Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration and that the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 437.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to; that the preamble be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 462, S. Res. 463, and S. Res. 464.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to; that the preambles be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Madam President, finally, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 12 noon, Wednesday, December 1; 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; and that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 4350, the National Defense Authorization Act.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I hope all Senators had a productive and restful Thanksgiving holiday.

This year, I am sad to say, was a painful Thanksgiving season for the Schumer family. Last Wednesday, we all said goodbye to my father Abe Schumer, who passed away after 98 amazing years.

I want to thank all of my colleagues in this Chamber who have reached out with prayers, condolences, and words of kindness in recent days. Their words give us strength. Their prayers give us healing. Their kindness gives us immense comfort. I say the same to so many New Yorkers who reached out as well.

Here on the floor of the U.S. Senate, I want to take a moment to offer a loving son's tribute to the man we lost last week.

My father was the kind of parent every kid deserves, every spouse hopes for, and the sort of American that makes our country great, and as I shared last week:

In so many ways, he personified the greatest generation. He

took whatever was thrown at him, no matter how difficult; he

did his job and never complained. He was an amazing husband,

parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent.

Dad, we love you. We already miss you beyond comprehension. Thank you for the incredible life you led on this Earth.

Madam President, now, on another subject, Omicron. Over the course of 2021, our country has made monumental and hard-fought progress in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the passing of the American Rescue Plan, after getting vaccines into as many arms as possible, and because of the unceasing work of the Biden administration and healthcare workers across the country, we begin the winter of 2021 in a much better place than the winter of 2020.

But as we learn more about the Omicron variant that is spreading abroad, my message to the American people is simple: If you don't want to get sick, get vaccinated. If you are eligible, get your booster shot.

While there is so much we have yet to understand about the Omicron variant, we do know that you are far less likely to be hospitalized or die from the coronavirus if you are fully vaccinated. And for those who are already vaccinated, research shows that boosters are likewise highly effective. Take the words of Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health:

Boosters do, in fact, allow your immune system to have a

wide range of capabilities against spike proteins it hasn't

seen before.

If you needed one more reason, if you're eligible to get that

booster right away, this would be it.

Those are the words of Dr. Collins.

By now we know, the longer that eligible people resist safe vaccines, the greater the risk of new variants like Delta and Omicron arising in our midst. These strains--these strains--of variants have largely spread among unvaccinated populations, threatening our families, small businesses, and prolonging the day we put this wretched disease fully in the rearview mirror.

So if you aren't getting vaccinated for yourself because you don't think you need it, then do it for your family, your friends, and your neighbors because the unvaccinated population is where the variants multiply, spread, and grow, and hurt everybody.

So as we enter the holiday season, as we begin attending holiday gatherings and traveling long distances to see families, I urge New Yorkers and Americans everywhere to stay safe, get vaccinated, and get boosted. It is the best thing we can do to protect our families, our communities, and our country.

Madam President, now on NDAA, the Defense Act, we begin an important week for what will be an important final month of 2021.

Later today, the Senate will vote on cloture on the substitute amendment to the NDAA. NDAA has been passed by this Chamber for over 60 years, and there is no good reason why this year should be any different.

Before Thanksgiving, the Senate worked in as bipartisan way as it could to lay the groundwork for advancing the Defense bill. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Inhofe reached an agreement, a bipartisan agreement, on a package of 18 amendments--let me repeat that; 18 amendments, folks--for the Senate to hold rollcall votes on. Nearly half of those amendments were led by a Republican. That would be more amendments to the NDAA receiving rollcall votes than in the last 4 years combined.

We also agreed to the substitute amendment, which included at least 50 amendments, 27 of which were led by a Republican. Senator Inhofe, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, agreed to this.

In any other time, this would be considered a very fair and generous compromise. Even though every Member didn't get every amendment they wanted, the leadership on both sides would have made sure that cloture was granted.

Unfortunately, Republicans could not accept this agreement before Thanksgiving, but we hope that Republican dysfunction will not be a roadblock to passing this bill and taking care of our troops and their families.

Madam President, now on government funding, as we all know, by the end of this week, both parties must come to an agreement for funding the government and avoiding a needless shutdown.

At the end of September, Democrats and Republicans worked together to keep the government open through December 3, avoiding many of the fights that tainted so many funding debates under the previous administration. After the House takes action this week, the Democratic- led Senate will move forward to make sure the government remains funded after the deadline.

With so many critical issues, the last thing the American people need right now is a government shutdown, and Democrats are going to work this week to make sure we don't have one this time around. It is important to get it done, and we are working to get it done.

Finally, Madam President, on Build Back Better, before the end of the year, the Senate will also work on President Biden's Build Back Better legislation, which momentously passed the House at the very end of the last work period.

This week, Democrats will continue to meet with the Senate Parliamentarian in order to complete the technical and procedural work required before the bill comes to the floor. Meetings were held over the Thanksgiving week, and we will continue this week and next week as needed.

As I have said repeatedly, once this necessary work is completed with the Parliamentarian, I will bring the President's Build Back Better legislation to the floor so we can pass it as soon as possible and send it to the President's desk. Our goal continues to be to get this done before Christmas.

Build Back Better represents the largest investment in the American people in generations. Under our bill, childcare will be more affordable, pre-K will be more affordable, and raising kids overall will be more affordable for tens of millions of parents.

The bill will take unprecedented steps in the fight against the climate crisis, paving the way for even greater action in the future.

And as scores of economists from across the ideological spectrum attest to, Build Back Better will not worsen inflation--will not worsen inflation--and in the long run help bring costs under control.

So cutting costs, saving parents money, fighting climate change, and creating the jobs of tomorrow--these are the things the American people want; these are the things the American people need; and these are the things that Build Back Better will deliver on once we pass it through this Chamber.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I enter a motion to reconsider the failed cloture vote.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture vote on the underlying bill, H.R. 4350, ripen upon disposition of substitute amendment No. 3867, as modified.

I thank my friend from Rhode Island. I want to make a brief statement about the vote, and then I will turn it over to him.

My colleagues, there should be no misunderstanding about the absurdity that just played out on the floor. For a while now, Republicans have claimed they want to pass the Defense authorization legislation immediately. They said we couldn't afford to wait any longer. They called it a core duty, a bare minimum, and they called on me to bring it to the floor for a full vote.

But a few moments ago, Republicans just blocked legislation to support our troops, support our families, and keep Americans safe. Republican dysfunction has, again, derailed bipartisan progress. The Republican choice to block our bill and, by an extension, legislation to support our troops and protect the homeland can be summed up in two words: inexplicable and outrageous.

I hope the American people are watching. Don't tell me we aren't offering a fair process. We have had ample debate. We had amendments from both sides. We had a huge number of managers' amendments, equal numbers Democrat and Republican. We offered to debate--I believe it is 18 amendments--more than has been on most other bills of this type.

In any other time in history, what we offered Republicans would be considered a very fair and generous compromise, but just because a few Republicans didn't get every single concession they insisted on, they are now halting the process.

Despite this vote, Democrats will continue to work to make sure our troops get paid and our vital defense programs can continue.

I thank my colleague for his courtesy and yield the floor back to him.

Madam President, on NDAA, last night, the Senate began the process to debate, amend, and ultimately pass our annual Defense spending bill. With Republican cooperation, we can adopt the motion to proceed and begin voting on amendments early today.

Let me say it again. With Republican cooperation, we can adopt the motion to proceed and begin voting on amendments today. We should work together and complete this important bill before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Last night's vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan, so there is no reason we can't come to an agreement very soon to begin debating amendments.

And there is already one important amendment that I want to mention: repealing the 2002 Iraq AUMF. This bipartisan measure was reported out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this year, and I said months ago that the Senate should hold a vote on it. The NDAA is a logical place to do so.

The Iraq war has been over for over a decade. An authorization passed in 2002 is no longer necessary for keeping Americans safe in 2021. It has been nearly 10 years since this particular authorization has been cited as a primary justification for a military operation, and there is a real danger to letting these legal authorities persist indefinitely. Repealing this AUMF will in no way hinder our national defense, nor will it impact our relationship with the people of Iraq.

I want to thank Chairman Menendez, Senator Kaine, Senator Young, and every Republican and Democratic cosponsor of the bill for working to bring this issue to the floor. And in the coming days, I hope we can come to an agreement on other commonsense amendments to strengthen the Defense bill so we can get it passed through the Senate as soon as possible.

Build Back Better Agenda

Madam President, on Build Back Better, now that President Biden has enacted his once-in-a-generation infrastructure bill, Democrats are taking the next steps toward passing the rest of his Build Back Better plan.

The last year and a half have been unlike any in modern U.S. history. We have had a once-in-a-century pandemic, followed by the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

We have come a long way this year as we have lifted our country out of the depths of these crises, but the challenges, of course, aren't over.

Americans right now want us to lower costs for things like healthcare, prescription drugs, childcare. We have a responsibility to pass legislation that will cut costs and improve American lives. That is why we need to keep working on passing Build Back Better. We know that passing this critical legislation will lower costs for some of the most basic and essential things in everyday life. And as economists from leading rating agencies said yesterday, Build Back Better will not add to the inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy.

The childcare provision could alone save families thousands of dollars each year. Families, on average, spend $10,000 annually on childcare for each child under 4. A generation ago, this was unheard of. Build Back Better will dramatically lower costs for millions of families by providing the largest investment in childcare in American history.

The same goes for prescription drugs. If you are one of the roughly 10 million Americans who relies on insulin to manage your diabetes, chances are you have been spending more and more as the cost of this once-affordable drug has skyrocketed. It is truly one of the perplexing and frustrating trends of the past two decades.

Well, Build Back Better will make it so Americans with diabetes don't pay more than $35 per month on insulin by enabling Medicare to directly negotiate prices in Part B and Part D--again, lowering costs, improving the lives of millions of families.

Examples go on and on of how people will have more money in their pocket given their expenses.

Build Back Better cuts taxes for parents raising kids. It makes pre-K universal for the first time ever. It will provide help for small businesses to invest within the United States and hire American workers.

And, ultimately, it is the best thing we can do to recapture that sunny American optimism that has been the key to our country's success. Creating jobs, lowering costs, fighting inflation, keeping more money in people's pockets--these are things Americans want and what Americans need, and it is what BBB does.

We are going to keep working on this important legislation until we get it done.

Nomination of Dilawar Syed

Madam President, now, on a much sadder note, Mr. Syed.

The Republican fixation on blocking qualified, uncontroversial, and essential nominees to fill roles in the Biden administration has hit a new and shameful low.

Yesterday, every single Republican on the Small Business Committee boycotted a hearing that would have held a vote on Dilawar Syed's nomination for the No. 2 spot at the Small Business Administration.

If confirmed, Mr. Syed would be the highest ranking Muslim American in government. This is the fifth time--the fifth time--that Republicans have failed to show up to a committee hearing for Mr. Syed.

To date--to date--we have yet heard a single legitimate reason for their opposition. At one point, some of my colleagues seemed to question Mr. Syed's allegiance because of his affiliation with a Muslim voter education group. That is repugnant, and after those objections provoked fierce criticism, Republicans came up with entirely new fabrications for their resistance.

But at no point have Republicans explained why Mr. Syed is not qualified for the job. Frankly, they can't because Mr. Syed is the definition of a qualified candidate. His nomination has been praised by hundreds of business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hardly a liberal crowd.

It is shameful; it is unacceptable; it is ridiculous for Republicans to keep stalling on Mr. Syed's nomination. He is eminently qualified to serve in the SBA.

Why are Senate Republicans opposing Mr. Syed's nomination? And let me ask this again because the question resonates. Why are Senate Republicans opposing Mr. Syed's nomination?

I ask my Republican colleagues to drop their resistance and allow this excellent and straightforward nominee to receive confirmation.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, Democrats have been working in good faith for several days--actually, for several months, really--to pass this defense legislation.

The bill before us was produced through a bipartisan committee process and included the input of at least three-fifths of Senators from both sides of the aisle. It is unfortunate that we cannot move forward tonight.

Yesterday, we agreed to delay the initial cloture vote after the Armed Services Committee's ranking member requested more time to work on a managers' package to include more input from Members. The managers' package now include 57--57--amendments; 27 from Republicans, 27 from Democrats, and 3 bipartisan amendments.

Further, we just proposed votes on 18 amendments, 3 of which are bipartisan and 8 of which are Republican-led amendments. We could start voting on them tonight, but unfortunately, the other side won't agree-- or some on the other side won't agree.

Democrats have demonstrated all year that we are more than willing to work in good faith on amendments here on the floor. This year, more amendments have received rollcall votes than during any of the past 4 years. Members on both sides want to get this done. So these delays are unfortunate. There is no good reason to keep delaying. We should move the process forward.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 332 and 444; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc 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 any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate resume legislative session.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the

Senate complete its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Friday, November 19; 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 resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 4350, the National Defense Authorization Act, postcloture; further, that all time during adjournment, morning business, recess, and leader time count postcloture.