on amendments last night. It took a while, but we have voted on 19 amendments to the NDAA and have at least 8 more amendment votes lined up for today. We have a lot of votes to get through, so I urge Senators--I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle--to be cooperative, to remain in the Senate Chamber as the series of votes progresses through the afternoon so we can keep the process moving.

Last night, we ran a hotline that includes a few additional votes and a managers' package of 48 amendments--23 from Democrats, 23 from Republicans, and 2 bipartisan. Each side of the aisle has amendments they really want in that managers' package and a good number of them were bipartisan. We have had an open and constructive amendment process for the NDAA, with both sides--both sides--working together in good faith. This is exactly how the process for the NDAA should look: bipartisan, cooperative.

I want to thank all of my colleagues, particularly Senators Reed and Wicker, for their good work.

I am also proud of our first managers' package that had 51 amendments--21 from Republicans, 21 from Democrats, and 9 bipartisan. And some of the biggest accomplishments in this bill, I am proud to say, are broadly bipartisan, like progress on our efforts to outcompete the Chinese Government.

As I have been saying for weeks, passing the NDAA is a chance to show the American people how the Senate can productively work.

Another really important thing that is in this bill is the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which will help give the administration tools it needs, including emergency powers, to stop the precursor

drugs from flowing out of China--the Chinese Government has done virtually nothing to help us thus far--going to Mexico, being made into fentanyl, and then being shipped to the United States to kill our children. Over 100,000 people have died of fentanyl last year.

So as I have been saying for weeks, the NDAA is a chance to show the American people the Senate can work productively on significant things they care about as well as on national security matters, which they care about as well.

What is happening in the Senate is a stark contrast to the partisan race to the bottom we saw in the House, where House Republicans are pushing partisan legislation that has zero chance of passing. House Republicans should look to the Senate to see how things get done. We are passing important bipartisan legislation. They are throwing on the floor partisan legislation that has no chance of passing. The contrast is glaring. If House Republicans would look to how we are working here in the Senate and emulate us a little more, they could be far more productive.

We have every reason today to believe that we can finish the NDAA as soon as possible, and I am hopeful we can get it done.

Appropriations

Mr. President, off the floor, our appropriators continue to make good progress on the appropriations bill. This morning, the Appropriations Committee is marking up the remaining four appropriations bills.

It is just like the NDAA. Both sides--Democrats, Republicans--have been working really well together. This is never an easy process. But I really want to thank Chair Murray and Vice Chair Collins. They have worked together in a really supremely bipartisan, almost exquisite, way for shepherding these bills through committee with bipartisan support. It ain't easy in this time when the country is so divided.

This is a model for how appropriations processes should always work: both sides coming together, finding common ground, and advancing bills that invest in American families, keep communities safe, drive down our costs, and keep our government open. It is this type of bipartisanship that has prevented any government shutdowns last Congress when Democrats had majorities in the House and Senate. And the American people certainly don't want to see a shutdown now.

So there is a lot of work left to do, but I am pleased that our appropriators are making progress on these markups, and I thank them again.

You look at the NDAA bill and you look at the appropriations bill, you compare the House to the Senate, the contrast, as I said, is glaring. And House Republicans should look to the Senate for how to really get things done and help the American people instead of just shouting partisan screeds.

Artificial Intelligence

Mr. President, on the AI briefing, yesterday, we held our third all- Senate briefing on AI. This was our final briefing, in a three-part series on AI, and it focused on U.S. investment and innovation and American leadership in AI technology that will continue to shape our world over the next decade and beyond.

The presentation was informative. Our briefers did a superb job highlighting just how quickly AI technology is developing.

I want to thank our briefers: Rick Stevens from the Department of Energy; Dr. Geri Richmond from the Department of Energy; Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, nicknamed affectionately ``Panch,'' head of the National Science Foundation; Dr. Kathleen Fisher from DARPA; and our moderator, Dr. Jose-Marie Giffiths.

We had great attendance on all three of our AI briefings. Both Democrats and Republicans were engaged and asked a lot of really good questions. It shows there is real bipartisan interest in AI, which will be necessary if we want to make progress on what really is imperative for this country: putting together AI legislation that encourages innovation but has safeguards to prevent the liabilities that AI could present.

Later this fall, we will continue our work on AI by convening the first ever AI Insight Forums. These forums will bring the top AI developers, executives, and experts together to lay the foundation for action on AI.

And, again, I want to thank my colleagues who attended our briefings, including, of course, Senators Heinrich, Rounds, and Young, part of our little group that helped to organize them.

Remembering Tony Bennett

Mr. President, finally, on a great, great American icon, Anthony Dominick Benedetto, more affectionately and widely known as Tony Bennett. We lost an American icon last week, a son of Astoria, Queens, and one of the most beloved singers of our time--the incomparable, wonderful, caring Tony Bennett. On Tuesday, I introduced a resolution declaring Tony Bennett's birthday, August 3, as ``Tony Bennett Day.''

