Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Thursday, May 27; 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; further, that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 58, S. 1260.

Madam President, let me just say that we are making very good progress. We had a whole bunch of amendments again tonight. We have had more amendments on this bill than on any bill I can recall in a very long

time. We have cooperated with the minority and given them many different amendments, and we have had good debate. This is how the Senate can function when we work in a bipartisan way and agree to work together, and I hope we can have an amiable conclusion tomorrow.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the filing deadline for second-degree amendments be 10:30 a.m. with respect to the cloture motions filed on S. 1260.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the provisions of S. Res. 245 as a further mark of respect to the late David Gambrell, former Senator from Georgia.

Mr. President, before I begin on the prepared remarks I have, I note that, this morning, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican Congresswoman from Georgia, once again, compared preparations taken against COVID to the Holocaust. These are sickening, reprehensible comments, and she should stop this vile language immediately.

Mr. President, a year ago today, on another front equally important, George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight by a police officer sworn to protect and serve. Our country was forever changed by the stomach-churning video of Derek Chauvin killing Mr. Floyd.

It sparked a summer of protest unlike any we have seen in American history. Around the world, the name of George Floyd was chanted in Rome, Paris, and London, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Mexico City. As recently as this weekend, professional soccer players in the British Premier League knelt before the game in support of the global movement against racism touched off by George Floyd.

This was not only a fight for justice for one man and his family, whom I have had the privilege to meet with, but a fight against the discrimination that Black men and women suffer at the hands of state power not just here in America but around the globe. It is a fight that continues today.

Here in the Senate, we will continue that fight when we vote to confirm the first woman--the first Black woman--to ever lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, which was created in 1957 as the civil rights movement began to uphold the constitutional rights of all Americans but particularly the most vulnerable. When it comes to justice in policing, the criminal justice system, and at the ballot box, the Civil Rights Division is often the tip of the spear: conducting investigations of police departments with patterns or practices of constitutional violations and defending the fundamental voting rights of every American citizen.

So, in a way, as we continue to pursue strong policing reform legislation, it is appropriate that we confirm Kristen Clarke--a proven civil rights leader--to the position of Assistant Attorney General, where she can continue the fight against bigotry in many ways. It is appropriate we do it today.

Though my Republican colleagues have tried to twist her words to make her sound like some radical, Ms. Clarke is, in reality, a hugely accomplished civil rights attorney who has earned the respect of all sides. Much like her future colleague at the Justice Department, Vanita Gupta, Kristen Clarke has been endorsed by a wide range of law enforcement groups. The truth is, Ms. Clarke will make an exceptional leader of the Civil Rights Division.

So, again, in a very significant way, as we continue to pursue strong policing reform legislation, the fight for racial justice by confirming Kristen Clarke on the anniversary of George Floyd's murder is particularly poignant and appropriate.

Of course, Congress must also pursue strong legislation to end racial bias in

law enforcement. Senators Booker and Scott, as well as Representative Bass and others, have been working diligently behind the scenes to fashion such a bill on a bipartisan basis. That important work must continue as we strive to ensure George Floyd's tragic death will not be in vain.

Mr. President, on another matter, the Senate continues to work on the U.S. Innovation and Competition legislation that will lay the foundation for the next century of American economic leadership.

I have spoken a lot about the substance of this bill. So, this morning, I want to reinforce how bipartisan and inclusive this bill is. It is the product of at least a half a dozen Senate committees, meaning that nearly every single Member of the Senate has had fingerprints on this bill in one way or another.

The two pieces of legislation that form the core of the bill--the Endless Frontier Act and the Strategic Competition Act--passed out of committee on overwhelmingly bipartisan votes: 24 to 4 in the Commerce Committee and 21 to 1 in the Foreign Relations Committee. That kind of bipartisanship--almost unanimous support in multiple Senate committees--is rare when it comes to major legislation. It goes to show just how bipartisan this issue is and this legislation is as, literally, dozens of bipartisan amendments were added to the bill before it ever reached the floor.

Here on the floor, we are going to continue working through a series of amendments from both sides. With such a depth of cooperation and consensus between our two parties, there will be no reason we can't wrap up this bill this week and achieve a strong result for our country. Leader McConnell should be welcoming this bipartisanship as we move forward on the bill.

Mr. President, on a final matter, later today, a group of Senators will come to the floor to highlight an important issue: DC statehood.

The District of Columbia has more residents than in Vermont and Wyoming and has nearly the same number as Delaware, Alaska, and several other States. They have the same obligations of citizenship. DC residents pay Federal taxes. They can be summoned for juries. They have served in every war since the Revolution, but they are all denied real representation here in Congress.

DC statehood is an idea whose time has come. So I want to thank Senator Carper for organizing a group of Senators to shine a spotlight on this issue today.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all votes after the first be 10 minutes in length, and we are going to try to stick to it as best we can. So please, Members, we are trying to finish. We have six votes. We are trying to get them done.

