Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to vitiate the previous actions on S. 734.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of S. 734 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Cornyn amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to, 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 the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 742, National Lobster Day, submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, 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 ask unanimous consent that the Senate

proceed to consideration of S. Res. 743, submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, 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.

Finally, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 12 noon on Thursday, August 4; 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 the consideration of S.J. Res. 55, and that at 1:45 p.m. the Senate vote on passage of the joint resolution; further, that upon disposition of the joint resolution, the Senate execute the previous order with respect to the Desai nomination; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday'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.

For the information of the Senate, there will be two rollcall votes at 1:45 p.m., with additional rollcall votes possible.

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

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, over the last 5 days, we have seen what President Biden and a Democratic-led Congress are focused on getting done: bringing terrorists to justice, lowering costs, reducing inflation and the deficit, helping out our veterans, and better competing with countries like China.

I want to begin with a word on last night's strike. Last night, President Biden reported that the United States conducted a strike that targeted and killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the notorious mass murderer, the leader of al-Qaida, and one of the sick planners of the September 11 attacks, which in New York and around the country and the world we are still mourning.

The strike against al-Zawahiri is a major victory for the United States. It will make our country and the entire world a safer place. It will also help bring an element of justice for the 9/11 families, as well as the many Americans who still carry the scars deep within.

I applaud President Biden for bringing final justice to this loathsome murderer who orchestrated the killing of thousands of my fellow New Yorkers, including some people I knew quite well. I also want to thank the President's national security team for keeping Congress fully and currently informed throughout the process. Finally, I want to applaud the skill and bravery of our dedicated intelligence community, servicemembers, and diplomats who work day and night--day and night--to keep America safe.

This successful mission will send a chill down the spines of terrorists all over the world and likewise will send a clear message to those who wish to cross our Nation and harm our citizens: You will find no comfort. You will find no quarter. You can run, but you can't hide. We will hunt you down to the ends of the Earth until justice is carried out.

Mr. President, now on the PACT Act, every day that passes without action on the PACT Act is another day that our Nation's veterans have to do the

unthinkable: fight for basic healthcare benefits they rightfully deserve.

Two months ago, the Senate overwhelmingly passed this bill that secured the largest healthcare benefit expansion for our veterans in decades. We are dealing by and large with that exact bill again, so there is no justification to delay swift passage of the PACT Act any longer.

I am very hopeful that Republicans can work with Democrats to break through the impasse on the PACT Act immediately. We have offered Senator Paul and Senator Toomey votes on the amendments they have been calling for, set at a 60-vote threshold, just like the cloture vote has a 60-vote threshold. We hope to reach an agreement where we can act on this bill as soon as today, but for that to happen, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle should work with us in good faith.

There is no better message we can send to the veterans who have camped out for nights in front of the Capitol than that their long wait and the wait of veterans everywhere is finally over. These brave Americans risked life and limb to keep our country safe, and the very least we can do is ensure they receive top care.

I urge my colleagues to come together so we can get the PACT Act done ASAP, as soon as today.

Mr. President, now on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the Senate is on track to consider passing the groundbreaking and truly historic Inflation Reduction Act later this week.

I want to thank the Office of the Senate Parliamentarian and all of the committee staff on both sides of the aisle for their tireless work on the Byrd bath process that is currently underway. All text and CBO and JCT scores have been submitted for review in this process. The Parliamentarian and her team have dedicated long hours on our legislation, and I think I can speak for all Senators in thanking them for their work. We are on schedule to consider this bill later this week.

The more that people learn about what is in the Inflation Reduction Act, the more they find reasons to praise the bill and the more absurd the Republican attacks sound.

This morning, a group of 126 leading economists--including 7 Nobel Prize winners, 3 former Chairs of the Council of Economic Advisers, and 2 former Treasury Secretaries--wrote a letter to congressional leaders calling for swift passage of our bill. They found that our bill ``will fight inflation and lower costs for American families while setting the stage for strong, stable, and broadly-shared long-term economic growth.''

That is seven Nobel laureates, three former Chairs of the CEA, two former Treasury Secretaries. Let me read it again. This bill will ``fight inflation and lower costs for American families while setting the stage for strong, stable, broadly-shared long-term economic growth.''

Another analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget--hardly a liberal organization--began with the headline that:

The Inflation Reduction Act will HELP FIGHT INFLATION.

They believe it is aptly named. It is.

The headlines go on and on and speak for themselves.

The New York Times--this is a headline:

Analysis Deems Biden's Climate and Tax Bill Fiscally

Responsible.

Madam President, I have some good news. The minority leader and I have come to an agreement to vote on the PACT Act this evening. There will be 3 amendment votes, a 60-vote margin on the Toomey amendment, on the Paul amendment, and on the Blackburn amendment, and then 60 votes for the bill. I am very optimistic that this bill will pass, so our veterans across America can breathe a sigh of relief.

