Floor Statements

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, September 6, be waived.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session for 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 Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 4791, which is at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 462, S. 3662.

I further ask unanimous consent that the committee- reported substitute be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 441, S. 958.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 7; 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 Lee nomination, postcloture; further, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings and that at 2:15 p.m. all postcloture time on the Lee nomination be considered expired; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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 Senator Portman.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, we approach the culmination of one of the most productive stretches in recent Senate memory. It began almost 2 months ago when, in the wake of unimaginable bloodshed in Buffalo and Uvalde, the Senate came together and passed the first gun safety law in nearly 30 years.

A few weeks later, in the face of the damaging semiconductor shortage, the Senate approved the largest investment in American manufacturing and scientific research in decades.

This week, we finally told American veterans with cancer, lung disease, and other terrible ailments that their wait for their benefits was over by passing the PACT Act.

And a few days ago, as Russian aggression toward Ukraine continues, we swiftly approved the accession of Sweden and Finland to the NATO alliance, greatly strengthening that alliance in the face of Russian aggression.

Gun safety, chips, veterans, NATO--all of this we got done in under 6 weeks. And, now, we have one more groundbreaking item left, the most important of them all: the Inflation Reduction Act. Passing any one of these bills in a summer would be significant. Yet we are on the verge of getting all

of them done before the August State work period.

In a few hours, we will formally begin the process of passing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 by voting on the motion to proceed. Our meetings with the Parliamentarian have now largely concluded, and we thank her and her staff for their hard work and diligence on such a large bill in such a short period of time. And now that our meetings with the Parliamentarian have largely concluded, we have a bill before us that can win the support of all 50 Democrats.

I am happy to report to my colleagues that the bill we presented to the Parliamentarian remains largely intact. The bill, when passed, will meet all of our goals: fighting climate change, lowering healthcare costs, closing tax loopholes abused by the wealthy, and reducing the deficit.

This is a major win for the American people and a sad commentary on the Republican Party as they actively fight provisions that lower costs for the American family.

As the Inflation Reduction Act works its way through the floor, the American people are going to learn an unmistakable truth about this proposal: It was written, first and foremost, with the American people in mind. It reduces inflation, it lowers their costs, and it fights climate change. For seniors who have faced the indignity of rationing medications or skipping them altogether, the Inflation Reduction Act will lower prescription drug costs and finally cap out-of-pocket expenses.

For families that have fallen behind on the electric bill while trying to stay cool through a heat wave, this bill will lower energy costs and provide the largest investment in clean energy ever in American history. For every child deprived of clean air and a neighborhood where they can play safely outside, away from smog and exhaust fumes, this bill will help reverse air pollution and help clean up communities that have endured the shadow of congested highways and industrial sites. And, as the most significant action of climate change ever, it will help deliver our children and grandchildren the planet they deserve.

The Inflation Reduction Act was written with the American people in mind: families struggling to pay the bills, kids who struggle with asthma and pollution, seniors who can't afford lifesaving medications. This bill is for them.

For many years, many in Washington promised to address some of the biggest challenges facing our Nation, only to fall short. Many have talked about the need to act on climate change, the need to hold drug companies accountable, the need to make the Tax Code fairer. But where previous efforts have fallen short, this Senate majority is on the verge of succeeding.

After years of trying, we will finally empower Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drug costs. After years of trying, we will finally cap out-of-pocket expenses and make vaccines free for our seniors.

After years of trying, after years of Americans calling for action-- particularly our young people--Congress will pass the largest clean energy package ever. We will cut emissions by 40 percent by 2030, helping us avert the worst consequences of a warming planet. That is a huge goal, and we are going to meet it. We will prevent nearly 4,000 deaths and 100,000 asthma attacks each year by reducing air pollution. We will save Americans money on their utility bill by making it easier for them to tap into clean energy and expand incentives for utility companies to explore cleaner ways to generate power. We will make it easier to finally usher in the era of greater solar and wind power, battery storage, and EVs and bring manufacturing of this technology back to America. We will restore coastlines, regenerate our forests, shield communities everywhere from the danger of droughts and sweltering heat waves.

Through it all, we will create more than 9 million jobs over the next decade--good-paying union jobs--an average of nearly a million a year. So many of those jobs, as I said, will be good-paying union jobs.

From the moment Democrats announced the Inflation Reduction Act, Senate Republicans have fruitlessly tried every approach under the sun to lay a glove on our bill.

First, they said our bill will make inflation worse, only to give up on that once everyone from Larry Summers to Hank Paulson, to seven Nobel laureates said it would do the opposite. Then they tried calling our bill a bill of tax hikes on the middle class before changing their minds and actually admitting that the bill contains no tax rate increases at all for the middle class.

