Floor Statements

Madam President, in a few moments, my friend Senator Peters will offer legislation that responds to the reports of unusual drone activity, and I thank him for his great work and leadership on this. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bipartisan drone legislation, which the FBI, the DHS, the FAA, and the DOD--the Department of Defense--all support. The Senate should pass our bill without delay.

Our bill, among other things, explicitly authorizes State and local authorities to conduct drone detection and helps them better coordinate with Federal law enforcement Agencies to keep communities safe.

The people in New York and New Jersey have a lot of questions, and they are not getting good enough answers.

The utter confusion surrounding these drone sightings shows that the Feds can't respond all on their own; they need help detecting these drones from local officials who have neither the resources nor the explicit authority to act. The bill fixes that.

We all know drones are a relatively new phenomenon, and there are millions of them all over the United States. A lot of them are hobbyists. Some of them are companies doing legitimate work. But the Federal Government just doesn't have the ability or resources. If we were to say the Federal Government should look at this completely, they would be taken away from so many other important jobs. So the most logical thing to do is say: Let the localities have some authority. These are law enforcement authorities. These are people we know and we trust.

Now, for all we know, the recent drone incidents are entirely benign, but the people of New York and New Jersey understandably still have questions, and they deserve answers. The problem is, the widespread use of drones is relatively new in the eyes of Federal law, and therefore the authority to detect drone activity near sensitive infrastructure is totally within Federal jurisdiction. That should be fixed in an appropriate way. The Federal Government just doesn't have the ability to go in every corner of America and see whether the drones are safe or not safe.

Local law enforcement is appropriate, and they will work with the Feds in working on this. The bill is about giving local officials on the ground greater flexibility and proven technology to detect and track threats in their jurisdictions. It is about giving people answers they don't now have, heard directly from authorities on the ground. If this bill becomes law, we will have better clarity in the future.

So I yield to my friend from Michigan who has worked hard on this issue for a long period of time. It has broad bipartisan support. I hope the Senate can act.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, in just a few moments, the Senate will hold a vote to take up the Social Security Fairness Act, a bill that ensures no retiree or spouse is wrongly denied their well-earned benefits simply because they chose, at some point in their careers, to work in public service.

Time is short, but I am hopeful the Senate can take up and pass this bill and send it to the President's desk very quickly.

Passing this Social Security fix right before Christmas would be a great gift for our retired firefighters, police officers, postal workers, teachers, and others who, for years, contributed to Social Security but are now being penalized because of their time of public service. That is unfair. It is deeply unfair. It goes against the American ideal of working hard, chipping in, and enjoying a well-earned retirement.

Our bill will finally repeal the outdated and unfair WEP and GPO programs which have wreaked havoc on the hard-earned benefits of our public service retirees and their spouses. It has been going on too long. People have been working for decades to pass legislation to fix this issue. We now have that opportunity.

The House has already passed this bill by an overwhelming margin, with Democrats and Republicans, 327 to 75.

We Democrats are ready to stand with our public service retirees and finally fix this problem. The American people will see today which Senators are ready to deliver on these Social Security benefits and who will block this golden opportunity that could help millions.

I thank Senator Brown and others for their hard work.

I yield the floor.

Cloture Motion

Mr. President, negotiations continue between both parties on a temporary extension of government funding. There continues to be good progress, but appropriators are still working on finalizing an agreement. Obviously, we are getting closer to the December 20 deadline. So time is of the essence for Republicans to reach an agreement with us that we can act on quickly. Democrats will continue working in good faith with our Republican counterparts on a strong CR that will prevent a shutdown, while also delivering critical disaster relief for the American people.

On the NDAA, last night, the Senate voted to advance the NDAA by a strong margin of 83 to 12. The NDAA is now on a glide path to final passage. Everyone knows this NDAA is not perfect, but it still takes a strong stand against the Chinese Communist Party. These are things that I have pushed very hard for. It boosts the use of AI for our national defense--another thing I care a lot about--and expands tech innovation programs for communities across the country--a third thing that is very, very important and good.

