Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 267.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to; the Booker amendment at the desk to the preamble be considered and agreed to; the preamble, as amended, 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 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 418.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 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 proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 422, submitted earlier today.

Thank God we got this one through.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3011, which was introduced earlier today.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I understand there are 6 bills at the desk, and I ask for their reading, en bloc.

Madam President, I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bills on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request, all en bloc.

Madam President, now, finally, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. Wednesday, October 20; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired and 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 Lhamon nomination; further, that if cloture is invoked on the Lhamon nomination, all postcloture time expire at 1:45 p.m., and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, for the information of Senators, the first rollcall vote of the day will begin at approximately 11 a.m.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senators King and Portman.

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

Madam President, I begin today with the news that General Colin Powell, who served our Nation as the first African- American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first African- American Secretary of State, passed away this morning at 84.

General Powell leaves behind a distinguished trailblazing legacy. Born in Harlem to Jamaican parents, he grew up with a sister and his parents in South Bronx. He graduated from Melrose High School in the Bronx in 1954. At City College, his life changed forever when he joined the school's ROTC program, quickly becoming a standout member and earning his commission as Second Lieutenant in the Army after graduation.

From humble beginnings, General Powell's career broke one glass ceiling after another. His life was a manifestation of the American dream, a true American success story.

I join all Americans in remembering General Powell's life and his dedication to the country we love.

My thoughts are with his wife Alma, his three children, and his entire family.

Madam President, we begin a consequential work period for the U.S. Senate. Later today, we are going to move forward on the nomination of Gustavo Gelpi to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

If confirmed today, I believe Judge Gelpi will be only the second American citizen from Puerto Rico to be appointed to that court in its history. I cannot think of a better individual to succeed the late Judge Torruella.

Judge Gelpi is a proven champion of civil rights and a defender of the rule of law. He began his career in Puerto Rico's office as a Federal defender. In 2006, he was unanimously confirmed as a district judge for Puerto Rico.

He brings both personal and professional diversity to the bench at a time when we desperately need both. I am proud to have championed his nomination, and look forward to his confirmation today.

Madam President, on voting rights, this week, the Senate will have an opportunity to engage in a momentous and urgent debate protecting the right to vote in free and fair elections.

Later this evening, I will begin the process for the Senate to consider the Freedom to Vote Act, a powerful new bill designed to fortify our democracy, protect the vote, and renew the American people's trust in our elections. After I file cloture tonight on the motion to proceed, Members can expect the vote to take place on Wednesday.

The Freedom to Vote Act is a balanced, effective, and commonsense bill. It sets basic standards for all Americans to vote safely and securely, while protecting elections from subversion. It fights back against the power of Big Money and ends partisan gerrymandering, while respecting the role of States in carrying out elections.

The bill represents the first time every single Senate Democrat has united on voting rights legislation. It is a strong bill. It advances election reforms proven to work in red, blue, and purple States across the country.

I thank my colleagues--all of my colleagues--for the work in putting this

bill together. I thank them for their dedication in advancing the simple idea that all Americans, no matter what ZIP Code they live in, should have the freedom to vote safely and securely. I want to particularly thank Senator Manchin, who has led the way in finding common ground with our Republican colleagues on this proposal.

It is now time for us to move forward on this legislation as promised.

Now, just so we are all clear, the vote that will happen on Wednesday is a procedural vote to begin debate on the bill. Voting yes does not mean signing on any policy or bill text; it is, rather, an invitation for Senators to come to the table to debate, to deliberate, and to compromise, just as the Senate was meant to do.

If there is anything worthy of debate in this Chamber, it should be protecting and strengthening our democracy. With everything we are seeing at the State level, the Senate must take action, and we must take action now. The right to vote is the beating heart of any democracy.

I know we can vote to protect our elections and empower all Americans to have their voices heard. I hope we can do so together across the aisle. I implore my Republican colleagues to come to the table and work with us on this issue. I implore them to turn away from spurious claims of the Big Lie that are degrading faith in our democracy.

I know many of my colleagues agree in their heart of hearts that we cannot allow our democracy to fall victim to conspiracy theories, subversion, and disinformation, but they must join us in working towards solutions. To be sure, Senate Democrats don't expect that our Republican colleagues will agree with every idea we have on voting rights. We know the disagreements run deep. But in this Chamber, Senators should not run away from debating the things we disagree about. If our Republican colleagues have good ideas, we are ready to work in good faith to listen to them, to consider them, and if they are aligned with the goals of this bill, to include them in the final text. But for any of that to happen, our Republican colleagues must agree to come to the table first. They should agree to let the Senate begin debate. That is all this first vote is. It says: Are we willing to debate voting rights, sacred and important in our democracy?

It is not acceptable to simply turn away from debating voting rights, to act as if the Congress has no role to play in the defense of free and fair elections and simply pretend like there is nothing malicious afoot at the State level. No, inaction is not an option. The clock is ticking--the clock is ticking--for this Chamber to do something to protect our democracy before these dangerous laws take root for the next election. The Senate can rise to the task if given the chance, but it must be allowed to begin its work first.

Republicans, later this week, will have a chance to go on record and show if they believe that protecting our democracy is worthy of this Chamber's attention.

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 414.

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