Floor Statements

Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 371,

I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 923.

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

Finally, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, May 24, be waived.

I yield the floor.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, yesterday, I joined with President Biden, Senator Gillibrand, and New York officials on one of the most difficult and painful trips imaginable.

Visiting Buffalo 3 days after the worst mass shooting in its history was harrowing. I met a young boy, just 3 years old, who I learned lost his dad on Saturday because his dad was at Tops supermarket buying a birthday cake for the 3-year-old boy--a routine errand for a joyous occasion, something every parent looks forward to. In the blink of an eye, his life was unfairly and cruelly taken away simply because he was Black and in a supermarket.

It is tempting to think that this evil is beyond comprehension, but we know it is just not true. We know the shooter drew from the same wells of hate and White supremacy that inspired other shootings in El Paso, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Charleston, and other communities. By now, we know the shooter was inspired by a deranged conspiracy theory known as the ``great replacement.'' Indeed, in his online posts, he labeled the people he targeted as ``replacers.''

But the truth is that you don't need to visit the dark corners of the internet to see these White supremacist views anymore. You can find replacement theory on cable networks like FOX News, where Tucker Carlson used White replacement rhetoric on at least 400 episodes of his show. You can hear it at most Trump rallies every time the Republican standard-bearer vilifies undocumented immigrants and spreads the lie that they stole the 2020 election. Last night, the GOP in Pennsylvania nominated a hard-right disciple of the Big Lie as their candidate for Governor. You can also find many examples of replacement theory on Twitter. One House Member said in April that Tucker Carlson ``is CORRECT about Replacement Theory as he explains what is happening to America.''

The radical views of MAGA Republicans are taking over the GOP like a cancer. We saw it play out earlier this month in the wake of the Supreme Court's possible elimination of Roe, as they suggested national bans on abortion and championed restrictions without exceptions for rape or incest. Now we are seeing it here, as MAGA Republicans openly champion a repressive and conspiratorial view of who deserves to be called American.

To its credit, the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote a few days ago that politicians have an ``obligation'' to condemn conspiracies like White replacement theory. But 4 days after the shooting in Buffalo, it is dangerous and disturbing to see that many on the right have pointedly refused to condemn replacement theory. This should be the easiest thing in the world to do, but many on the right, including too many in this Chamber, can't seem to bring themselves to say the obvious: that White replacement theory is evil and has no place in our politics, and any candidate or pundit who spreads it should be resoundingly condemned.

We are waiting to hear more of our colleagues condemn the MAGA right and condemn this horrible replacement theory. So far, there is just too much silence, even though a few have.

Mr. President, on Ukraine, on a different matter, the Senate is moving forward on a number of high-priority items impacting our security, our economic prosperity, and our commitment to take care of veterans. So this is a busy week for the Senate once again.

Tomorrow, I expect the Senate will finish the critical task of approving another round of military, humanitarian, and economic aid for the people of Ukraine. This should already have been done and over with, but it is repugnant that one Member of the other side, the junior Senator from Kentucky, chose to make a show and obstruct Ukraine funding, knowing full well he couldn't actually stop its passage. For Senator Paul to delay Ukraine funding for

purely political motives is to only strengthen Putin's hand. The majority--vast majority--of Democrats and Republicans want to see this legislation done, and get it done we will, as soon as tomorrow.

Off the floor, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will mark up the nomination of Bridget Brink to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. Ms. Brink's nomination is terrific news at a critical moment for Ukraine and the United States. She is deeply experienced. She has already won bipartisan support in this Chamber, and she is very much needed as the United States seeks to strengthen our democratic ties to the war-torn nation. Ms. Brink's nomination will be a top priority to the Senate when she comes before the Chamber.

Mr. President, on a different matter--the restaurants bill--tomorrow, the Senate is going to hold a vote on legislation to help our restaurants, gyms, minor league teams, and other small businesses that have been utterly devastated by the COVID pandemic.

This bill, championed by my colleagues Senator Cardin, a Democrat, and Senator Wicker, a Republican--which I very strongly support--will help restaurants and other small businesses like gyms that were left out in earlier rounds of emergency aid. Every proposal included in this package is bipartisan.

Some have said: Well, COVID is over, and the restaurants are back. I see them sort of full.

That may be true for some restaurants, but for just about every restaurant, there is a shortage of labor, and many are only opening at limited times. Most of the restaurants I speak to are either closed certain days, don't serve lunches, or whatever, because they can't find labor.

Let's not forget that many of the restaurants, particularly the smaller ones, the nonchain ones, had to borrow during COVID, borrow large amounts of money. They need to repay that money, and they can't do it based on their limited incomes that are occurring right now. If they don't get the money to pay it back, the lenders are going to foreclose and close restaurants that are already back on the road to prospering and recovering. That makes no sense.

We must pass this legislation. I hope we will get a good number of our Republican colleagues to join Senator Wicker in supporting this. Two years into this crisis, the idea that restaurant owners have all recovered could not be further from the truth.

Restaurants are part of the fabric of every Main Street and every tight-knit neighborhood. It is where friends run into each other on the weekends, grab a drink after work, have lunch after church. The same can be applied to minor league teams and local gyms and businesses that support theaters. These are places where Americans have always come together.

I was proud to champion the $28 billion restaurant relief in the American Rescue Plan, but these establishments, as I mentioned, still need our help. Tomorrow, there should be a strong bipartisan show of support to help these businesses.

Finally, there is another area that we will be voting on. There is an important announcement this morning for our Nation's veterans. Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Jerry Moran of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee will announce a bipartisan proposal on comprehensive legislation to help millions of our Nation's veterans who struggle with sickness because of exposure to toxins during their military service, including exposure to toxic burn pits and Agent Orange.

This has for years--for years--been a top priority of mine. I have worked closely with advocates like VSOs and Jon Stewart and John Feal to get this Senate to act on this long-neglected problem. I am happy to see burn pit legislation has taken an important step closer to passage.

I thank Senators Tester and Moran for their good work. I strongly support the agreement reached by Tester and Moran, and it is my intention to have this on the floor of the Senate the week that we return from the Memorial Day work period.

Our veterans--we will see them on Memorial Day--are very eager for this bill. I hope veterans throughout the country will let their Senators know how important this legislation is. Our veterans need it, they deserve it, and we have a moral obligation to take care of those who have sacrificed so much for us.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 801.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 896.

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. 857.

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