Floor Statements

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

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 919.

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

Madam President, finally, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, June 13, be waived.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, this year we have already seen more mass shootings in America than we have had days in the year--more than one a day on average. The prevalence of guns, their ease of access, and the hateful motivations of mass shooters have all mixed into a toxic brew that is tearing America apart. People are asking, what is going on, and why can't Congress protect us?

Yesterday, our House colleagues heard from those affected most: the parents of a young girl murdered in Uvalde, a student who played dead by covering herself in her friend's blood, and the mom of a Buffalo survivor who painted the gruesome picture of the bullet holes on her son's neck, back, and leg.

These were harrowing, gut-wrenching testimonies. That Congress has not acted in decades in response to these acts of violence is shameful. It used to be different. About 30 years ago, I was the author of the Brady bill and worked with Republicans and law enforcement to get strong gun safety laws passed. That was a different era. But the lesson from back then remains clear today: The right laws can make a real difference in reducing gun deaths. Because those laws were on the books, it is very likely that tens of thousands of people are alive and healthy who would not have been.

Right now, the Senate is trying to break that streak of inaction--the 30-year streak of inaction since we were able to pass Brady and the assault weapons ban--by working toward meaningful legislation on gun violence.

Yesterday, a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans met again to continue working toward a bipartisan compromise. This morning, my colleague Senator Murphy reported that the group is making good progress, and they hope to get something real done very soon. As soon as the bipartisan group comes to agreement, I want to bring a measure to the floor for a vote as quickly as possible.

The overwhelming consensus of our caucus, of gun safety advocates, and of the American people is that getting something real done on gun violence is worth pursuing, even if we cannot get everything that we know we need.

The work of curing our Nation of mass shootings will continue well after

this debate concludes. But at this moment, we have a moral obligation to try for real progress because taking tangible steps to reduce gun violence is critically important.

Americans are sick and tired of going through the same grieving cycle over and over again, only for Congress to do nothing. They are enraged that even after shootings in Sandy Hook, Parkland, San Bernardino, El Paso, Boulder, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and so many others, that nothing-- nothing--has changed.

We hope this time around something will change at last. I hope that very soon we can see a deal come together. I encourage my colleagues to keep their talks going so we can act on it very quickly.

January 6 Hearings

Madam President, on the January 6 hearings, tonight, the Nation will tune in to the House Select Committee on January 6 as they begin their first public hearings on the Capitol insurrection. Tonight's hearings will be a watershed moment in the fight to protect our democracy from the Big Lie of the hard right.

The committee will lay bare the truth that the American people must know; first, that there was tremendous violence. There are still many out there who say there wasn't violence. There was. The pictures show it. The eyewitnesses testify to it.

And the committee will lay bare the truth that the American people must know; that Donald Trump was at the heart of a coordinated effort to overturn the 2020 elections, to overturn our constitutional order, and inflict permanent damage upon our democracy. It will be essential viewing.

But in one of the most cowardly journalistic decisions in modern memory, FOX News--one of the biggest amplifiers of the Big Lie about January 6, about Donald Trump, and about the election--will not broadcast tonight's hearing.

FOX News's decision not to air the biggest hearing in modern history should end any debate that they are not a real news organization. FOX News is rapidly becoming a propaganda machine of the hard right, and it is as plain as day that they are scared of their viewers learning the truth about January 6.

FOX News's decision not to air the January 6 hearings is dangerous, cowardly, and shameful, given that they have spent more than a year spreading the Big Lie and misinforming their viewers.

Instead of telling the truth, they have isolated their viewers in an alternative reality of conspiracy theories that is immensely damaging to our democracy. Even the so-called liberal media which FOX News regularly attacks tries to tell both sides.

FOX News is afraid of telling both sides because they are afraid of the truth, and they are afraid their viewers may learn that FOX News has lied to them.

I urge FOX News to change course very soon. The press has an obligation--always has had that obligation--not to hide the truth from the American people, no matter how painful or inconvenient.

And as a nation, we have a duty to never forget what happened on January 6. The direct assault on our democracy and the dangers of that day, sadly, remain still with us.

Honoring our PACT Act of 2021

Madam President, now, on the PACT Act, a happier note, today, the Senate will continue consideration of the most important veteran healthcare expansion in decades, the PACT Act, authored by my colleagues Senators Tester and Moran--bipartisan.

We want to get this bill done as soon as we can. We can't have dilatory or destructive amendments to this bill because it is too important for our veterans' well-being to delay or destroy it.

For years, I have worked extensively with veterans, veterans service organizations, and advocates, including Jon Stewart and John Deal, who all say that the VA rules must be changed to ensure sick veterans get the care they need.

They volunteered, went off to war, and were exposed to toxins. That is a cost of war, and the American people cannot let them down.