It has many good things Democrats fought hard for. I am gratified it has all these: the Chinese Communist Party, the use of AI for national defense, and expanding tech innovation. Of course, it has some bad provisions that we Democrats would not have added and other provisions that we would want left out entirely.

I am particularly glad that this year's NDAA expands the Tech Hubs Program I created with Senators Young, Cantwell, and others in the bipartisan Chips and Science Act. These funds will transform communities in Upstate New York, the Midwest, and across the country into the next epicenters of innovation.

It also includes bipartisan measures on AI to expand our AI infrastructure and strengthen America's edge against the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, in this critical technology--so important to our national security and to the United States' technological leadership.

I thank my colleagues from both sides for their good work on the NDAA, especially Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Wicker. We hope to send the NDAA on the way to the President's desk as soon as possible.

Drones

Mr. President, on drones, this afternoon, I will come to the Senate floor to stand with Senator Peters to pass legislation I have cosponsored to respond to the recent reports of unusual drone activity. The FBI, DHS, and DOD--the

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense--support this bill. Our legislation will explicitly authorize State and local authorities to conduct drone detention and help them better coordinate with Federal law enforcement. With the multiplicity of drone sightings and so many drones in the area--many harmless, for recreational use, but many that there are still many questions about--Federal authorities agree that they can't respond to these incidents alone, and they need help from local authorities. But, unfortunately, the local authorities do not have the authority right now. It is only in the domain of the Federal Government.

For all we know, the recent drone incidents are, for the most part-- or maybe all part--benign. But even so, in some cases, they can be disruptive, like when they impact airport operations or approach bases, and people are understandably anxious about seeing things in the night sky without clear answers to what is going on. The people in New York and New Jersey have a lot of questions and still haven't gotten answers from the Feds.

The worst part is that, right now, local officials have very little in terms of resources and oversight authority to do anything about these incidents. So this afternoon, I will join Senator Peters to try and fix that, and I thank my friend from Michigan for his good work on this bill.

Tribute to Sherrod Brown

Mr. President, finally, on Senator Brown's retirement, this afternoon, a beloved colleague of ours will deliver his farewell address, my dear friend Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

If there is one statement that captures Sherrod Brown best, it is this: Workers look at Sherrod and say, ``He is one of us.'' Workers look at Sherrod and say, ``He is one of us.''

Now, elected office wasn't part of the Brown family tradition, but fighting for justice certainly was. Sherrod says, and he has said it many times--I have seen that smile on his face when he says it. He says he inherited his activist bent from his mother, a Georgia native who marched on the frontlines of the early civil rights movement. Sherrod's mom taught him and his brother Charlie the power of political activism and the moral duty we all have to serve our neighbors.

Sherrod got the message early. His first taste of politics came in high school, when he was elected president of the student council. Right away, he became a proud thorn in the side of the principal, organizing anti-Vietnam war protests and pushing for racial equality in the educational system.

During his senior year in college, Sherrod was recruited to run for State rep. Admittedly, his parents weren't thrilled about his decision. In fact, his dad told him, with a little tough love: I will not be voting for you; you are too young.

Do you think Sherrod listened? Would anyone who knows Sherrod today think he listened? Of course not. He didn't listen. He won in a stunning upset, also typical of Sherrod. So at 21, he became a State rep.

During those years, he would spend his Fridays not at home but at the local union hall in Mansfield, OH, of United Steelworkers 169. He did nothing but listen. He listened to the workers who dropped by before their shift. He listened to them talk about their jobs, their families, their kids, about the union. They would keep him abreast of the latest news about strikes and reminisce about heroes in the labor movement. They would talk literature together--``The Grapes of Wrath,'' Joe Hill--that depicted the struggle of American workers and the relentless drive to achieve the American Dream.

Those Fridays at the union reshaped Sherrod's world view forever. They taught Sherrod one of the great truths about America: Our country was built up from the middle class, and the middle class was built by unions and union workers. My family knows the same thing. Everything Sherrod did in politics from then onward was in service to this truth.

So when he came to Congress many years later, it is no surprise that one of his very first votes was opposing NAFTA, fearful of the devastating consequence it would have for Ohioans. Decades later, he has brought back jobs to Ohio, helping break ground on some of the largest manufacturing projects in the State's history, through the Chips and Science Act. And we made sure--Sherrod and I and some others together--that it will be done through union labor. I insisted on that in the Chips and Science Act, and Sherrod was in my ear, making sure that happened all the time.

