Floor Statements

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, it has been nearly 6 years since my hometown of Las Vegas experienced an unimaginable tragedy--an attack that ripped families apart, destroyed lives, and left its mark on our State forever.

During any given weekend, our city is just buzzing with tourists and visitors from all across the country and all around the world.

And on the night of October 1, 2017, tens of thousands of people came to attend a music festival. But that night--that night--would be different--a night that would forever change our city, because that night a gunman opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers. In just 10 minutes--10 minutes--58 innocent people were struck down, hundreds of others were injured by gunfire, and hundreds more were hurt in the chaos that followed.

In the years since, we lost more individuals as a result of this tragedy, the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

Just think about what that means. It means families will forever have an empty chair at their kitchen table--families who will relive this horrific night each and every year, families who didn't get to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and families who never got to say good-bye to their loved ones.

That night also changed the lives of everyone here. People who were attending or working at the festival and first responders--well, they ran towards the danger. The full extent of the damage caused by this brutal attack can never truly be measured.

But in this dark moment, we saw our community go above and beyond to help others. Las Vegas--actually our entire State--we rallied together not just in the immediate aftermath but in the days, weeks, months, and even years after.

In the chaos and confusion of that night, our heroic first responders--police officers, firefighters, paramedics--ran into the scene to help. And their efforts that night saved lives.

And on the following day, we saw lines of people--lines of people-- around entire blocks willing to donate blood.

And one story really sticks out to me. I remember speaking to a woman waiting to give blood in line. And when I went up to talk to her, she lifted up her arms like this to me, and she had tears in her eyes, and she said: I don't have much, but I have my blood to give. This is what I can give.

I remember her face to this day. It stays with me. And this kind of selflessness, this really embodies the incredible spirit of our community. And that woman's donation and the stories that she will tell and me meeting her has left an indelible imprint on me.

We come together to mourn those we lost and to support those who survived. This horrible moment showed the country why we are Vegas Strong. And I am here today to honor the memories of those who were impacted by that terrible night.

So as we remember and reflect on this event, we must also commit ourselves to action. And in the years since, we have made some progress. After decades of inaction, Democrats and Republicans in Congress came together to pass the most significant gun safety legislation in almost 30 years.

This bipartisan law is making a difference, but we can--and we must-- do more to stop mass shootings. No community--no community--should ever have to experience the same pain and suffering that we went through in Las Vegas. So we can take commonsense bipartisan steps like permanently banning bump stocks and high-capacity magazines. These things allowed the shooter to fire so many rounds and cause so much carnage. And doing nothing is not an option.

We owe it to those who have experienced the pain of gun violence to do more. And we owe it to future generations to do more.

And at the end of the day, what this really is about is about keeping people and communities safe. It is about people and communities-- keeping them safe and keeping us safe. And we must keep working to prevent these tragedies.

And as we approach the 6-year mark since this horrific shooting, I ask all of my colleagues in this Chamber to remember and honor the victims of October 1, their lives, their legacy, and their families.

Mr. President, it is with great sadness that I share the passing of a great Nevadan, a dedicated advocate, and my dear friend John Reynolds Klai II of Las Vegas. John passed away on Saturday, September 2 with his husband Jon, loving family, and beloved dogs Bruno and Dexter at his side. John leaves behind an incredible legacy as an impactful community leader and champion for equality and justice.

John was born and raised in the small town of Osnabrock, ND. His smalltown values guided his generous spirit and deep love of community. After taking an engineering class at the University of North Dakota's College of Business, John realized a knack for architecture. Upon graduating with a bachelor of architecture from North Dakota State University, NDSU, John moved out west to Las Vegas to join Marnell Corrao Associates. In 1995, John and his business partner Dan Juba founded Klai Juba Architects, now Klai Juba Wald Architecture + Interiors. Over the last 40 years, John has made significant contributions to building Las Vegas, leading projects at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, the Forum Shops at Caesars, and many local landmarks.

Outside of his distinguished career, John devoted his time and resources to supporting architecture programs at NDSU and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, UNLV. He thoroughly enjoyed his time serving as a volunteer adjunct faculty member in UNLV's hospitality design graduate program. He also made regular trips back to Fargo, ND, to teach students at NDSU. To honor John's service to the program, NDSU awarded him with an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2018.