At every turn, they have resorted to the decades-old talking point of calling our bill nothing but wasteful spending, conveniently ignoring that our bill, in fact, lowers the deficit and is completely paid for.

I will grant my Republican colleagues that their task is not easy. By one measure, over 65 percent of Americans support the policies in the Inflation Reduction Act, and other polls reflect the same. Republicans haven't been able to get around the fact that Americans like that we are letting Medicare negotiate the price of prescription drugs. They like that we will close tax loopholes that allow billion-dollar companies to pay zero in taxes. Voices across the country, from Nobel- winning economists to former Treasury Secretaries, to even Republican movie star ex-Governors, have all praised the Inflation Reduction Act as an inflation-fighting, climate-saving, job-creating piece of legislation.

At a time of seemingly impenetrable gridlock, the Inflation Reduction Act will show the American people that when the moment demands it, Congress is still capable of taking big steps to solve big challenges. We will show the American people that, yes, we are capable of passing a historic climate package and rein in drug companies and make our Tax Code fairer. We are able to make big promises and work hard at keeping them as well.

We know that Republicans will continue their mightiest to try to smear our work before the bill is passed. This isn't our first time going through the reconciliation process, and no one is going to be surprised when the other side comes up with wild, misleading, and wholly partisan amendments that have nothing--nothing--to do with our bill. These efforts will not deter us. No matter how long it takes, the Senate is going to stay in session to finish this bill.

In short, this is one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching pieces of legislation that has come before the Congress in decades. It will help just about every citizen in this country and make America a much better place.

We are not leaving until the job is done. The American people deserve nothing less. So let's get to work today.

Madam President, as in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 4785, which was introduced earlier today.

I further ask that the bill be considered read three times and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, well, first, I want to thank my dear friend and our great leader and chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for her positive words on this bill and her reminder to all of us that our work is not done and particularly for her work on one of the most urgent issues facing American families: childcare. I don't know of a single Member of this Senate, Democrat or Republican, who has done more to push the issue of childcare and get it done than the senior Senator from the great State of Washington, and I thank her for that.

I want to thank my colleagues Senator Kaine and Senator Blumenthal, who have also been such strong leaders on this issue.

I am here to say that what they are saying--Senator Murray, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Kaine--is right. We need to do something in this country to lower childcare costs and increase its availability. I pledge to my colleagues and to the American people that I will keep working with Senator Murray until we get something done to increase access to high-quality childcare for working families.

We all know that, today, families pay more for childcare than at any point in American history. Amazingly, sometimes families have to pay more for childcare than they would pay for a mortgage. It is out of reach.

Some people forget how the world has changed. When I was a kid, my dad had this little junky exterminating business. My mom was what was then called a housewife. I got home from school every day at 3 o'clock, and there was Mom with milk and cookies, asking me what homework I had--oh, I don't have any homework, Mom--and telling me what time I had to come back home from going out and playing in the schoolyard for dinner.

That doesn't happen anymore. The vast majority of families in America are either single parent or two parents,

both working. The percentage that have two parents, only one working, is minimal. So childcare is now a necessity. It is a necessity for families.

The anguish people go through to try to find childcare, and then when it is not available or something happens, what are they going to do? They are both working and scrambling. Who is going to watch the kids? It is agony. It is not this kind of agony that comes, you know, God forbid, once in a lifetime when you get a serious illness, but it is real agony and anxiety. We have to do something.

There is another reason we have to do something: our economy. You read all of the economic experts. We are short of labor. We are short of labor. You go to any business--small, medium, big--they are short of labor.

Probably the No. 1 or No. 2 reason in the whole country we are short of labor is we don't have adequate childcare. Moms or dads don't want to go to work because they don't know who is going to take care of the kids. Moms or dads stay home or retire or whatever. So our economy desperately needs this. When parents can't enter the workforce-- particularly women--our country suffers as an economy, and productivity is greatly diminished.

Of course, there are other issues to deal with in this economy as well that are related. Home- and community-based services. People need a roof over their heads. We need to support families through paid leave. We need to make sure that every child in this country has a chance to grow and reach their potential, not in poverty. All of these issues are important. Childcare is so important--so important.

So I want to first thank again Senator Murray for her words. I want to thank my colleagues. Two of our leaders on this issue, Senators Kaine and Blumenthal, are here today.

We want to pledge to the American people that we are going to keep working until we get something done in childcare, and we will keep fighting for all these issues to expand opportunity for all Americans. It is so, so vital to the future of our country and to the well-being of families across the Nation.