Years before, we passed the ACA. Sherrod was also one of the leading proponents for healthcare reform and expanding access. He famously refused to get health insurance on his own as a Congressman and a Senator until the day we passed the ACA.

On infrastructure, Sherrod was the relentless force behind the ``Buy America'' provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, ensuring that America's roads and bridges and highways were built from American- made steel and iron and concrete.

On pension reform--this is something we so much cared about--Sherrod was the author and champion of the Butch Lewis Act, putting money back in the pockets of retirees who faced the unthinkable prospect of seeing the benefits dry up. It was so typical of Sherrod. It wasn't an abstract idea for him; he knew the Lewis family. They came here and lobbied. It was all about people, and then, working out from people, how you could make their lives better and America better.

The record goes on. Sherrod is a leader for Wall Street reform, saving U.S. auto jobs, lowering prescription drug prices, protecting the right to organize at work, investing in apprenticeship programs, expanding the child tax credit, protecting workers on the job, and so much more.

It is amazing--amazing what he did. He was here 18 years, and it is amazing what he accomplished for working people. It is a record that anyone would be very, very proud of, and we are also proud of Sherrod's record.

The common theme to all this is a phrase Sherrod has embraced his entire life: the dignity of work. It is something he repeats again and again. He has even named his bus tours on it.

And he also talks about the canary in the coal mine--that when there are some bad signs coming from certain places about working people, we had better all listen because it is the canary in the coal mine. I think he wore a canary in the coal mine on his blazer every so often.

Finally, let me end at the beginning, with a quick and humorous moment from Sherrod's youth. As a high school senior, Sherrod, one day, got together with his friends Paul and John to organize a rally in Mansfield to honor the very first Earth Day, in 1970. This is what he did; he organized rallies. Some people went to ball games. Some people watched TV. Some people went out to restaurants. Sherrod organized rallies.

They expected a good turnout at this rally, but they didn't expect 1,000 people to descend on downtown Mansfield, which wasn't that big a city.

As Sherrod described: We did this really cool march, and we had really big crowds. But we got down to the square, and none of us had thought about what to do when you get down there. We didn't have any speakers. And so we said, ``Oh, shoot,'' and we just disbanded.

Now, he wouldn't--only in Sherrod's account he didn't use the word ``shoot.''

Isn't that a vintage Sherrod story? He never made that mistake again. He was the speaker at so many of the rallies.

You know, I recruited--I knew he would be a great Senator. And when, at first, he decided not run--he was a House Member in 2006. I spent a lot of time in the House gym, and we spent time on the bikes next to each other, panting and sweating, but also my convincing him that, with his great talent and his great passion for workers, he was so needed in the Senate.

I am so glad he decided to run because he has done so much and left such an amazing imprint on this body.

So the story Sherrod accounts for, with his rally in Mansfield, has always been who he has been--direct, unflinching, passionate; a man who is warm and welcoming down to his very core, yet rough around the edges in just the right way; a man who will shun an Italian-made suit in favor of the Cleveland shop just a few miles from his home; a man who can penetrate the

dense language of public policy but will always prefer to ponder a line from the Scripture, from Tolstoy, Martin Luther King, or a worker from whom he heard something; a man with a gifted mind but an even--and he has such a gifted mind, but this is a true compliment--an even more gifted heart.

Thank you, Sherrod, for everything. We wish you, Connie, and your entire family our very best.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the record the biennial report from the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 3502 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Reed-Hagerty substitute amendment be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 9566, which was received from the House and is at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 549, S. 4181.

I ask unanimous consent that the Peters amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to; that the committee- reported substitute, as amended, be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 550, S. 4654.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 1299 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Cornyn substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 5575, introduced earlier today.

I further ask that the bill be considered read three times and passed; and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 5130 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 1144 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Cortez Masto substitute amendment at the desk be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 663, which was received from the House and is at the desk.

I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 553, S. 3022.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to and that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.

I ask that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 5398 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

I ask that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.