Floor Statements

Mr. President, I am rising right now to speak about the urgency to quickly confirm two bipartisan members to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Time is really of the essence as the term of two voting members, Judge Claria Horn Boom and Judge John Gleeson, will expire this Congress.

For decades, the Senate has come together and confirmed all Commissioners to the Sentencing Commission by a voice vote and, on one occasion, two members by unanimous consent after they had been considered by the Judiciary Committee. This used to be just something easily done. There is no reason to depart from this incredible bipartisan precedent. We must confirm these two nominees today.

Just as a reminder, Congress created the Sentencing Commission in 1984 as an independent Agency, housed in the judicial branch, to reduce sentencing disparities and to promote transparency and proportionality in sentencing. By statute, the Commission must have bipartisan representation amongst its members. It calls for our coming together. This mandate reflects the consensus-driven, evidence-based approach Congress has envisioned in making Federal criminal sentencing fairer and more balanced for the United States of America.

The Sentencing Commission plays a critical role in our Federal legal system. It establishes sentencing policies and practices for Federal courts, and it promulgates and amends the sentencing guidelines, which serve as the cornerstone for every Federal judge when deciding a criminal sentence. It is deeply imperative that the Commission maintain a full slate of voting members to continue this profound work.

Recent history has shown us what happens when the Commission is deprived of its full membership. From 2019 to 2022, the Commission lacked a voting quorum and could not update the sentencing guidelines in response to new Federal criminal statutes, including the big bipartisan work we did to get the First Step Act passed and signed by Donald Trump. Without direction on how to implement the new provisions and criminal penalties, circuit courts split over the proper interpretation of the guidelines, resulting in disparate sentences for people who are dependent solely on which circuit court they were tried in. In other words, there was no equal justice under the law. There wasn't fairness or proportionality.

So, consistent with this Commission's mandate, these nominees have to and will need to continue to function in our bipartisan way--the vision. It is up to us to work in this bipartisan way. Therefore, I ask now to confirm two bipartisan members of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, Judge Claria Horn Boom and Judge Gleeson.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 602 and 603; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. That word is difficult to say, but it seems like that happened quicker than even my saying that word. With something so important as this, I was hoping for more of an understanding of why this is being blocked.

Again, perhaps one of the greatest marks of this institution, in my 10 years of experience, has been the times we have come together-- multiple times--to make our justice system more just.

This seems, to me, to be obstructionist to the hopes that we can be a nation that ends this partisanship, that ends this unnecessary partisanship--excuse me--and that ends the sort of tribalism that is making this institution less operative.

We all come here from various parts of our great Nation to get things done, and there seems to be this pattern in the United States of America of our finding less comity, less togetherness.

I love what Martin Luther King said; that we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied with a garment of destiny, in that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

When it comes to the exercise of justice in our country, it is clear, by not having a bipartisan majority sitting on this body, that we create injustice, which, ultimately, hurts our democracy and our highest ideals.

We started this day by pledging allegiance to that flag, where we said with ``liberty and justice for all.'' It pains me today, with the stopping of this unanimous consent, that we are not fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of that pledge.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I want to take a moment.

We just heard a speech that is special, not just because it is a maiden speech but because of the man who gave it. George Helmy is 1 of 2,004 Americans in the history of our country--hundreds of millions of people--who has ever been a U.S. Senator.

I will tell you, he is different. He said it in his biography. He is the first-ever person of the Coptic faith to be here. That is a phenomenal accomplishment in and of itself to the growing diversity of a body known for its lack of diversity.

But I will say what makes him truly special is that he has been a man behind the scenes that, for the Governor, Senators, and others, has made our State already such a better place. I have watched him do the work that others often take credit for, that has made him in my heart and through the millions of New Jerseyans he has touched--has already made him one of New Jersey's extraordinary public servants.

I will note that he--in his time in the Senate--has staffers, as he pointed out, and many of them have taken an unusual assignment: to leave their jobs that they had to come take a temporary assignment to serve this country. For that, they have my tribute.

If I can end by just saying one more thing that makes him special. He is throwing himself into this job as if every single day is precious. I dare say, there is not a Senator in this body who is taking each day like he is and trying to make it as meaningful as possible. In that sense, Jersey has a Senator that is incredibly hard-working.

I want to tell you something. This morning, I woke up and saw a text message from him at 6 in the morning. The last time he annoyed me like that, he was my State director because that is how hard-working he was then. And when I woke up then and I got those early, early morning text messages, they were often about something that was vital, something that was important.

This morning, that text message made me angry because here is the most junior Senator--100th in seniority--writing to me asking my advice on what to do about something that happened yesterday, in which 1 of our 100 colleagues in a hearing took on a witness who happened to be there to talk about working against hate--the chairman will know this-- attacked them with questions that were so painful to listen to. I went to the tape and heard a Muslim American being asked if they support Hamas, being asked if they support Hezbollah. It was offensive.

And this Arab American, this U.S. Senator, at 6 in the morning, wanted to make sure that this was the first thing I read to talk to me about that.

George Helmy is a colleague--equal vote, equal power--but his being an Arab American gives this body something that is needed, that I have seen in the women that are here, I have seen in the Latinos, the Asian Americans--people that have come from unusual pathways to be in this body to stretch its diversity and representation. They bring a different lived experience often and a deeper empathy and connection.

We are in a moment in America where we are seeing rising hate, rising hate crimes, rising racial violence, rising religious violence. And every single one of us has an obligation to lose sleep over it, to struggle with it, to feel the pain of Americans like that witness in a Judiciary hearing, to feel the pain that they feel when they are being accused or questioned or attacked for who they are or how they pray.

It may be only 73 days George Helmy is serving in the Senate, but this body needs him. It needs his conscience. It needs his heart. It needs his empathy. It needs his love. And I dare say, he will have a short time here, but I know the difference he makes here will endure.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, George.

Congratulations.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

Madam President, before I start, it is an unfortunate position speaking after the Senator from Alaska. I want to thank him formally for his ``Alaskan of the Week.'' I am very far away in New Jersey, but I do enjoy that I often get to preside when he speaks about the extraordinary Americans. I know they are Alaskans, but they are extraordinary Americans. I have appreciated that on a regular basis.

I do not understand why the Gallery is not full of journalists, but your colleagues do recognize the wonders of the people of your great State, and I want to thank you for that, in all seriousness.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 594, Dafna Hochman Rand, of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the

motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 764 and 765, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Coast Guard, that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 574, David O. Barnett, Jr., to be United States Marshal for the District of New Mexico; that the Senate vote on the nomination, without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President, be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Madam President, I have two requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent for the privileges of the floor to be granted to my summer law clerks Alicia Cantrell and Kuangye Wang until the end of the day.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 81, S. 211.

Madam President, I further ask 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 with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate, without delay, consideration of Calendar No. 417, S. 4235.

Madam President, 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.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3938.

Madam President, 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.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged of S. Res. 752, the Committee on Foreign Relations be discharged of S. Res. 753, and the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions: S. Res. 752, S. Res. 753, S. Res. 797, S. Res. 798, S. Res. 799, S. Res. 800, S. Res. 801, and S. Res. 802.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate--I think that is you--the President pro tempore, and the majority and minority leaders be authorized to make

appointments to Commissions, committees, Boards, conferences, or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses or by order of the United States Senate.