I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, in a moment, I will move to proceed to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The time has come for the Senate to begin debate on this historic piece of legislation.

The Inflation Reduction Act is a groundbreaking bill for the American people--for families struggling to pay the bills, for seniors struggling to pay for medication, for kids struggling with asthma. This bill is for them.

I thank all of my colleagues who have dedicated their blood, sweat, and tears toward shaping this outstanding legislation.

This is one of the most comprehensive and impactful bills Congress has seen in decades. It will reduce inflation, it will lower prescription drug costs, it will fight climate change, it will close tax loopholes, and it will reduce--reduce--the deficit. It will help every citizen in this country and make America a much better place.

The time is now to move forward with a big, bold package for the American people; to fight inflation and make it easier for people to afford everything from trips to the doctor's office to trips to the pharmacy; to hold drug companies accountable and empower Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs; to help families pay their utilities with the boldest clean energy package in American history; to make sure that nurses and teachers and firefighters and middle-class families don't pay more in taxes than billion-dollar corporations; to reduce pollution, restore our coastlines, protect our forests, and deliver to our children and grandchildren the planet they deserve.

Again, the time is now to move forward with a big, bold package for the American people.

Again, this historic bill--this historic bill--will reduce inflation, lower costs, and fight climate change. It is time to move this Nation forward.

Senate Democrats began this majority by promising to tackle the biggest challenges facing our country. The Inflation Reduction Act will make good on that promise and serve as the capstone to one of the most productive stretches the Senate has seen in a very long time. And in the end, it will be the American people who benefit from the work we do here and now.

Motion to Proceed

So I move to proceed to Calendar No. 464, H.R. 5376.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I call up amendment No. 5194, as modified, with the changes at the desk, and I ask that it be reported by number.

Madam President, I know of no further amendments to the substitute.

Madam President, it has been a long, tough, and winding road, but at last--at last--we have arrived.

I know it has been a long day and a long night, but we have gotten it done. Today, after more than a year of hard work, the Senate is making history.

I am confident the Inflation Reduction Act will endure as one of the defining legislative feats of the 21st century.

Our bill reduces inflation, lowers costs, creates millions of good- paying jobs, and is the boldest climate package in U.S. history.

This bill will kick start the era of affordable clean energy in America. It is a game changer. It is a turning point, and it has been a long time in coming.

To Americans who have lost faith that Congress can do big things, this bill is for you. To seniors who face the indignity of rationing medications or skipping them altogether, this bill is for you. And to the tens of millions of young Americans who have spent years marching, rallying, demanding that Congress act on climate change, this bill is for you.

The time has come to pass this historic bill.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I have got to compose myself a little here. Every Senator knows an undeniable truth: We can never do what we do without our amazing, incredible staff. They work behind the scenes; they never fall under the spotlight. But they do incredible work, nonetheless.

Now that we finished passing the Inflation Reduction Act, I want to applaud all of the staffers--we already applauded them, but that is good--who made this possible. The hundreds of staffers who served in Senate offices across the various committees. I want to thank every single one of them for their remarkable work in passing the Inflation Reduction Act.

I will submit their names into the Record to honor their achievements and preserve forever the role they played in bringing this bill to life. And I ask unanimous consent to have the names of all of the committee staff who contributed printed in the Record.

Madam President, to the floor staff, particularly the Parliamentarian, who worked so hard under not easy conditions. And especially because we had to do so much in such a short period of time, we thank you so.

The clerks, the doorkeepers, the reporters--thank you.

Thank you to the pages who worked over time to help us in this historic endeavor. You will tell your grandchildren you were here. You were here.

Thank you to the cafeteria workers, custodial staff, and Capitol Police. The Senate can't function without all of you. And I thank the Office of Legislative Counsel, the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Congressional Budget Office. And, of course, I cannot forget my own staff--the best staff ever on Capitol Hill--and my Members know it. The Members know how good my staff is. I am so dedicated to them, the best in the business. Of course, every Senator thinks their staff is the best on Capitol Hill; but in my case, it happens to be true.

To Mike Lynch, who has been with me all these years and is so strong and steadfast and steady; to his deputy chief and my deputy chief Erin Sager Vaughn, another person who has been here a very long time and is just amazing. We praise her for her EQ, among other talents. She told me that.

