Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions: S. Res. 232, S. Res. 233, S. Res. 234, and S. Res. 235.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned to convene for a pro forma session with no business being conducted on Friday, June 2, at 10:15 a.m.; that when the Senate adjourns on Friday, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6; that on Tuesday, 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 following the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Crane nomination; further, that the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6.

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

So, Mr. President, 3 days ago, President Biden and Speaker McCarthy announced a bipartisan budget agreement that will protect the U.S. economy while eliminating the threat of a catastrophic default.

I support the bipartisan agreement that President Biden has produced with Speaker McCarthy. Avoiding default is an absolute imperative. The damage that default would inflict on our country, our economy, and our families would be enormous and take years from which to recover.

Of course, nobody is getting everything they want. There is give on both sides. But this agreement is the responsible, prudent, and very necessary way forward.

Today, the House of Representatives is beginning the process of moving that legislation through the Chamber. When this bill arrives in the Senate, it is my plan to bring it to the floor as quickly as possible for consideration. Senators must be prepared to act with urgency to send a final product to the President's desk before the June 5 deadline.

I commend President Biden and his team for producing a sensible compromise under the most difficult of circumstances.

The bipartisan agreement accomplishes two major goals: First and foremost, it takes default off the table, sparing Americans from immense economic pain, and, second, it protects key investments that are essential for growing our economy, for fixing our infrastructure, and for making the United States more competitive on the world stage.

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will not be touched. Our veterans will be cared for. And, again, we are avoiding the single worst outcome possible--a default on the national debt.

From the start, I have said that the best way forward to avoiding default is bipartisan cooperation, and that is what this agreement represents. Again, nobody gets everything they wanted, but this bill is the responsible, prudent, and necessary way forward.

A default on the national debt would be one of the great disasters in our Nation's economic history. It would mean another painful recession. It would mean 8 million fewer jobs, and it would mean soaring costs on credit card payments, mortgages, small business loans, and diminished 401(k)s. There is no reason to subject the American people to the pain of default.

We still have more work to do in Congress, but I am optimistic that the path has now been paved and our objective is clear. We must pass this bipartisan agreement avoiding default as soon as we can. I hope the House moves quickly, and I will make sure the Senate moves quickly the moment this bipartisan bill is sent to us by the House.

Mr. President, now, on Senate business, as Congress fulfills its responsibility to avoid default, the Senate begins this work period with a lot of work to do both on and off the floor. Later this afternoon, the Senate will vote on the confirmation of Darrel Papillion to be a district judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Off the floor, Senators will be busy with a number of important hearings on a wide range of bipartisan priorities.

This Thursday, for instance, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a markup on a critical treaty for the United States: the U.S.-Chile tax treaty. At stake in this treaty is access to critical minerals like lithium that make everything from iPhones to EVs function. The world is racing to source these materials, and this U.S.- Chile treaty would give America an important edge. Thursday's markup represents a crucial step toward ratifying this treaty.

Also during this work period, I look forward to working with colleagues on both sides to begin the process of advancing bipartisan legislation to, one, outcompete the Chinese Government; two, prepare for a future defined by artificial intelligence; three, to lower the costs of prescription drugs, including insulin; four, to strengthen rail safety regulations; and, five, to build on our work from the past 2 years to make the United States more competitive and more prosperous in the 21st century.

I thank my colleagues for their good work.

I yield the floor.

Good evening. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it recess until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31; that following the prayer and pledge, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; further, that the Senate recess from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m., to allow for the weekly caucus meetings; further, that at 2:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to legislative session, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and it be in order to make a motion to proceed to H.J. Res. 45, which was received from the House and is at the desk; finally, that if the motion to proceed is agreed to, the vote on passage be at a time to be determined by the majority leader following consultation with the Republican leader on Thursday, June 1.

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

Mr. President, so, on AI, yesterday, I met with a bipartisan group of Senators--two Democrats, including myself, and two Republicans--to talk about spearheading our bipartisan efforts to focus on comprehensive AI legislation.

Our group agreed that because AI technology is developing so quickly, Congress has to move fast. Over the past several weeks, my staff and I have met with close to 100 CEOs of companies who do AI--scientists, AI academics, leaders in the industry of many different viewpoints, and critics of AI. And I plan to continue to do this.

