Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: 507, 778, 803, and 842; that the Senate proceed to vote on the nominations in the order listed, without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to the nominations; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations: Calendar Nos. 242, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 879, 880, 881, 882, 883, and 884; and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 603, submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I have three 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:

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m. Monday, May 2, 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 proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Frost nomination; further, that the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that the Senate stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of Senators Cardin, Cassidy, and Sullivan.

I yield the floor.

Now, Madam President, on the FTC, as we have done all along this year, Democrats are continuing to focus on lowering prices for the American people. Yesterday, I met with Speaker Pelosi to discuss how both Chambers can work together to address the terrible burden of rising gas prices.

It is one of the most vexing issues for the American people. The disturbances from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have caused gas prices to spike, and working Americans are hurting. But do you know who is not hurting? The largest oil and gas companies, which reported over $205 billion in profits in 2021 even while Americans pay more at the pump. Solving this issue is a top priority for Democrats--a top priority. Unfortunately, the other side seems content with bemoaning rising costs day after day, without expressing any interest in actually offering solutions to the problem.

Senate Democrats are actually working to solve the problem, and we will

continue talks with our House colleagues on legislation that can bring gas prices down. There are several options we can take.

Now, there is a growing consensus that the Federal Government-- especially the FTC--should investigate possible price gouging and price manipulation, market manipulation, that might be happening among the largest oil and gas companies in the country. This is one step we are working on out of many.

Of course, any solution involving the FTC requires that the FTC have full membership to begin with, so we are also going to keep working to confirm Mr. Bedoya as the fifth FTC Commissioner to break the 2-2 deadlock that has lasted for over a year.

It is important to note that Republicans unanimously are not voting for Mr. Bedoya, and that has paralyzed the FTC, even though its leadership would love to go after the price gouging and market manipulation. We have a few Members absent because of health issues this week, but I want to be clear that health issues will not deter us from getting Mr. Bedoya and other important nominees, like Lisa Cook, confirmed.

I urge any Republican who is truly worried about rising gas prices to drop their senseless objection to getting Mr. Bedoya confirmed. It seems it is only covering up for the oil companies and preventing a really sharp, piercing investigation of market manipulation and price gouging. There is something deeply wrong about seeing the largest oil companies, while raking record profits, asking Americans to pay more at the pump. That is why we need an FTC with full membership, so it can look under the hood of America's energy sector and drill down into why Big Oil is pumping out record profits as consumers struggle.

Again, I repeat to my Republican colleagues: If you care about lowering gas prices and care about looking at what the large companies--oligopolies--are doing, join us in voting Mr. Bedoya on the FTC. A vote against him is a vote for Big Oil and against the American driver and consumer.

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

Madam President, earlier today, leaders past and present from around the world joined together to celebrate the life of Madeleine Albright. While Secretary Albright may have been small in stature, she was a titan in American history; she was one of a kind and first of a kind; a mentor; a natural leader as well as a mother and grandmother. Her brilliance and sharp wit made her a formidable presence on the world stage, and her story inspired women and girls all across the globe.

Today was a wonderful celebration of her life. My thoughts are with Secretary Albright's family as our Nation remembers her life and her great legacy.

Madam President, now on student debt, for over a year, one of my top priorities as majority leader has been urging President Biden to cancel $50,000 in student debt for each student loan borrower. Right now, as discussions continue within the administration about the future of student debt, I again call on the President to take action, which he can do on his own, and hit the financial reset button for millions and millions of Americans.

President Biden has done the right thing by continuing the moratorium on student loan payments. His actions have saved millions from financial ruin during the COVID crisis. But borrowers don't just need their debts paused; they need them erased. These extensions have been crucial, but borrowers can't indefinitely plan out their financial futures 3 months at a time with the fear hanging over them that payments would resume down the line.

With the flick of a pen, President Biden could provide millions upon millions of student loan borrowers a new lease on life. He can do it without congressional action, because we know so many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are opposed to it. He can do it without congressional action.

It is the right thing to do for our country. For generations, higher education has been a ladder up into getting into the middle class, especially for Black, Latino, and Asian Americans. Unfortunately, student debt has become not a ladder up but an anchor down, weighing Americans down. It makes it harder for borrowers to start a family, to buy a home or a car or live with financial independence.

For borrowers of color, the anxieties are magnified, often tenfold. Take this for example: The White median borrower would only owe an average of 6 percent of their student loans 20 years after starting college. Meanwhile, the median Black borrower would still owe a staggering 95 percent of their student loan debt in that same time span. Imagine being closer to retirement than to college and realizing you have only made a dent in your student loans. Millions of borrowers of color--millions more borrowers in general--live with this reality.

Once again, borrowers don't need their debts paused; they need them erased. This isn't just the right thing to do for our economy; it is the right thing to do for racial equity. I will keep urging the President to take this important step.

I will say to my colleagues, I think the President is moving in the right direction. My talks with him and the staff have been very fruitful over the last little while, and I am hopeful that he will do the right thing. We are getting closer. We are getting closer.

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

Madam President, we have just gotten some very good news, and that is that the Senate has confirmed the U.S. attorneys and U.S. marshals who had been blocked for quite a long time. It is a good thing that our Republican colleagues finally stopped their indefensible obstruction of qualified U.S. attorneys and marshals. These nominees are vital to keeping our communities safe and secure, and they should never have been held up for leverage in partisan games.

The nominees are vital to keeping our communities safe and secure. After months of waiting, communities in Georgia and Ohio and Nevada and Minnesota and New Hampshire and other States are finally getting the security

they need with confirmed U.S. attorneys. So I am very glad that this has finally, finally happened. It took too long, but now it is done.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the cloture motion with respect to the Gordon nomination.

Madam President, I yield back all time.

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

Mr. President, I have seven 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: