Floor Statements

Madam President, I just had heard the minority leader say he was sickened by what happened in Uvalde.

Tomorrow, we have a bill coming to the floor that addressed the last shooting, the one in Buffalo. Will he join us in allowing a debate and amendments to that bill that will address the gun plague in America?

Thoughts and prayers are not enough. We need action.

I yield the floor.

Reserving the right to object.

Madam President, the American people have had to endure two of the worst mass shootings in recent history in just the span of 10 days. One of them happened to be in my home State of New York in the dear city of Buffalo; the other happened yesterday in Texas, the worst school shooting since Sandy Hook, and we can't get out of our minds--I can't--the picture of 10, 11, and 9-year-olds being shot, killed, just ready to burst into the adolescent and adult phases of their lives.

What the American people want is real solutions to our Nation's gun violence epidemic. We have had too many moments of silence, too many thoughts and prayers. Americans are sick of it. Many in this Chamber are sick of it.

Here is the sad truth about what happened yesterday and why I plan to object to my colleague's UC: hardening schools would have done nothing to prevent this shooting. In fact, there were guards and police officers already at the school yesterday when the shooter showed up. One was a school police officer, two were from the Uvalde Police Department. The shooter got past all of them with two assault weapons that he purchased. They couldn't stop him.

The bill would not have protected those children. More guns won't protect our children. That is the wrong answer. There are too many guns and too many options for the wrong people to get guns.

So I plan to object to passing this measure today through consent, but I would tell my colleague from Wisconsin, tomorrow we can begin voting on a bill that will take us--that will let us take action on guns, and we could consider amendments like this then, along with others.

Tomorrow, the Senate is scheduled to take the first step--the first step--in responding to the shooting that happened in my home State of New York 2 weeks ago and so many other mass shootings over the years that have been motivated by race.

The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which I set in motion earlier this week, is a necessary and timely step to honor the memories of the dead in Buffalo and to make sure mass shootings motivated by race don't happen again.

I urge all my Republican colleagues to vote to get on the bill. All we are asking is a vote ``yes'' on the motion to proceed.

I urge my colleague from Wisconsin to vote yes on that bill.

If Senator Johnson helps us get on the domestic terrorism bill, we could consider amendments related to guns--his and others' who have a different point of view. If Republicans can vote with us to get on that bill, we can have a debate on considering commonsense, strong gun safety amendments, hopefully with bipartisan support. The Senator from Wisconsin says his bill is bipartisan. There are five Republican sponsors.

The bottom line is, if you want to have bipartisan debates, you don't just say: My bill must pass by unanimous consent, and no other bill can pass. I am providing a path that we can have a debate on these amendments.

Let me be clear. We are going to vote on gun legislation, and the Republicans could let us start doing that as soon as tomorrow if they simply vote yes on the motion to proceed, and I give them a pledge that we will then start debating gun amendments--Senator Johnson's and many others' who have a different point of view. I repeat, though, we are going to vote on gun legislation. The American people are tired of moments of silence, tired of the kind words offering thoughts and prayers.

We can use the domestic terrorism bill tomorrow to begin--I repeat, to begin--considering gun safety amendments, and we can consider the proposal he brings to the floor today. So we won't just have this amendment; we will have a lot of amendments to debate. That seems perfectly fair and, in fact, bipartisan. Alone, the Johnson bill is not in any way, shape, or form a sufficient solution, and so I object.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now vote on the motions to invoke cloture on the Jacobs-Young and Loyd nominations; that if cloture is invoked, all postcloture time be considered expired on these and the Gomez nomination, and the Senate vote on the confirmation each at a time to be determined by the majority leader or his designee, following consultation with the Republican leader.

It is a unique moment. I fully support Senator Paul in his motion.

Once again, I support my colleague, the junior Senator from the great Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Mr. President, there has been a good agreement--Senator Paul, Senator Stabenow, myself, Senator Murphy, Senator Brown--and so here is what--we are only going to have one more vote because we are vitiating--I think it is six cloture votes.

So listen, one and all. It is good news.

Cloture Motions Withdrawn

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the cloture motion on the Harper, Bagenstos, Huie, Baker, and Hartley nominations, and the Senate vote on confirmation at a time to be determined by the majority leader or his designee, following consultation with the Republican leader.

Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration and the Senate proceed to S. Res. 134.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Lee substitute amendment to the resolution be considered and agreed to.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the resolution, as amended.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Lee amendment to the preamble be considered and agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to, the Lee amendment to the title be considered and agreed to, the title, as amended, be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 923, Jane Hartley, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Now, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now vote on the confirmation of Executive Calendar No. 717, the nomination of Cathy Ann Harris, as provided under the previous order.

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

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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Thursday, May 26, 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; further, that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 371, H.R. 350, Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act; further, that at 11:30 a.m., the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 350; that if cloture is not invoked, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 396, S.J. Res. 46; that the joint resolution be considered read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the joint resolution; that upon disposition of the joint resolution, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the Bernicat nomination, as under the previous order; that the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination at 1:45 p.m.; 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.

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.

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

Mr. President, it has become clear over the last few months that too much of the Republican Party has been taken over by MAGA Republicans, who are now dominating the party and Republicans in the Senate, moving the party away from things it has often stood for in the pest.

The contrast has become clear: Democrats, for instance, want to codify a woman's freedom to make decisions about her own body into Federal law, but MAGA Republicans want to take away women's rights by pushing national abortion bans, jailing women and doctors for carrying out abortions, and even pushing bans with no exception for rape or incest.