The bill, which could benefit 3.5 million veterans who have been exposed to toxic chemicals in the line of duty, represents that change. For the sake of our veterans, there is no reason--no reason--not to pass this bill A-S-A-P, and I hope that is precisely what we can do.

Shipping

Madam President, on shipping, next week, the House is to vote on a much needed bill, passed unanimously by the Senate in April, to lower costs and relieve supply chains by reforming unfair shipping practices that hurt exporters and consumers alike.

Rising costs are top of the mind right now for the American people, and one of the more flummoxing causes of inflation is the crushing backlog that we are seeing at our ports. We have all seen the pictures of scores of ships lining up in ports, from Los Angeles to Savannah, to Seattle, to my home port of New York and New Jersey.

These backlogs have created serious price hikes. According to one study from earlier this year, the price to transport a container from China to the west coast of the United States costs 12 times--12 times-- as much as it did 2 years ago, and the American consumer is paying the price. And it hurts both ways when shipping costs go up: It affects exports that we send overseas and imports that come back. It is a double whammy, whacking the American people's pocketbooks and wallets. At the end of the day, the American consumer ends up paying the higher price.

So I am very glad that the House will finally act on the Senate- passed shipping bill next week. The shipping reform bill will help us lower costs. It will clear our ports, relieve our supply chains, and American families will feel the benefit.

I want to thank my colleagues Senators Klobuchar and Thune, the authors of the legislation, as well as the fine work of Senator Cantwell, for leading this legislation earlier this year out of committee, onto the floor, and passing here in the Senate.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, this week, the Senate has worked towards passing the largest expansion of healthcare benefits for our veterans in a very long time. Millions of veterans today face the flabbergasting indignity. They served our country valiantly, were exposed to toxic chemicals in the line of duty but cannot get the healthcare benefits they need because of outdated rules at the VA.

This needs to change, and the PACT Act would provide the fix. Many on both sides want to get this bill done as soon as we can. We cannot have dilatory or destructive amendments to the PACT Act because it is too important for our veterans' well-being.

To that end, Democrats have spent the day working with Republicans on a list of amendments, and these negotiations are ongoing. But while we work on an agreement and to keep the process moving, I will be filing cloture so we can take the next step towards passing the PACT Act next week. We hope to get an agreement--and we are making good progress there--so we hope to get an agreement before that, but the legislative process must move forward.

So for the sake of our veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice serving our Nation and defending our freedom, there is no reason we can't pass the PACT Act ASAP. Our discussions continue with our Republican colleagues in an effort to get that done, and I am hopeful that we will succeed.

Amendment No. 5076

Madam President, I have an amendment to the underlying bill at the desk.

Madam President, I ask to dispense with further reading of the amendment.

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

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, Thursday, June 9, be waived.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the filing deadline for first-degree amendments to substitute amendment No. 5051 and the underlying bill, H.R. 3967, be at 4 p.m., Monday, June 13.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 849, 850, 851, 853, 854; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and that the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I have eight requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a) of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m. on Monday, June 13; and 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 resume consideration of Calendar No. 388, H.R. 3967; further, that the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

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

Mr. President, today, the House oversight and reform committee heard from a witness who, by all means, should never ever have had to come before the Congress, Miah Cerrillo, an 11-year-old girl who survived the shooting in Uvalde, TX.

Our House colleagues will also hear from Felix and Kimberly Rubio, the parents of 10-year-old Lexi, who was killed in the shooting. You can just imagine their broken hearts.

They will also hear from the only pediatrician in Uvalde available to treat the victims on that awful, awful, awful day.

I hope every single Member of the House and Senate pays attention to these proceedings. God knows, many in Congress need to listen to what these witnesses have to say.

We need to listen, and Congress needs to act, because across every neighborhood, every school, every city, every town--urban, suburban, rural--Americans are wondering the same thing: When is Congress going to act to stop the violence?

Now, that is precisely what we are working on right now in the Senate. It will be hard to believe, after hearing what these witnesses have to say, that the Senate cannot find a way to come together and act on gun violence.

Over the past week and a half, my Democratic colleagues, led by the efforts of Senators Murphy, Sinema, Blumenthal, Manchin, Coons, Heinrich, and others, have been holding good faith talks with Republicans to see if we can arrive at an agreement on gun violence legislation.

As I have said, these bipartisan talks deserve the space they need to produce meaningful results, and so I hope my colleagues continue to make progress toward an effective agreement--hopefully, by the end of the week.

The overwhelming consensus of our caucus, among the gun safety violence prevention advocates and among the American people, is that even if we can't get everything done, that getting something real done is worth pursuing.

Let me repeat that. It is an overwhelming consensus in this caucus, among the broad panoply of gun groups, gun safety groups, and among the American people: Get something done. Get something real done, even if it is not everything that many of us would wish for.

