Floor Statements

Madam President, now on costs and inflation, off the floor, Senate Democrats will continue this week focusing on helping American families lower their cost of living and reap the full benefits of the historic job and wage growth under President Biden.

Later this week, my colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee will hold an especially important hearing on the rising cost of prescription drugs and hear expert testimony on what we can do to make medications more affordable. Lowering prescription drug prices should be absolutely one of the most bipartisan priorities in this Congress.

Few things ignite the same frustration as making trips to the pharmacy and seeing the price on your receipt go up and up and up for basic, often lifesaving, medications. Insulin is a particularly egregious example. According to some sources, a 40-day supply can now climb north of $600 a month. For millions of Americans who rely on insulin to manage their diabetes, this is a five-alarm fire that demands Senate action. I expect we will consider next steps soon on some proposals already presented by my colleagues.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats will continue examining the disturbing trend of corporations reporting massive profits, even as Americans face higher costs. A headline from Yahoo News last month sums it up:

Corporate America's 2021 profits were higher than ever.

Let me repeat that.

Corporate America's 2021 profits were higher than ever.

It is deeply unfair and morally bankrupt for Americans to pay more for basics while many mega corporations are making a killing. Last week, I asked the head of the FTC to look into this trend in the area of energy prices, and corporations taking advantage of the American people should be on notice.

Madam President, on the Supreme Court, this week, Members from both sides of the aisle will continue meeting with President Biden's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

When President Biden nominated Judge Jackson, I promised that we would have a fair and expeditious process, and that is exactly what we have had so far. Judge Jackson has now met with a broad range of Senators from both sides of the aisle, and she is expected to meet with all members of the Judiciary Committee before her hearings begin next week.

I am encouraged that, so far, the judge's meetings with Senators have been very constructive. From conversations with my colleagues, everyone seems to agree on one thing: The judge is more than qualified for the big job on the High Court. Her record bears that out. As a district judge for 8 years, Judge Jackson rendered more than 550 rulings and was rarely reversed by higher courts.

Once Judge Jackson's hearings begin next week, the American people will see for themselves precisely what Senators are seeing right now.

Judge Jackson is brilliant, she is beloved, and she belongs on the Supreme Court. The three b's I have given her: brilliant, beloved, belongs.

I thank my colleagues for moving forward in a constructive way on this historic nomination.

Madam President, now on the omni, the omnibus budget, I want to revisit the groundbreaking omnibus package that the Senate passed last week with bipartisan support, which fully and robustly funds the government through the end of the 2022 fiscal year.

As I said on Thursday, this year's bipartisan budget bill is one of the boldest and most significant packages that we have seen passed through the Congress in a long, long time. It is a deal just overflowing with good news for American families looking to cut costs and make ends meet. Let me highlight just a few ways this bill will lower costs in the coming months.

For working Americans struggling with energy costs, this year's budget increases domestic investments that help people pay their heating and air-conditioning bills. Utility costs have always fallen hardest on those least able to bear them, and I am glad this year we are increasing the help we provide working families to pay for their utilities.

We are also boosting funding for child nutrition programs by 7 percent compared to 2021 so kids don't go to school on an empty stomach or go through summer school uncertain about what or if they are going to eat.

Working parents will also get a break. We are dramatically increasing the amount dedicated to childcare assistance, making it easier for parents to reenter the workplace and earn a paycheck without having to worry about paying to take care of their kids.

Head Start Programs will see more resources to help them prepare young kids to thrive in the classroom. Funding for title I-A grants, which help more than half our Nation's public schools boost student performance, will receive the largest increase in a decade.

College students, meanwhile, will see the largest increase in Pell grant maximums since the 2009-2010 academic year--a desperately needed injection of funding.

These investments only scratch the surface. From housing assistance to help with energy costs, to aid for the elderly and our veterans and investments in child nutrition, this year's funding package will drive down costs for parents, students, the elderly, and small business. Because both sides were able to work in good faith, American families will see more help come their way through the annual funding bill than they have seen in a long, long time.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 656.

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. 738.

I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 683.

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

I move to proceed to legislative session.

I move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar No. 737.

I send a cloture motion to the desk.

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.