If harnessed responsibly, AI has the power to do tremendous things for the public good. It can unlock unimaginable marvels in medicine, business, national security, science, and so many other areas of life; but if left unchecked, AI has the power to do tremendous, tremendous harm.

It can accelerate misinformation, breed new forms of racial prejudice, create severe economic disruptions, and hinder human agency in the most severe of ways.

So let me make a few observations in light of my conversation and our meeting.

First, as I said a month ago, Congress must move quickly. Many AI experts have pointed out that the government must have a role in how this technology enters our lives; even leaders of the industry say they welcome regulation. So if we were to fulfill our role properly, our approach to AI must be fast-moving. We can't move so fast that we do flawed legislation, but there is no time for waste or delay or sitting back. We have to move fast.

Second, our group also agreed that any approach must be bipartisan. AI technology already touches virtually every industry, field, and facet in our society, so our process must be collaborative and must draw from a broad and bipartisan range of views and issues.

And, third, we think we have a good case study for how the bipartisan process can work: CHIPS and Science. When the Senate passed CHIPS and Science, both sides came together on an issue that impacted the Nation and involved a lot of committees, inputs, and views--much like AI will. And because there was so much bipartisan overlap in CHIPS and Science, as there is in AI, it makes it a lot easier to do this in a way that brings bipartisan groups together from the very beginning.

So I hope CHIPS and Science can be a model for how we approach AI. I thank my colleagues--so many of my colleagues--not just the four of us who met, for their attention on this pressing issue, and I look forward to continuing to work with a wide range of Senators for many committees and from both sides of the aisle as we move forward.

Mr. President, default, all week long, both sides have kept talking about the future of our Nation's budget, while at the same time moved closer to fulfilling our responsibility to preserve the full faith and credit of the United States.

Avoiding default is non-negotiable. It must be our north star, and that cannot change. I am pleased that over the course of this week, everyone has acknowledged that allowing the country to default would be a catastrophe. I am also pleased that the other side has recognized that the best way forward is a bipartisan piece of legislation that

can secure enough votes to get through both the House and the Senate.

Partisan legislation just won't produce the result we need. I am hopeful that soon, both sides will find an agreement that keeps default completely off the table. We have made good progress this week, but the work continues. No one will get everything they want.

From the beginning, Democrats have said--I have said--that this process demands bipartisanship. It is how we avoided default under President Trump. It is how we avoided default under President Biden, and it is how we should avoid default this time too.

Brinksmanship, hiding plans, hostage-taking, none of that will move us any closer to a solution, but working together and accepting that nobody will get everything they want is the way to go.

Since the founding of our country, one thing has remained constant: When it is time to pay the bills, America has followed through. It is one of the cornerstones of our Nation's success.

If America would ever fail to pay its bills, the consequences would be horrific. Default would bring recession. Default would kill 8 million jobs. Default would send soaring costs on credit card payments, mortgages, small businesses, loans, and erode people's 401(k)s. Nobody--nobody--wants that. Americans certainly can't afford it; so we in Congress must avoid it at all costs.

I hope that negotiations continue in the right direction.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the negotiations are currently making progress. As Speaker McCarthy has said, he expects the House will vote next week if an agreement is reached, and the Senate would begin consideration after that.

Following the vote on the Abudu nomination, Members should remain aware and be able to return to the Senate within a 24-hour period to fulfill our responsibilities to avoid default.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, as I mentioned earlier, negotiations continue making progress. As Speaker McCarthy says, he expects the House will vote next week if an agreement is reached, and the Senate would begin consideration after that. Members should be aware and be able to return to the Senate within a 24-hour period to fulfill our responsibilities to avoid default. But I also want to take a moment to talk about some of the work the Senate has made progress on recently in the last work period.

Over this work period, the Senate confirmed more than seven district court judges and three new circuit court judges--Bradley Garcia, Anthony Johnstone, and Nancy Abudu--confirmed earlier this afternoon to serve a lifetime appointment on the Eleventh Circuit that represents Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

Ms. Abudu's appointment to the bench is barrier-breaking. She will be the first Black woman to preside on the Eleventh Circuit, and her circuit is home to nearly 8 million--8 million--Black Americans, including the Presiding Officer's great State.

