Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, the Senate returns to session in the shadow of tragedy. A week ago last Friday, the senseless attack on the Capitol by a lone actor injured one Capitol Police officer and claimed the life of another, Officer William ``Billy'' Evans.

All of us in the Capitol and all of us across the Nation wish for the speedy recovery of Officer Shaver and mourn the loss of another fallen hero.

To pay tribute to his final act of bravery, Officer Evans will lie in honor under the Capitol Rotunda, at the very center of the democracy he gave his life to protect. A service in his memory will take place tomorrow morning.

For everyone who works in the Senate, his loss is particularly painful. He was a familiar face who greeted lawmakers, reporters, staffers, and employees at the north entrance as we entered the Senate side of the building. Whether you knew him or not, his wide smile was often the first thing you would see in the morning.

This has been an immensely difficult few months for members of the Capitol Police Force and for everyone who works behind the scenes to safeguard the Capitol Complex. Senate committees are conducting bipartisan and comprehensive reviews to ensure the Capitol is as secure as possible while also remaining accessible to the public. That is a top priority.

But also, in this moment of profound loss, we need to comfort each other and support members of the Capitol Police, who, in 4 short months, have suffered a brutal attack by a violent mob and lost four of their friends and cherished colleagues. We must never, never take for granted the work they do, day in and day out, to guard this citadel of democracy.

I will have more to say tomorrow when we pay tribute to the life of Officer Evans. For now, I wish to extend my deep condolences to his friends and family, especially his two young children, and everyone whose lives were enriched by knowing this incredible, incredible public servant.

Now, Madam President, on an entirely other matter, as the Senate returns to work this week, we are going to pick right back up where we left off in aggressively filling the Biden administration with well- qualified nominees and pursuing timely legislation that meets the needs of the American people.

This week, the Senate will vote on the nominations of Polly Trottenberg to serve as Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Wendy Sherman to serve as Deputy Secretary of State, Gary Gensler to serve on the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Brenda Mallory to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality. Each is exceptionally well qualified for the respective position and each, I expect, will receive bipartisan support here on the floor.

I am particularly proud of Polly Trottenberg, who was my legislative director and legislative assistant on Transportation, I believe it was, for 9 years. She then served as commissioner of transportation in New York City. One of the things, of course, that I talked to her about regularly was getting Gateway, our much needed tunnel, built under the Hudson--so needed by New York, New Jersey, and the entire Northeast corridor.

The Senate will also vote on whether to debate legislation from Senator Hirono and Representative Meng to address the surge of anti- Asian hate crimes during the COVID pandemic.

Over the past year, we have read horrible accounts of violence and discrimination against Asian Americans, spurred on by ignorance and xenophobia and the vicious slander that blames the Chinese people for COVID-19--slander that was often encouraged and repeated so regrettably--I so regret that a President would stoop to that level--by the former President, who seemed to almost revel in advancing bigotry.

Sadly, the recent spate of anti-Asian violence is not a new chapter in American history. From the Chinese massacre of 1871 to the explicitly racist Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of Japanese- American citizens, and the shameful Korematsu Supreme Court decision, the Asian-American community has long suffered the hammer blows of racism and bigotry.

We cannot let this new surge, which contains echoes of these violent chapters in our history, go unaddressed. So, this week, the Senate will vote on Senator Hirono's anti-Asian hate crimes bill, and I know the Presiding Officer is a proud sponsor of that legislation.

The bill does two things.

First, it tells the Department of Justice they need to make consideration of these hate crimes a top priority during this pandemic. There is a scourge of abuse happening to the Asian-American community-- shamefully aided and abetted by former President Trump--and it needs to be prioritized by law enforcement more than it is right now.

Second, it sends a very important signal from the Congress of the United States to the American public: These crimes will not be tolerated, and there will be consequences.

This legislation is as commonsense and straightforward as it gets. It is as unobjectionable as it gets. I should expect our work on Senator Hirono's hate crimes bill to be thoroughly bipartisan. President Biden has urged Congress to swiftly pass this legislation and send it to his desk. Let's get it done this week.

I attended four or five--maybe even more--rallies against anti-Asian violence, and I was heartsick to hear the stories: an elderly man afraid to just walk out on the street that he might be ridiculed, spat upon and a young lady who didn't want to travel the subways because of the glares and stares at her from some people because of her Asian ancestry. The stories could be repeated over and over again, and, unfortunately, this bigotry has often ended in violence.

We must stop it as Americans. We all know--every one of us--that racism against one is racism against all. We must stop it. Again, I plead with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to let this legislation go forward--it seems so unobjectionable--and pass with a strong bipartisan vote. Again, let's get it done this week

Madam President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 27, which was received today.

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

Madam President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 28, which was received today.

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

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Madam President, first, I understand that there are two bills at the desk due for a second reading en bloc.

In order to place the bills on the calender under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceeding en bloc.

Madam President, despite unprecedented obstacles, the Senate has had an extremely productive first period of business.

It has been a little over 60 days since Democrats assumed the majority in the Senate and Joe Biden was sworn in as President. In that relatively short amount of time, the Senate has confirmed every available Cabinet Secretary--a group filled with a bevy of historic firsts--faster than under the prior two administrations.

Every single Cabinet nominee has received a bipartisan vote of approval here on the floor, a tribute to their character, their qualifications, and their caliber.