In the wake of the Buffalo shooting, MAGA Republicans continue embracing unhinged conspiracy theories like the ``great replacement,'' which has been a rallying cry for ultranationalists and White supremacists in Europe for years.

And all year long, while Democrats have been pushing solutions that will lower costs, MAGA Republicans and the chair of the Republican campaign arm openly support raising taxes on the poor and working families, while cheering on inflation as a ``gold mine.'' And those were Senator Scott's words, not mine. He called inflation a gold mine. Imagine.

MAGA Republicans are showing Americans exactly who they are. In an amazing happening this weekend, the Conservative Political Action Conference, the largest conservative organization in America, held their conference in Hungary and welcomed one of Europe's most notorious proponents of ``replacement theory,'' Viktor Orban, as their keynote speaker.

Again, the Conservative Political Action Conference, a very important organization in the new Republican MAGA party, had Viktor Orban as their keynote speaker, an autocrat, who has whittled away democracy in Hungary.

It is sickening--sickening--to see that 2 weeks after the shooting in Buffalo, Republicans as prominent as Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson, spoke at the same event as one of Europe's most prominent White nationalists and authoritarians. It is a scary and otherworldly turn for one of America's two parties to take.

I know not all Republicans embrace the views of MAGA Republicans. I know many of them support women's rights and embrace diversity and reject conspiracies like ``White replacement.''

I urge these Republicans in the Senate and the country to repudiate the MAGA wing taking over the GOP. I invite the voters to support Democratic candidates as a protest against extremism so we as a nation can halt the dangerous rise of the hard right.

This week, all of us in the Senate will have a chance to take a stand against extremism by voting to begin debate on the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act.

For the information of all, I will take the first procedural step on this legislation later today, and Members can expect to vote on Thursday on this bill that will crack down on domestic terrorism and extremism.

As far as legislation goes, this bill is as much of a no-brainer as it comes. Two years ago, when Donald Trump was President, the House passed this bill unanimously. Every single Republican was for the bill. But in a sign of how radicalized the GOP has become, nearly every single House Republican opposed it last week, despite one Morning Consult poll that showed that a majority of Republicans and Republican voters support these commonsense measures.

Let me say it again. According to one Morning Consult poll, a majority of Republican voters support cracking down on domestic terrorism. Yet, nevertheless, every single House Republican voted against this bill last week.

If you wanted some proof that the MAGA wing of the Republican Party is taking over the whole party, there it is.

I hope that, given everything happening across the country right now, Senate Republicans will act differently and support this bill.

Let me be clear, Democrats' goal is to pass this bill, just as it is with all bills we bring to the Senate floor. But if Republicans keep going down their extremist, obstructionist path, then this vote will still allow the American people to hold their elected representatives accountable.

Not long ago, views like ``replacement theory'' were relegated to the fringes of American society, shared primarily by twisted minds on online message boards. But today, White supremacy, which has been with us for decades

and centuries, is now out in the open, and proponents speak about it unabashedly and unashamedly.

Many were shocked in 2017, when, out in the open, thousands of White supremacists marched at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and chanted: ``You will not replace us.''

It was out in the open on January 6, as insurrectionists waved Confederate flags through the hallways of this Capitol--the first time that ever occurred in American history.

It is out in the open every time Donald Trump holds a MAGA rally and blames undocumented immigrants for stealing the 2020 election.

And it is out in the open on cable news networks like FOX, where Tucker Carlson has spread ``replacement theory'' in over 400 episodes, and other commentators join in.

To be sure, the extremism of MAGA Republicans is hardly limited to their embrace of ridiculous conspiracy theories. Across the country, the hard right is also hell-bent on turning back the clock on women's rights by 100 years, pushing restrictions on abortions that are wildly outside the mainstream.

Whether it is a national ban on abortions, which Leader McConnell acknowledges is possible if Republicans win the Senate, or the prosecution of women who pursue abortions, or even banning businesses that help employees access abortions out of State, MAGA Republicans are openly championing restrictions that would have been career-enders just a few years ago but are now part of GOP canon. We cannot ignore who suffers most under these radical restrictions: women of color, low- income families, families who live in deeply gerrymandered States, where their views have all been but silenced.

This is what MAGA Republicans clamor for: a world ruled by conspiracy theories, national abortion bans, and the greatest curtailing of individual rights in 50 years; a world where immigrants and communities of color are considered ``replacers''; where women are considered second-class citizens and are told what to do with their bodies; where White supremacy is tolerated or even embraced; and where our democracy erodes in favor of autocracy.

Imagine again Orban, the leading autocrat of Europe, being the lead speaker at CPAC, with President Trump and other major Republicans participating. Who would think we would see that day? Who would think?

We cannot let these views become accepted or even become the norm in the United States. This week, we can take one step of many in helping silence the voices of White supremacy, the voices of domestic terrorism.

So I implore my Republican colleagues: If you reject the dangers of White supremacy and views like ``White replacement,'' you should vote in favor of moving forward to begin debate on this domestic terrorism bill.

This is a test. This is about accountability. Republican Senators, do you reject the views of MAGA Republicans? Do you reject White supremacy and ``replacement theory''?

Taking a stand against domestic terrorism and White supremacy should be the easiest thing in the world. If Republicans can't join us on something as simple as that, Americans will see, with even greater clarity, how radical the GOP has become under Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.