It didn't matter if you were young, old, or in the middle, if you were a close friend or a new fan, everyone just loved Tony. Just to hear him sing a few bars, you knew he cared about you and he really cared about the words of the song. He wasn't just getting up there to make some money. He really wanted to show his love for music and for people.

Tony Bennett leaves behind a tremendous legacy that will inspire generations of artists to come, and I look forward to passing this resolution honoring him today a little bit later.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) is necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be given 2 minutes and that Senator Gillibrand be given 2 minutes on this amendment.

Mr. President, I want to thank my dear friend Senator Gillibrand for her work on this amendment and for being such a fierce advocate for 9/11 responders and survivors.

I would like to thank the Republican cosponsors, including Senators Braun and Lummis, for their support. And Senator Wicker, I thank him as well as thanking Leader McConnell.

This amendment is a huge step forward in making sure the first responders and those injured on 9/11 are never left behind.

Before the smoke even cleared on 9/11 and before the rubble even quit burning, our first responders--our firefighters, our police officers, EMT, FBI agents, construction workers--were just running to danger, trying to do their jobs and save lives. For their sacrifice, many first responders developed severe health complications from working in the aftermath of the attack--lifelong injuries, serious cancers. Many of them are no longer with us, and some of them were friends of mine. Twenty-two years later, people are still getting sick from the dust, the air, the poisons.

We have created the World Trade Center Health Program so that 9/11 responders could afford the necessary healthcare, but we can't let funding for the program dry up. We cannot fail to properly care for those who answered the call of duty. Our work is not done. Just as the first responders have been there for us and for America, we will continue fighting for them.

This will fund $450 million to the World Trade Center Health Program and another over $200 million for the military employees who rushed to danger at the Pentagon and in Shanksville. It will be fully paid for. It will also, for the first time, help those, as I said, at the Pentagon and the DOD.

I hope, from all of my colleagues, that we can have unanimous and broad support for this amendment.

I yield to the Senator from New York, my colleague, who is such a leader on this legislation.

Will the Senator yield?

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that this vote be 10 minutes, that subsequent votes be 10 minutes, and that we all hang around and get the job done.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Casey) are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, for the information of the Members, we are getting very close to locking down a final agreement, which will allow us to vote on a number of things, including the managers' amendments and final passage this evening. We are still waiting for some final paperwork to be done. So, in the meantime, I am going to introduce and ask unanimous consent for a resolution praising Tony Bennett, making August 3, his birthday, Tony Bennett Day.

So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 322, which was 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.

Mr. President, I am really proud today that my resolution declaring Tony Bennett's birthday, August 3, as Tony Bennett Day has just passed the Senate. I would like to thank Senator Cornyn for joining me in this bipartisan resolution, as well as Speaker Emerita Pelosi for working on a companion resolution in the House.

As we all know, we all loved Tony Bennett. Tony is an American icon, a son of Astoria, Queens--a New Yorker through and through--and, without doubt, one of the most beloved singers of our time. You only come across a Tony Bennett once in a lifetime.

I would like to think Frank Sinatra got it right when he called Tony Bennett ``the best singer in the business.''

Known for his unparalleled talent and his exceptional vocal range, Tony spanned generations and genres. He touched the hearts of millions around the world.

It didn't matter if you were young or old or somewhere in between, it didn't matter if you were a friend or a fan, just about everyone loved Tony, and Tony loved just about everyone.

And you could feel that he was in it for the right reasons, not for the money or the fame, but he just loved making music and having people enjoy it. Just to hear him sing a few bars, you knew he cared about the song and he wanted to share that caring with everybody. And he cared about you, as he sang it to you, just about more than anything.

And let's not forget, as great a musician as Tony was, he was a very good human being. He fought and served our country admirably during World War II. This always amazed me: He was a lifelong champion of civil rights and marched along Martin Luther King, Jr., in Selma in 1965, at a time when the agents of most entertainers discouraged them from marching in these kinds of things because they might lose some fans. But Tony didn't care. He believed in equality.

And he raised money for great causes, including the very disease he was fighting, Alzheimer's.

If that still wasn't enough, he was an accomplished painter, and he drew his inspiration from his little bench in Central Park.

Tony Bennett's legacy will live on in the hearts of fans, friends, and countless artists he inspired along the way. I am proud we could come together to pass this resolution honoring an extraordinary man and his immeasurable contribution to the arts and our society.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order to call up the following amendments to S. 2226: Rubio, No. 523; Young, No. 230; Daines, No. 1084; further, that with respect to the amendments listed above, the Senate vote on the amendments in the order listed, with no further amendments or motions in order, and with 60 affirmative votes required for adoption and that there be 2 minutes equally divided prior to each vote; further, that upon disposition of the Daines amendment, that it be in order to send to the desk a managers' package of 47 amendments, and after the clerk reports it, I ask that the clerk