We have a duty to ensure that Federal judges are individuals of the highest caliber, and that includes appointing judges from a wide variety of personal and professional backgrounds. Ms. Abudu meets that higher standard, and she will serve admirably on the bench.

With the confirmation of Ms. Abudu, the Senate has now confirmed 129 judges under President Biden--129.

Elsewhere, the Senate passed the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act so firefighters can better afford lifesaving equipment and personnel, particularly in smaller, more rural, and more suburban areas, where the equipment is harder to find and harder to afford.

Senators also reintroduced the SAFE Banking Act to enable cannabis businesses to access critical banking structures. Just last week, the Banking Committee held its first hearing on this legislation. And I will also work to make sure we include criminal justice provisions to SAFE Banking.

Last week, the Commerce Committee moved on the bipartisan Railway Safety Act out of committee. I will work

with Senators on both sides, including Senators Brown and Vance, the two lead sponsors, as well as Casey and Fetterman, also sponsors, to bring the Railway Safety Act for a vote soon.

I will likewise work with my colleagues on efforts to make prescription drugs more affordable, including insulin. Last week, the HELP Committee advanced significant drug reforms, and it is my hope this process will continue to move forward in a bipartisan manner and will enable us to lower the cost of prescription drugs, particularly insulin.

This work period, I joined with colleagues and committee chairs to announce the next steps in the Senate's effort to outcompete the Chinese Government and preserve America's global leadership in the 21st century. Last week, the Commerce Committee marked up bipartisan legislation on the U.S. semiconductor supply chains, and, this week, the Appropriations Committee held a bipartisan hearing on investments to outcompete the Chinese Government. The House Government Affairs Committee also marked up several bills on security and competitiveness. Our committees will continue working on various efforts on this issue during the next work period. Outcompeting the Chinese Government will be one of the great challenges of our generation, and we must be clear- eyed and act accordingly.

So this has been a busy stretch for the Senate on a number of different fronts: more judges, progress with Fire Grants, SAFE Banking, Rail Safety, competing with the Chinese Government, prescription drug reform, and a whole host of important issues.

Mr. President, now I wish to thank and honor a longtime employee of the Senate Recording Studio who is retiring today after nearly four decades, Paul Casasco.

Paul, for all we know, this is your last day, but you are very diligent. You may be recording this right now. If you are, hi, Paul. We love you.

Paul is the senior audio operator for the Senate Chamber. His tenure dates back to the first days when the Senate proceedings were televised, back in 1986. Paul witnessed the history and literally made history happen by using video to expand public access to the Senate in ways we had never seen before.

From helping install the cameras here in this Chamber to operating nearly every piece of production equipment, to broadcasting everything from floor activity to committee hearings, Paul has played an essential role in broadcasting the work of the Senate to the public. In a very real way, Paul's work has given the American people a front-row seat to the Senate, allowing them to hear every word, every speech, every debate.

So, on behalf of the U.S. Senate, we thank Paul for his many years of service to this Chamber and congratulate him on a well-earned retirement, and wish him and his family the very best.

Mr. President, one more retirement, one deeply meaningful to me--Lane Bodian, affectionately known as Corporal Bodian. I don't know why that happened, but it did. I have nicknames for a lot of the people I care about on my staff.

Lane has done an amazing, amazing job covering foreign policy for me for over a decade. He is so smart. He is so level-headed. He is so dedicated. When he comes up with ideas, I almost always say: This is exactly the right way to go.

When there is trouble brewing in foreign policy areas, Lane seems to find the best ways to try and solve those problems and ease the tensions that we have seen throughout the world.

In addition to his hard work, to his diligence, to his dedication, and to his deep intelligence and thoughtfulness, he is a nice guy. Everyone loves Lane. He is decent. He is smart. He is caring.

Lane, I know you are going on to bigger and better things. Many on my staff do after long tenures, I am happy to say. This one, I think, is 11 years or 12 years. We wish you the best. But you will always, always, always be a dear friend to the Schumer family and a member of the greater Schumer family, our staff. We stick together. We watch each other. We care for each other long after people leave, and you are going to long be part of it. So, Lane, Godspeed. You are the greatest.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations: all nominations placed on the Secretary's desk in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; 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.