To Martin Brennan, another like Mike Lynch--Mike Lynch and Martin Brennan have been with me just about since I started to be a Senator, and they are just such rocks in our office--incredible. Probably the team of husband and wife who have done more to save the Earth this year than just about anybody else is Gerry Petrella and Meghan Taira. They met and got married on my staff. They have a beautiful little boy, George. And when you have two people so important as policy director and legislative director and a little child at home, it is tough. But they managed to be great parents at the same time as being great and amazing staffers. And they are brilliant. They are just brilliant.

My executive team is world class: Emily Sweda, Kellie Karney, Abby Kaluza, and Raisa Shah--who just left a few weeks ago; an amazing press team, Justin Goodman, Alex Nguyen--nicknamed ``Win,'' of course--Monica Lee, Alice Nam, Ken Meyer, Cyre Velez, Jasmine Harris, Jonathan Uriarte, Natalia Cardenas, and everyone on the digital team, the Senate Media Center who worked day and night, to record, edit, finalize photos, graphics and videos of every sort. They are a blessing.

And I want to recognize my press staff up in New York. They are just incredible. Amazing. I am just so blessed: Angelo Roefaro, Ally Biasotti, Paige Tepke; my speechwriter, Tony Rivera; my rapid response director, Dan Yoken; the amazing team of researchers: Hanna Talley, Thaha Sherwani, Mikael Tessema. And to our talented press assistants, thank you so much: Gabriel Avalos, Gracie Kanigher, Riya Vashi, and Sidney Johnson.

Two people who do an amazing job reaching out to the community: Cietta Kiandoli and Julietta Lopez--incredible. They talk to all the groups and make them feel part of what we are doing and they know what we are doing. It is so wonderful, the job they do. And a brilliant legislative team--brilliant. ``Brilliant'' is an overused word, but it is not overused in the case of my staff. The ideas they come up with, the way they manage to get everything done. It is amazing.

So there is Adrian Deveny and Tim Ryder, Matt Fuentes, Dili--it is a hard, long last name. I always call him Dili. I'm glad it is just Dili. It is Sundaramoorthy. How did I--Where is he? Oh, he is not here to correct me. Good.

Anna Taylor. Anna Taylor is so damn dedicated. She had a baby 2 days ago, and she is still on the phone talking. And I said: Anna, stop.

No, no, no. She was so dedicated and put so much time into this that she kept working. And her little beautiful child, Posey. We heard her crying happily in the background as we were moving through all of this. Jon Cardinal--an amazing guy who worked so hard on this and on CHIP fab--Reggie Babin on counsel, Rob Hickman, Annie Daly, Ramon Carranza, Catalina Tam, Sam Rodarte, Jillian McGrath, Justine Revelle, Ryan Eagan, Didier Barjon, Grace Magaletta, Bre Sonnier-Thompson, Vandan Patel, Leela Najafi, Leeann Sinpatanaskul, Jeff Dickson, Mike Kuiken, Lane Bodian, Reza Zomorrodian, Yazeed Abdelhaq, Beth Vrabel, Kai Vogel, Josh Gutmaker, and Gunnar Haberl.

And the floor staff--you know, there are certain people you say: We couldn't have done it without you, and a bunch of the names I have mentioned fall in the ``couldn't have done it without you'' category. But we all know that just the wisdom and the knowledge and the history that is in his bones and brain just make him indispensable, and that is Gary Myrick.

Is he here? He is very modest. So I am going to make him mad. We should all applaud him. He hates it.

(Cheers and applause.)

And, of course, Tricia Engle, his great deputy, and the wonderful team on the floor and in the cloakroom: Stephanie Paone, Rachel Jackson, Nate Oursler, Daniel Tinsley, Brad Watt, Jacky Usyk, Maalik Simmons, and Miriam Wheatley.

And, of course, my tech and IT team, what a great bunch. And for someone who is not very tech-oriented, his team is indispensable, too: Scott Rodman, Hemen Mehta, Jon Housley, and Amy Mannering.

And more staffers who work here every day in Washington--and we didn't name a lot of my staff in New York. I will just throw in the name of Steve Mann, who has been our deputy director since I started in the Senate and does a wonderful job. They all do, but I just wanted to mention him. And we commiserate with Mike Lynch over the Yankees, who are losing a lot of games these days.

Today, as I conclude, I ask unanimous consent to have the names of my entire staff printed in the Record.

Madam President, I want them to know how much I appreciate their work, how great a difference they have made. This bill is going to change America for decades, and you did it. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you should never forget how much you have helped make the world and the globe a better place--never forget it.

So, to every single staffer on my team, to staffers in other offices, committees here on the floor: Thank you, thank you, thank you, very, very much.

I yield the floor because Mr. Padilla has some important words about a New Yorker.