Floor Statements

Madam President, earlier this morning, Americans learned that, thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield the world leader of ISIS. I want to thank the incredible work of our brave military servicemembers who work day and night to keep Americans safe. So many have suffered at the brutal hand of ISIS.

Senators will learn more about the operation later this morning during our classified, all-Senators briefing with Secretary Austin and other senior administration officials.

Madam President, on SCOTUS, yesterday, I met with President Biden at the White House to discuss a broad range of issues on the Democratic agenda. One of the most important matters we covered was his intention to nominate the first Black woman Justice to the Supreme Court. I reiterated the same commitment I have made all week: When President Biden makes his nominee known to the Nation, I will move to have the Senate consider and confirm her as soon as possible.

I will see to it that the process is fair, that Members on both sides of the aisle can evaluate questions and get to know the nominee, but we will also move quickly. Everything seems to be on track to get that done, to move the nominee quickly through the Congress.

President Biden is not expected to announce his nominee for a few weeks, but we already know one thing: The President's pledge to name a Black woman to the Supreme Court is historic. There have been 115 Justices who have sat on the Court since 1789. Only five of them have ever been women--none until 1981. Only two have been African American. But never, never has there been an African-American woman, who still make up a bare 6 percent of the Federal judiciary. And--amazing--until 1981, this powerful body, the Supreme Court, was almost all White men. Imagine. America wasn't all White men in 1981--or ever.

Under President Biden and this Senate majority, we are taking historic steps to make the courts look more like the country they serve by confirming highly qualified, diverse nominees. A quarter--a quarter--of all African-American women who sit on the Federal bench were nominated by this administration and approved by this Senate.

Just hear that. Twenty-five percent of African-American women who sit on the Federal bench came through the Senate this year. That is the progress we have made in a relatively short amount of time.

In fact, nearly 70 percent of all the President's nominees have been non-White, dwarfing the record of every single President since at least Jimmy Carter.

Some say: Well, why is that? Because the Bench has been almost all White; as I said, 100 percent all White males until 1981. We have some ground to make up so the courts can represent America.

These aren't abstract facts and figures; who we put on the bench matters. The personal experience that each judge brings to bear cannot be merely glanced over. When Americans come before the courts and look up at those who preside in the courtroom, they should trust that those who render judgment on them will be able to understand each litigant's lived experience and bring a modicum of human understanding required to apply the law equitably. The best way--the best way--we can do that is to elevate judges from a broad range of backgrounds. Diversity, in all its forms, matters. It is good for the justice system, and it is really vital to the health of our democracy.

President Biden's nominees are also extremely well qualified. We are not sacrificing qualifications and excellence for diversity. President Biden's nominees are both more diverse and more qualified than any President's in recent history. I am proud of the accomplishments we have secured this past year to bring balance to our Federal courts.

Madam President, now on noms progress, yesterday was a good day on the Senate floor. We held 12 rollcall votes--yep, 12 rollcall votes--on a number of President Biden's nominees to his administration and to the Federal bench. Half of these votes took place in the evening. I am glad we dispensed with them efficiently and without needless delay. I want to thank all my colleagues for their cooperation and flexibility as we moved through the large number of votes.

We want to be able to keep doing this. We want to be able to work with similar speed next time a large number of votes are lined up on the floor. Maybe some of them, like last night, will go by voice. Some of these, there is no reason to have a vote on, except a few--just a handful; not the vast majority of the other party--insist we have votes on all of them, which only lengthens the process but doesn't deter us from moving forward on these nominees.

Of the 20 nominees I filed at the end of the last work period, we have confirmed or invoked cloture on all but 3 of them, and today, we expect to hold cloture votes on the other 3.

Again, it is an unusually large number of rollcall votes for nominees who typically pass with unanimous consent. Obstruction from a small group of Republicans--only a small group; not the majority; not close to the majority--has forced us to work through these individuals one by one. But last night, with the cooperation of everybody, we were able to move quickly. So I thank my colleagues for their good work and cooperation.

Now, Madam President, it is going to be another busy day here on the Senate floor as we confirm more of President Biden's nominees to serve in his administration and on the Federal bench.

For the information of all, we will be holding three votes starting around 11 a.m. this morning to either confirm or invoke cloture on a handful of nominees to serve as associate judges for the District of Columbia.

Later this afternoon, at approximately 2:15, we will hold three more votes on additional judicial nominees. Members should be advised that additional votes may be scheduled as the day progresses. So I ask all of us to be patient and to be flexible. We have a lot of votes to get through today.

Most of these votes, in the old days, would have just occurred by voice, but our colleagues on the other side of the aisle--just a handful--are making us vote even for DC judges, circuit judges. But we have to get through them--the DC courts have come to a standstill--and many other votes.

So we will have a lot of votes to get through today. All of us want to get to them and get them done in a timely manner to respect the schedule of our colleagues.

So in order to move things along, I am urging my colleagues to be ready to vote early when each vote is called so we can prevent extended delays and confirm as many of President Biden's qualified nominees as possible.