also read the numbers and sponsors of each of the individual amendments in this package and that they be the only amendments remaining in order to be offered to S. 2226; that the Senate vote on the amendment with no intervening action or debate; that upon disposition of the managers' amendments, the cloture motions filed during Wednesday's session ripen and the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the substitute amendment No. 935, as amended; further, that if cloture is invoked, all postcloture time be considered expired, the Schumer amendment No. 936 be withdrawn, and the Senate vote on the substitute amendment, as amended, with no intervening action or debate; further, that if the substitute amendment is agreed to, the cloture motion with respect to the underlying bill, S. 2226, be withdrawn, the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with up to 10 minutes for debate, equally divided, prior to the vote on passage; finally, that upon disposition of S. 2226, the Senate immediately proceed to the consideration of H.R. 2670, which was received from the House and is at the desk; that all after the enacting clause be stricken, the text of the Senate bill, as passed, be inserted; H.R. 2670, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, the Senate bill then be indefinitely postponed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Casey) and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 60-vote threshold with respect to this amendment be vitiated and we vote by voice.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 60-vote threshold be vitiated and that we vote by voice.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Casey) and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, let me give the order. We are almost done. We are about to vote.

I first have to do a unanimous consent to vitiate cloture. I am going to speak on the NDAA bill, on the pages, and yield to Leader McConnell to follow me, and then we vote.

Unanimous Consent Agreement

So, first, I ask unanimous consent to modify the previous order so cloture motions with respect to the substitute amendment No. 935, as amended, and the underlying bill, S. 2226, be withdrawn; that the Schumer amendment No. 936 be withdrawn; that the substitute amendment No. 935, as amended, be agreed to; further, that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with up to 10 minutes for debate, equally divided, prior to the vote on passage, with all previous provisions remaining in effect.

Mr. President, it has been a long day but a very successful day.

The NDAA is a prime example of both sides coming together and crafting a strong, bipartisan defense bill that will strengthen America's national security, take care of our servicemembers, and keep the United States the leader in innovation for years to come.

This was a bipartisan process through and through. I want to thank

Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Wicker and all the Members for their good work on this.

A bipartisan process is precisely what the American people are yearning for in a fractured Congress, Democrats and Republicans coming together to provide something as critical as our national defense.

The NDAA and the bipartisan process we went through to get here should be a glimmer of hope for the American people, a sign that bipartisanship is alive and well in the Senate, but it is not the only glimmer. We also came together to avert a first-ever default a few months ago, and we are currently making great progress on the appropriations bill, where, almost miraculously, under the leadership of Senator Murphy and Senator Collins, they have advanced all 12 bills out of committee with bipartisan support.

(Applause.)

I hope what has happened on this bill, the NDAA bill, and these other bills can be a metaphor for future bills down the road.

These are two of our highest responsibilities--appropriations and national defense--and we made great progress in these last few months. It has been a really good Senate that the American people can be proud of.

It was a good process on and off the floor. Listen to this: 98 amendments. We talk about how we don't do amendments--98; 44 Democrat, 44 Republican, and the rest bipartisan. That is what an NDAA bill should look like--a full floor process with input and debate from both sides. As a result, there are many critical provisions in this NDAA bill as well that we should be proud of.

We made critical downpayments on our effort to outcompete the Chinese Government by limiting the flow of investment and advanced technology to China.

We are passing the first piece of legislation related to artificial intelligence, including important provisions to increase data sharing with the DOD and increase reporting on AI's use in financial services.

Maybe most important to everyone here aware of this fentanyl crisis, we are boosting resources in a major way to tackle the fentanyl crisis by including the FEND Off Fentanyl Act. Senators Brown, Scott, and many others led to that legislation. This act gives the President more powers to stop any country--China, Mexico--from sending the precursor materials that are made into fentanyl to kill our children.

Together, all of these provisions provide a strong foundation for the safety and security of our country.

One more point. It is in stark contrast to the partisan race to the bottom we saw in the House. House Republicans should look to the bipartisan Senate to see how to get things done. We are passing important bipartisan legislation; they are throwing partisan legislation on the floor that has no chance of passing. The contrast is glaring. If the House of Representatives would look at how we are working here in the Senate and emulate us a little more, they could be far more productive.

Senate Pages

Mr. President, now on a final note and a serious note. Today is the final day for this page class. It has been a busy session. The pages can help make this place run smoothly. They are here when we need them, and they have served this institution with grace. However, I understand that late last night, a Member of the House majority thought it appropriate to curse at some of these young people, these teenagers, in the Rotunda. I was shocked when I heard about it, and I am further shocked at his refusal to apologize to these young people.

I can't speak for the House of Representatives, but I do not think that one Member's disrespect is shared by this body, by Leader McConnell, and myself.

So I would like to take a moment to thank these pages for their assistance these many weeks. We wish them well as they return to their homes and families.

(Applause.)

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the names of the current pages be printed at the appropriate place in the Record.

I now turn to Leader McConnell.

Thank you, Leader McConnell.

I ask for the yeas and nays on final passage of the NDAA.

Cloture Motions Withdrawn

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Casey) and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) are necessarily absent.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 256.