John's service to his community extended beyond educating the next generation of architects. He volunteered much of his time to many great institutions, both in Nevada and across the country. John was heavily involved with the LGBTQIA+ Community Center of Southern Nevada, helping the community organization to celebrate diversity, empowering everyone to live as their authentic selves, and supporting others through difficult times.

John and his husband Jon Sparer, also an architect, met in Las Vegas in 1981. They made Las Vegas their home and were married in 2014. They shared a deep love of travel, trekking across the world and most recently across North America in their motor coach with their puppies. John is survived by his loving husband, his daughter and son-in-law, two grandchildren, and many more family members and friends.

I met John over 25 years ago through our synagogue, and I will forever cherish his unwavering friendship and support. He stood up for what was right, fought against what was wrong, and always put others ahead of himself. John was a beloved member of the Las Vegas community and will be deeply missed. May his memory be a blessing.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to recess until 4 p.m.

Mr. President, on behalf of the Senate and House Abraham Accords Caucus co-chairs, it is with tremendous pride that I have the opportunity to welcome and honor my friend His Excellency Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel, ahead of his address to a Joint Meeting of Congress.

Nearly 3 years ago, we witnessed the historic signing of the Abraham Accords, and in that time, the Accords have transformed the Middle East, enhanced Israel's security, created economic opportunities for our partners and allies in the region, and advanced vital American security interests. On the 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, we recognize the profound possibilities the Accords offer to Israel and its Arab neighbors alike.

In 2022, Senators James Lankford, Cory Booker, Joni Ernst, and I launched the bipartisan Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, alongside the House Abraham Accords Caucus, founded by Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Brad Schneider, Ann Wagner, and David Trone. Together, we are working to build on the success of these historic agreements, help encourage and deepen partnerships among Israel and our Arab partners, and widen the circle of peace to new countries. We have advanced bipartisan legislation to deepen security cooperation between the United States, Israel, and our Arab partners and are developing initiatives to further cooperative and sustainable development partnerships in the areas of energy security, water infrastructure, trade, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.

In January, seven members of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus traveled to Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Israel, the first-ever congressional delegation to visit these four nations since the signing of the Accords, where we saw firsthand how normalization is transforming the region. President Herzog believes in this vision, declaring: ``The Abraham Accords proved above all else how the courage of leaders and nations can open a window to a world that had previously seemed unattainable, and how much space there is for momentum and growth when we choose to change paradigms and learn about each other.'' As we celebrate 75 years of the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Israel, we are also committed to advancing Israel's integration into the Middle East in pursuit of a more peaceful region.

President Herzog, we welcome you on this historic occasion and reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our two nations.

Mr. President, I want to express how deeply concerned I am about the senior Senator from Alabama's blockade of senior military promotions, which threatens to leave hundreds of nonpolitical, routine military positions unfilled, all because he wants to repeal the Department of Defense's policy that allows servicemembers to be able to seek and travel for reproductive care.

This is a move that risks our national security in order to rob our servicemembers of their ability to make their own family planning decisions, servicemembers who, frankly, are sacrificing so much to keep our country safe.

So failure--failure--to fill these positions poses a risk to our Nation's military readiness and our ability to ensure that these critical roles are filled with the personnel that we need.

Don't just take my word for it. Seven--seven--former Secretaries of Defense from both Democratic and Republican administrations have voiced their concern and opposition to these holds.

Secretary Austin and General Milley have also repeatedly stated that these delays pose a clear risk--a clear risk--to America's military readiness.

In a moment, I will be asking the Senate to confirm by unanimous consent Calendar No. 110. Included in this batch of 23 routine military promotions is the current vice commander of the Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base. This is the home of our Air Force fighter pilots right in Nevada, where America's air combat tactics are developed, where they are refined, and where they are perfected to ensure that we keep pace with current and emerging threats.

Training and instruction take place right at the Nevada Test and Training Range, which provides the largest air and ground military training space in the continental United States for testing and evaluation of weapons systems and advanced air combat training.