Madam President, yesterday, we all received the awful and frightening news that one of our dear friends, Senator Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, suffered a stroke last Thursday after experiencing dizziness and fatigue while back in his home State. Our thoughts, our prayers, and our most fervent well-wishes go out to Ben Ray and his family.

I was glad and relieved to hear that he is expected to make a full recovery, and all of us are rooting for him every step of the way between now and the day he makes his return to the Senate.

Senator Lujan has served in this Chamber for only a year, but already he has become one of the most beloved Members of this body. Public service literally runs in the family, and you will be hard pressed to find someone who fights for their home State like Ben Ray does for New Mexico.

As Senator Lujan begins his path to full recovery, I want to offer encouragement and praise for his superb staff, who will continue their work providing vital constituent services for the people of New Mexico.

In the days to come, we will continue working and communicating with Senator Lujan's staff about his recovery process, and all of us are hopeful and optimistic that he will be back to his old self before long. In the meantime, the U.S. Senate will continue to move forward in carrying out its business on behalf of the American people.

Now, on book banning, an entirely different matter, over the past year a truly Orwellian trend has spread across our schools, libraries, and State legislatures. With an intensity not seen in decades, far- right extremists at the local and State level are engaging in efforts to ban hundreds of book titles from the shelves of schools and public libraries.

These efforts are framed as attempts to regulate obscene or inappropriate content, but if you even take a passing glance at the books under scrutiny, it is clear the goal here is to censor and suppress materials that deal with matters of race, sexual and gender orientation, and, more broadly speaking, social injustice.

In Texas, for instance, State legislators have been demanding that schools send lists of titles to be scrutinized and, in some instances, have already pulled hundreds of titles from their shelves, from mere fear of repercussions.

In Mississippi, one mayor withheld funding from local public libraries and said he would only relent when all books exploring LGBTQ themes were removed. That is patently disgusting.

And in Tennessee, one school even banned a Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel depicting the Holocaust because some mice weren't wearing clothes.

These new and unprecedented efforts by the far right to ban books that explore matters of injustice and racism are deeply disturbing and downright Orwellian. Many of the titles under attack have been well known for decades. Some are Pulitzer prize-winning works. Others are-- get this--children's picture books--children's picture books. The list is broad--dizzyingly broad. Many of these works are vital to our society because they can do only what literature can do--explore timely social issues and expand people's understanding of the world around us.

We don't need to look that far into history to see what happens when we go down the dangerous road of censorship and suppression. When free expression is weakened, the mob is empowered. The groundwork is laid for further discrimination, intimidation, and, God forbid, increased violence.

It is one thing for families and local communities to have good-faith discussions about the best way to help our students learn and grow, but what we are seeing here today isn't that. These modern-day efforts from the far right to ban hundreds of books from the top down are dangerous, patently un-American, and this right-wing cancel culture should be resoundingly condemned.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the previous order be modified so that the cloture vote on Executive Calendar No. 495 occur following the cloture vote on Calendar No. 474 and that all other provisions of the previous order remain in effect.

Mr. President, I am asking the Members to stay here in the Chamber or in close proximity of the Chamber so we can get these votes done expeditiously. And, in that regard, I ask unanimous consent that we move the remaining votes from 15 minutes down to 10.

Thank you.

Yes, Mr. President, it is good news. People will want to hear it.

I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the cloture motions with respect to the Camarillo and Hunter nominations and that the Senate resume consideration of the nominations and the Senate now vote on the confirmation of the nominations in the order listed, with all other provisions of the previous order in effect.

For the information of the Senators, we have one vote tonight; there will be three votes tomorrow at 12:30.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 571, Shelly C. Lowe, of Arizona, to be Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities for a term of four years; 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 with no intervening action or debate; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; and 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. 695 through 700 and all nominations on the Secretary's Desk in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy; 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; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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

Mr. President, finally, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 3; 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 and resume consideration of the Baker nomination, notwithstanding rule XXII; and further, that the Senate recess from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for the all- Senators briefing.

Mr. President, for the information of Senators, there will be three rollcall votes beginning at 12:30 p.m.

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 following the remarks of Senator Lankford.

Mr. President, since the time John Jay was inaugurated as the first Chief Justice, only 115 individuals have been chosen to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Out of these 115 Justices, only 5--only 5--have been women. Only two--only two--have been African Americans. Only one--just one--has been Hispanic. And to date, never--never--has an African-American woman sat on the highest Court in the land.

Soon, President Biden will have an opportunity to make the Supreme Court look more like America by nominating the first Black woman in U.S. history to serve as a Justice. Every single Member of this Chamber, regardless of party, should embrace the President's commitment to make sure that our courts--and especially the Supreme Court--better reflect our country's diversity, and nominating a Black woman as Justice is a long overdue step toward achieving that goal.