The Senate also conducted a fair and honest impeachment trial of the former President, resulting in the largest and most bipartisan conviction

vote in the history, in the history of Presidential impeachments.

And, of course, the Democratic majority in the Senate passed the most sweeping Federal recovery effort in decades, the American Rescue Plan.

Again, despite several unprecedented obstacles, not only did we get a late start on our work, a result of the runoff elections in Georgia, we have had to contend with the aftermath of an armed insurrection at the Capitol, an impeachment trial, and the difficulty of navigating an evenly divided Senate.

Let's take a quick look at the scoreboard.

Economists project that the American Rescue Plan could double economic growth while cutting child poverty in half--the biggest anti- poverty effort in a generation.

We have made the single largest investment in American education and Native Tribes ever.

Experts have called the American Rescue Plan the most significant legislation for Black farmers since the Civil Rights Act.

The American Rescue Plan provides a lifeline to Main Street businesses from one end of the country to the other. Companies are already scaling back layoffs.

In less than 100 days, the Biden administration and Democratic majorities have helped deliver more than 100 million shots in people's arms and 100 million checks in people's pockets. As a result, the American people are more optimistic than at any time over the past year, and for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a clear majority of Americans believe our country is back on track.

Just this morning, the jobs report showed that applications for unemployment benefits fell by nearly 100,000 people--a sign that businesses are reopening and Americans are optimistic about getting back to work. After one of the most difficult years in American history, the country is finally turning the corner, and the Senate is off to a fantastic start.

Now looking forward, of course the job certainly isn't done yet. Now that we have passed the American Rescue Plan, the Senate must continue to make progress on other issues facing the American people. When the Senate returns to session, our agenda will be no less ambitious than it was over the past few months.

We will focus on three areas: one, voting rights, civil rights; two, economic recovery and jobs, with an emphasis on climate change and building back better; and three, health and gun safety.

This Senate will once again be the forum where civil rights are debated and historic action is taken to secure them for all Americans.

Last week, the Judiciary Committee held the first-ever hearing on the Equality Act, landmark legislation that would enshrine as a matter of law that no American shall be denied justice based on their gender or sexual orientation.

In the coming work period, the Democratic majority will also seek to repeal a Trump administration rule that gives employers an unfair advantage over workers when settling discriminatory claims.

At the same time, the Judiciary and Rules Committees have started their work responding to the concerted, nationwide, despicable attack on voting rights. In one State after another, new restrictions on the franchise are taking aim at communities of color in ways we haven't seen since the days of Jim Crow.

Yesterday, I attended the Rules Committee hearing on S. 1, the For the People Act, and I listened to my Republican colleagues try to defend these outrageous voter suppression laws. One member on the committee told us not to worry about them because many are just proposals and won't become law. Later that day, the same day, the Montana State Senate advanced a bill to end same-day voter registration.

Another member on the committee defended limits to early voting on Sundays--a day when many African Americans go to vote after church--by quoting the Bible and the Commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. I don't know where to begin with that one, but I will start by reminding my colleagues of the separation between church and state, and, frankly, the Bible passage she talked about comes from the Old Testament, when the Sabbath was on Saturday.

This is getting beyond ridiculous. Across the country, the Republican Party seems to believe that the best strategy for winning elections is not to win more voters but to try to prevent the other side from voting. That is not America. That is not democracy. And this Senate will take action to protect the voting rights of tens of millions of Americans. The Senate will vote on the For the People Act.

We will also keep a laser focus on our economic recovery. In the coming months, the Senate will consider legislation to rebuild our infrastructure and fight climate change, boost research and development and domestic manufacturing, reform our broken immigration system, and grow the power of American workers. Finally, the Senate will address health and gun safety.

When the Senate gavels back into session, we will vote on Senator Hirono's COVID hate crimes bill, which my colleague Grace Meng has sponsored in the House. It will give the Department of Justice and our local police departments crucial tools to fight the wave of racist violence we have seen against Asian Americans.

I have also committed to put a bill on expanded background checks on the floor of the Senate.

On the health front, we will take aim against the former administration's decision to roll back limits on methane emissions from oil and gas production--gases that pack a much greater punch than carbon dioxide when it comes to our climate. Senators Heinrich, King, and Markey have been working very hard on this issue. I applaud them. The Senate will take up a Congressional Review Act measure to reinstate the commonsense regulation of methane emissions to fight climate change.

The bottom line is this: The Senate of the 117th Congress has accomplished a lot in its first few months, but we have a lot of work left to do. The challenges our country still faces are immense, and there is no reason both sides cannot work together on issues that will affect our country and our children's future. We won't agree on everything, but we must agree that inaction is unacceptable. The Senate must help the country finish the job against COVID while continuing to build a more equal economy and a more just society.

I yield the floor

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 1868; that the Shaheen- Collins substitute amendment No. 1410 and the Scott of Florida amendment No. 1411 be made pending and reported by number; further, that the Senate vote in relation to the Scott amendment and the substitute, that upon disposition of the amendments, the bill be considered read a third time, the Senate vote on passage of the bill as amended, if amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage; further, that there be 2 minutes for debate, equally divided, prior to each vote; and finally, that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 55.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 53.

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 Calendar No. 13,

Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 13,

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

Finally, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, March 25, be waived.

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

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.