Because of one Senator's anti-choice blockade, the vice commander of the Air Force Warfare Center in my great State of Nevada, which oversees more than 13,000 military and civilian personnel, is unable to receive the promotion and the pay increase that he deserves. He is unable to transition to his next duty assignment, and his replacement is unable to assume their duties and move their family to Las Vegas.

This hurts military families. This hurts Nevada. This hurts the United States of America.

We will also experience several high-ranking vacancies that are going to be left open because of this senseless blockade, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the top leaders of the Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, and even the commander of U.S. Cyber Command.

We have a responsibility to keep our Nation safe, to protect our homeland and our troops all around the world. That begins by making sure that we have the appropriate professionals in top positions to lead our servicemembers. Nothing--I repeat, nothing--could be more important than that.

I strongly urge my colleagues to stop playing politics. I strongly urge them to end this anti-choice blockade so that we can fill critical military positions like those in my home State of Nevada and around the world. We cannot waste any more time.

So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Executive Calendar No. 110; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

I thank the Presiding Officer so much for saying ``Nevada'' properly. I urge the rest of my colleagues to learn the proper pronunciation for our great State of Nevada.

With that, I am going to respond to the objection by my esteemed colleague Senator Tuberville.

The senior Senator from Alabama is preventing this body from confirming dozens of key promotions. We do know who these military promotions are. They have been serving proudly and with distinction in our military. They are not unknown to us. They deserve their promotions.

The Senator is threatening our military readiness and our national security, and we can confirm these nominations right now if the Senator ends his blockade. Every day--every day--these holds persist, every day the Senator persists, he risks the U.S. national security and he risks our military readiness. Because we lack officials in key posts across the military at this critical time, we know we need to do this en bloc. It is what we have been doing.

These men and women, serving proudly, are ready for their promotions, ready to take their next duty step.

I just want to make one point before I go. Make no mistake, our adversaries--they are watching this very closely. Russia, China, Iran, and others--they understand how this hurts our military, and they will look and find a way to take advantage of this.

So I am deeply disappointed that the Senator is continuing to object. We hope he will reconsider.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Madam President, this week marks National Police Week, a time to recognize and honor the courageous work of men and women who keep our communities safe. These heroes put their lives on the line to protect our communities.

And I want to give special thanks to law enforcement officers across Nevada who serve every day with honor and integrity. And I want Nevada police officers to know: I have your back. We

have your back. With the Presiding Officer, my senior Senator from Nevada, we have your back.

That means working to see that our law enforcement officers have access to resource, training, and recruitment support--the kinds of things they need to do their job safely.

And we should also honor the men and women who have fallen in the line of duty protecting our communities. These men and women were heroes. They left behind family and friends and colleagues and communities they served and helped to protect--men and women like Las Vegas Metro Police Officer Truong Thai, who was tragically shot and killed this past October while responding to a domestic disturbance call.

Officer Thai, who came to this country as a child from Vietnam, was a pillar of our community. He was deeply devoted to his family. He was an experienced patrol officer who trained new recruits over the course of his career.

Officer Thai has been described as a mentor to his colleagues. One said: He ``did the job''--``did the job''--``for all the right reasons.''

Officer Thai was also a friend to so many, a consummate family man. And when he wasn't directly serving the community in uniform, he was often coaching volleyball or out in the water, boating with his family and friends.

And 7 months since he was murdered, Officer Thai continues to be missed by his loved ones and the entire Las Vegas community, and no one will forget him and his service and his kindness.

Unfortunately, Officer Thai is not the only one. Far too many officers have been killed in the line of duty. So, today, I am also thinking of these fallen officers and all of those who died in the line of duty in Nevada.

To honor their lives and bravery, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a list of names of Nevada police officers who recently passed way and whose names have been added to the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the James D. Hoff Peace Officer Memorial.

Madam President, these officers--these brave officers-- made the ultimate sacrifice for our communities, and they deserve our eternal gratitude.

I will continue to work with my colleagues here in the Senate on solutions that support our police departments, the officers who serve, and, always, their families.

I yield.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, as you have heard from my colleagues before me, there are serious concerns about the job-killing resolution that we will be voting on this evening and the effects it will have on our solar industry and American workers.