Let's hear it for Rand Paul for passing an amendment unanimously.

Amendment No. 1507 to Amendment No. 1502

Madam President, in a moment, I will file cloture on both

the substitute amendment of the competition bill and on the motion to proceed to the House-passed legislation to create an independent commission to investigate and report on the attack of January 6, setting up a potential vote this week.

On the competition bill, this legislation is the product of at least half a dozen Senate committees, working for months--months--in a bipartisan way. That means that every single Member of the Senate has had their fingerprints on it in one manner or another.

The Senate has been making great progress so far this week. To borrow an expression that might appeal to my colleague and partner from Indiana, Senator Young, we are approaching the final straightaway of the race. We have completed a very efficient series of votes on six amendments this afternoon, five of which were sponsored by Republicans. That is in addition to four amendment votes we have already held and literally dozens--dozens--of bipartisan amendments that were added to the bill before it even reached the floor.

This is regular order in action. Members on both sides have clamored that we bring bills to the floor, debate them, and ask for amendments. That is what is happening here. This is a bipartisan bill that came out of committees with overwhelming votes--21 to 1 in Foreign Relations and 22 to 4 in Commerce, with a lot of bipartisan input in both committees and throughout--and now we are debating it on the floor.

I believe the depth of bipartisanship on this bill reveals two things: one, just how much of a hunger there is on both sides of the aisle to tackle the issue of American leadership in the 21st century. It also shows a hunger to work in a bipartisan way, and we hope that our colleagues will understand that as we seek now to invoke cloture on the bill after we do several more amendments.

With the finish line in sight, we need to continue working together to see this bill through. As I said, we will consider a few more amendments tomorrow and Thursday, including a managers' amendment, before final passage. If both sides continue to work in good faith to schedule amendment votes, which has been the hallmark so far, there is no reason we can't finish the competition bill by the end of the week. And we will look for a signal from our Republican friends that, when we cooperate, we will move forward and not move to block or delay unnecessarily.

Now, of this bill, again, I cannot say how important it is to the future of America. Investing in science and innovation has been a hallmark of why this country has led the world in economic growth, in good-paying jobs, in creating a brighter, sunnier, happier America. Our failure to invest could lead to a real decline--a cloudiness over America and its future. We have to move forward, and that is why this bill has gotten such great support. This is not a minor bill. Just because there is not partisan fighting doesn't mean it is not one of the most important bills we have passed in a very long time, and we will look back in history and say that this was a moment when America got a grip back on itself and moved forward after several years of languishing, at best.

January 6 Commission

I am also going to move to file cloture on the motion to proceed to the House-passed legislation to create an independent commission to investigate and report on the attack of January 6, setting up a potential vote this week. We all know the commission is an urgent, necessary idea to safeguard our democracy. What happened on January 6 was a travesty--a travesty. It risked America in ways we haven't seen in decades, maybe even in our history altogether.

In the wake of January 6, unfortunately, too many Republicans in both Chambers have been trying to rewrite history and sweep the despicable attack on our democracy under the rug. If people believe the Big Lie-- if they believe that this election was not on the level, spread by the Big Lie of Donald Trump and his legions in the press--our democracy erodes. At the core of this democracy is the belief that we vote; the process is fair; and then whoever is fairly elected we respect as our leader. That has not happened for the first time in a long time.

I so respect our two Republican colleagues on the other side of the aisle who say they will vote for this proposal. I hope many more will. We have to get it passed. Each Member of the Senate is going to have to stand up and decide: Are you on the side of truth and accountability or are you on the side of Donald Trump and the Big Lie?

We cannot let this lie fester. We must get at the truth. We must restore faith in this grand, wonderful, beautiful, evolving experiment--the greatest democracy that has ever been seen on Earth. We can't let that go away. By sweeping all of this under the rug and by having so many people believe the lies, we could see the Sun begin to set on America. I hope that doesn't happen. I pray that doesn't happen. I don't believe it will happen because I believe we will rise to the occasion and get at the truth.

Order of Business

Madam President, now I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate resumes consideration of S. 1260 on Wednesday, May 26, the following amendments be called up and reported by number: Durbin, 2014; Kennedy, 1710; Sullivan, 1911; further, that at 12 noon tomorrow, Wednesday, May 26, the Senate vote in relation to the Sullivan amendment and at 2:30 in relation to the Durbin and Kennedy amendments, with no amendments in order to these amendments prior to a vote in relation to the amendment, with 60 affirmative votes required for the adoption, with the exception of the Sullivan amendment, and 2 minutes of debate equally divided prior to each vote.

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

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

Madam President, I move to proceed to H.R. 3233.

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

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 111.

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. 134.

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