The treatments that they deserve and have needed but have been denied by the VA because of all kinds of legal barriers and presumptions will now be gone. Veterans who were exposed to the toxic fumes of burn pits will be treated by the VA like they should have been from the very beginning.

So this is good news. It took us a while to get here, but I am grateful for the bipartisan cooperation and support that will allow us to move forward today.

And a little bit more good news: The fact that we can finish PACT today gives us a real opportunity to do the treaties that will allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO. And that can happen tomorrow if we can come to a time agreement. I am very hopeful that that can happen as well.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at 4 p.m. today the Senate proceed to legislative session and resume consideration of the House message to accompany S. 3373, with the time until 5 p.m. equally divided; further, that it be in order to consider and vote in relation to a Paul motion to concur with amendment No. 5184, a Toomey motion to concur with amendment No. 5186, and a Blackburn motion to concur with amendment No. 5185; that at 5 p.m., the Senate vote in relation to the motions in the order listed; that following disposition of the motions to concur with amendments numbered 5184, 5186, and 5185, the motion to refer and the amendments pending thereto and the motion to concur with amendment No. 5148 and the amendment pending thereto be withdrawn and the Senate vote on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 3373; that the Paul, Toomey, and Blackburn motions and the motion to concur be subject to a 60-vote affirmative threshold, with 2 minutes for debate, equally divided, prior to each vote; and that all votes after the first vote be 10-minute votes; all without intervening action or debate.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, this long-awaited moment for our Nation's veterans is occurring now. The Senate is finally--finally--going to pass the most significant expansion of veteran healthcare benefits in generations. This is a very good day, a long-awaited day, a day that should have happened long ago.

For decades, many of our Nation's veterans have endured a shameful reality. They went abroad to serve our country bravely, got sick from toxic exposure in the line of duty, but came home and learned they didn't qualify for the benefits they needed to treat their illnesses. It is shameful. It is infuriating.

Today, we tell our veterans suffering from cancers, lung diseases, and other ailments from burn pits: The wait is over for the benefits you deserve. No more pointless delays on getting the healthcare you need. No more jumping through hoops and even hiring lawyers just to get an answer from the VA.

Today, if you are a veteran--from Vietnam to Iraq, to Afghanistan, to everywhere in between--and you get sick from burn pit exposure or Agent Orange, you will finally be able to get your earned benefits guaranteed.

I want to thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for working together to push the PACT Act over the line, especially Senators Tester and Moran, who were the original leaders of the bill, my colleague Senator Gillibrand from New York, and I thank in advance all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who will vote for this much needed legislation.

Importantly, I want to thank the many veterans, veterans service organizations, and advocates, like Jon Stewart and John Feal, who led a righteous, mighty movement to get this bill done. It wouldn't have happened without you.

Especially, I want to thank the veterans who camped at the foot of Capitol Hill for the past few days, enduring scorching heat and drenching rain just to get to this point. They said they would never go home until they got this bill done. They are here.

Well, I have good news. In a few minutes, after this bill passes, you can go home knowing the good and great thing you have done and accomplished for the United States of America.

Because of them, veterans everywhere will finally get the dignity and care they deserve.

The PACT Act is now going to the President's desk.

I thank my colleagues for their work, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion to Concur

Madam President, this is a wonderful moment, especially for all the people who have made this happen who are observing it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

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

Madam President, now, I am about to lock in an agreement that will allow the Senate to pass the resolution of ratification for the Finnish and Swedish applications to join NATO. Our NATO alliance is the bedrock that has guaranteed democracy in the Western World since World War II. This strengthens NATO even further and is particularly needed in the light of recent Russian aggression.

When Leader McConnell and I met with the Finnish President and Swedish Prime Minister in May, we committed to do this as fast as we could and certainly before we go home for the August recess.

With the help of Chair Menendez, Ranking Member Risch, Senator Shaheen, and Senator Tillis, we were able to get to this point.

I appreciate their hard work and bipartisan work. I know Leader McConnell does too. For the awareness of my colleagues, I invited the Ambassadors from Finland and Sweden to join us in the Gallery during our debate and votes tomorrow.

And so now, I ask unanimous consent that on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 5, treaty document 117-3; that the treaties be considered as having advanced through the various parliamentary stages up to and including the presentation of the resolution of advice and consent to ratification; that there be 3 hours for debate, equally divided between the two leaders or their designees, on the treaties and resolution of advice and consent to ratification; that the only amendments in order to the resolution of advice and consent to ratification be the following: Sullivan 5191, Paul 5192; that following the debate, the Senate vote in relation to the amendments in the order listed; and that upon disposition of the amendments, any committee conditions, declarations, or reservations be agreed to as applicable, and the Senate vote on the resolution of advice and consent to ratification as amended, if amended, with no intervening action or debate; that if the resolution of advice and consent to ratification is agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative session.

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