Past Presidents, from Eisenhower to Johnson to Reagan, were clear about their intentions of nominating historic and barrier-breaking individuals to the Supreme Court. President Biden's commitment to nominate a Black woman is a continuation of that important effort.

And once President Biden announces his nominee, I intend to have the Senate move quickly so we can fulfill our constitutional duty to advise and consent and, ultimately, confirm the President's pick. We will have a fair process but also a quick process so that the work of the Supreme Court continues uninterrupted.

If our democracy is to prosper in the 21st century, the American people must have confidence that our Federal courts will faithfully adhere to the solemn principle of ``equal justice under law.'' The more our judges reflect our Nation's vibrancy and rich diversity, the more effectively they will be able to administer equal justice.

And make no mistake, a more balanced, more diverse judiciary has been one of the Senate Democrats' top priority in our work with the Biden administration. Over the past year, we have worked at a record pace to confirm the most judicial nominees in the President's first year since the time of Ronald Reagan, and we have done it with nominees who bring diversity in their backgrounds, their life experiences, and professional expertise--something that didn't happen, really, in a large way until this year.

One day, I hope the barrier-breakers of today will be closer to the norm of tomorrow. We want more women to sit on our courts, especially the Supreme Court. We need more people of color, more public defenders, more civil rights lawyers, more children of immigrants to sit on our courts to reflect the broad diversity that America is and will continue to be. In fact, it will continue to grow.

The more Americans look at our courts and see people who look like them and come from the same backgrounds and share similar experiences, the better off our justice system and our democracy shall be. And nowhere else is this more important than the Supreme Court.

So I applaud the President's commitment to choosing a qualified and historic nominee, and the Senate stands ready to work quickly to confirm President Biden's pick when we get it.

Mr. President, on economics and economic wins, at the beginning of last year, the CBO projected that the U.S. economy would reach a growth rate of about 3.5 percent by the end of 2021. The International Monetary Fund had a rosier outlook. They said economic growth could be closer to 4 percent. The Federal Open Market Committee was perhaps the most optimistic, forecasting a growth rate of about 4.3 percent.

They were all wrong. The U.S. economy shattered most expectations and grew at the amazing rate of 5.7 percent, the strongest rate since the time of Ronald Reagan. This was no accident, far from it. Last year's historic turnaround is a reminder that the right leadership in government matters. Democrats promised in 2020 to fix Donald Trump's utter mismanagement of the COVID crisis and get our country back on track. And, a year later, after securing the strongest growth rate in decades, Democrats are delivering on that promise.

After Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, I said: ``Help is on the way.'' And that help is getting America back on a path to normal. Though we are still learning to live with the virus, our economy, our communities, and our schools are better off because of vaccines, because of testing, and because of targeted legislation we passed last year, like the RESTAURANTS Act and Save Our Stages.

I want to stress an important point that is forgotten too often. We are finally seeing wages go up at a significant rate. That is dollars in the working people's pockets.

For decades, economists have decried the lack of wage growth in America. It has been reported that from 2000 to 2020, if you were in the bottom 75 percent of Americans--the majority--your wage growth was not real at all. In other words, costs ate up all of the wage growth, and the wage growth was paltry, in many years: 0 percent, 1 percent, declining in some. Lack of wage growth has been the scourge of our economy for so long, as it affects average working folks, closing off opportunities for millions of hard-working people who have worked harder and harder only to see their lives deteriorate.

Now we are finally seeing signs that wages are going up, and that is going to stay for years to come. This is real progress for working families. As we keep fighting to lower costs, we Democrats are going to do everything we can to see that this large wage growth remains and continues, and that will mean better lives for the American people.

We know the work is not done. We know we must keep working to help Americans lower costs so they can better afford the basics, from healthcare and prescription drugs to daily essentials like groceries, to the costs of higher education. Addressing these issues remains our focus.

We also must address strained and broken supply chains. Later this week, the House will take up the long-awaited USICA bill by passing a companion, the America COMPETES Act. I have been working very hard to make sure that this happens. Once conferenced, this legislation would bring manufacturing back to America instead of sending jobs overseas. This bill will say: ``Buy America''; keep the jobs here.

We saw what just happened in Ohio in the advent: thousands and thousands of new jobs in manufacturing. So this legislation is going to bring manufacturing back to America, bring jobs over here, good-paying jobs back here.

It would strengthen domestic supply chains and, thus, reduce our costs and, in particular, help our country address its semiconductor shortage, a driver of rising costs in so many different things, from cars to cell phones to everything.

Finally, all this is a reminder of what Democrats at our core stand for: building ladders of opportunity for working Americans to get to the middle class and provide stability to those already in the middle class so they can stay there and thrive. And wages going up is a large part of that. And this administration's record on wage increases, we haven't seen in decades.

We still have more work to do to bring our country out of the rubble of COVID so that we can look confidently into the future. But the growth of last year showed we are well on our way, and Democrats will keep working to help working people--working families, middle-class families, poorer families trying to get to the middle class--have the kind of prosperity and help they need and deserve.