Given the other side's long-held refusal to do anything meaningful on gun violence, we know how difficult this is. But that is all the more reason for us to explore every realistic opportunity to getting something real done.

We know we won't get everything we want. The debate for gun safety will continue after this moment, but we have a moral obligation right now to try and get something meaningful--something meaningful--done for the American people in the name of those who have died.

This is not a partisan issue. Gun safety is overwhelmingly backed by a large majority of Americans, a majority of Democrats, Republicans, Independents. It is bipartisan because all Americans know the same thing: We stand alone in the developed world in the number of mass shootings that take place every year. We stand alone among the developed nations in the world in that on any given day, another school, another grocery store, another hospital, another concert, another neighborhood can suddenly become a site of unimaginable tragedy.

Americans, many for the first time, are thinking: I am going to be shot, whether they are in a supermarket, their kids are in a school, or anywhere else.

And we stand alone in that year after year, the plague of mass shootings in this country has been met by inaction. When other countries have faced these mass shootings, they have acted, and they have acted well.

Why aren't we?

The American people are tired and angry of the same thing happening again and again. They are tired of nothing getting done. They are tired of the greatest country in the world being paralyzed and not acting in a right way, mainly because people on the other side of the aisle haven't joined us.

But I urge my colleagues now, let's get something done. The sooner we act, the greater chance we have of preventing another senseless mass shooting in America. Let's break this cycle of gun violence, and let's end the days when parents, doctors, and children have to come to the U.S. Capitol in order to beg their elected representatives to take action.

Mr. President, now, on FOX News and January 6.

Tomorrow evening, the House Select Committee will hold its first public hearings on the insurrection of January 6. It will be a watershed moment for what has now been a 10-month investigation to uncover the truth of what happened on that terrible, terrible day in our Nation's history.

The American people need to see January 6 for what it was--a deliberate, organized, and violent attempt to reverse a free and fair election. It was a profane and grotesque assault upon American democracy. Worst of all, it was part of a larger effort from the hard right to erode our constitutional order from within.

Just a couple of days ago, someone was arrested who said he was within 20 feet of me and was trying to get me as we left this Chamber.

These hearings will be essential viewing. They are a direct look into the dark soul of the hard right, and every single American needs to know the truth of what happened that day.

Every major broadcast and cable network will cover these proceedings live--every network except one, that is: FOX News.

In one of the most cowardly journalistic decisions in modern memory, FOX News, one of main amplifiers of the Big Lie about January 6 and about the election, has stated they will not broadcast Thursday's hearing.

After giving the likes of Tucker Carlson a blank check to spread conspiracy theories and White supremacist views night after night, it is beyond repugnant that FOX News refuses to cover the investigation into the deadliest attack on our democracy in modern history.

It is a disgusting and treacherous decision, one that will gravely harm our democracy, one that deliberately will conceal the truth from a large portion of the viewing public.

Let me say it once again. FOX's decision not to air live proceedings on January 6 is cowardly and is tantamount to hiding the truth from the American people.

FOX News has an obligation to report the facts of the January 6 investigation so their viewers can learn the truth, especially after FOX News was one of the main propagators of so many of the Big Lies.

Are they a real news station? They don't seem to be. I hope they reverse this awful decision.

Mr. President, finally, on the PACT Act, today, the Senate is going to adopt a motion to proceed to Honoring our PACT Act, and my colleague from Montana, chair of our Veterans' Committee, who has worked so hard on this, will speak about that shortly, in a moment.

The PACT Act is one of the most important veteran healthcare bills this Chamber has considered in decades. Yesterday, the Senate invoked cloture on the motion to proceed by a whopping 86 votes.

Three and a half million veterans--three and a half million--have been likely exposed to toxic chemicals in the line of duty since 2001. Over the years, these toxic exposures have led to terrible healthcare complications that have cut too many lives short and burdened far too many of our Nation's heroes.

Tragically, many of our Nation's veterans have been unable to access the care they need because of outdated VA rules that dictate eligibility for benefits. The PACT Act would fix that for some of the biggest reforms to the VA ever.

It is a no-brainer to move forward on a bill to take care of veterans who have been exposed to toxins in the line of duty. We cannot let dilatory or destructive amendments stand in the way of the need of our veterans' dire and crucial needs.

Again, last night's vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan. There is no reason for us not to pass this important, vital, sensible bill A-S-A-P. Every one of us in this Chamber has heard from a military servicemember who is struggling to afford quality healthcare, and this is one of the best steps the Senate can take to improve the lives of those who have given their all for our country.

Veterans service organizations across the country are urging the Senate to act, so let's get this bill passed with the same bipartisan good will that has characterized the negotiations to date.

I yield the floor.