For years, solar has been a growing source of clean, low-cost energy and economic development in States all across our Nation. And it is a source of jobs--good-paying, union jobs--right here in the United States.

America's domestic solar industry is made up of more than 10,000 businesses--large and small--located in every single State, employing over 250,000 Americans. I will repeat that: employing over 250,000 Americans. In fact, my State of Nevada has the most solar jobs per capita of any other State in this great Nation.

When we talk about the solar industry, we are talking about an industry that is generating hundreds of thousands of American jobs and supporting American workers, while at the same time helping us to transition to clean renewable energy.

Thanks to historic investments we secured in the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, the American solar industry is experiencing an unprecedented boom.

Last year, a new solar project was installed in the United States every 44 seconds and, in fact, the demand is only expected to increase. This is only going to create more jobs and help make us more energy independent.

For example, the average solar installer in Reno, NV, makes about $80,000 a year. It is a good job. That is a job that lets a family pay their rent, buy groceries, put something away for their kids' college and for their own retirement. These are the kinds of jobs we should be creating, and we are, thanks to these historic investments.

That is why I have been a champion of our domestic solar industry and have been fighting back against attacks on it from my colleagues--well, frankly--on both sides of the aisle. That is why I led a bipartisan group of Senators last year to push President Biden to pause additional retroactive solar tariffs after a Commerce Department investigation. Well, they threatened to destroy our domestic solar industry and kill tens of thousands of American jobs.

But at this moment--this moment--our American solar workers are at risk. My workers in Nevada are at risk. Those $80,000-a-year jobs are at risk. And all of the progress we have made to transition to clean energy, all the good-paying jobs that we have created, and all of the solar projects that are lowering energy costs for families--well, they are all at risk, too.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a Congressional Review Act. This resolution rolls back the 2-year pause on these additional solar tariffs. If enacted, this resolution will decimate our American solar industry. So let me be crystal clear: Enacting additional retroactive tariffs on imported solar panels themselves will kill--will absolutely kill--the American solar industry, and it will kill any chance we have to meet our climate goals. It will kill the current American solar jobs.

I know that some of my colleagues have said that supporting this resolution is being pro-worker. Well, I am just going to say that that is wrong. No one can say they are pro-worker while at the same time voting to kill good-paying American jobs. And that is exactly what this resolution will do.

I don't even know why this is on the table. Are we seriously going to tell that solar installer that he is out of a job? Are we going to put his family on unemployment just for politics?

I am going to repeat it: Supporting this resolution and killing American jobs, it hurts workers and their families. Period.

Opposing this resolution means being on the side of American workers. It means being on the side of unions like IBEW, the laborers, the operating engineers, the carpenters union, who are all urging a ``no'' vote today.

All of us here in this Chamber agree that we have to strengthen domestic manufacturing; we all agree we have to be competitive with China; and we all agree that we have to be energy independent.

That is what this current pause on additional tariffs--that is what this current pause helps us to do because, right now, solar panel manufacturers in the United States can only meet about 15 percent of the demand for American solar projects.

So thanks to the investments made by the Inflation Reduction Act, we are going to greatly ramp up our domestic solar manufacturing, creating jobs, making us energy independent right here at home.

But it is going to take time. It will take time to ramp up domestic solar manufacturing so it can provide more than 15 percent of U.S. demand. Our current solar industry's best success depends on the steady supply of solar panels to install. We can't cut off supply of important solar panels by enacting massive retroactive tariffs that will just kill solar projects; it will kill American jobs; and it will hurt American workers.

So what can we do?

Well, what we can do is have a bridge that allows us to do both: keep our domestic solar industry alive while we invest and bolster our domestic manufacturing so that we can be competitive with China. That is exactly what this pause helps us to achieve.

Enacting retroactive tariffs will even directly harm U.S. solar panel manufacturing businesses by cutting off their major source of solar cells--a key component in the panels--making it that much harder for them and us to compete with China. That is why I am leading the effort to block this resolution and to keep the pause in place.

So I urge my fellow colleagues to join me and be on the side of workers by protecting good-paying American union jobs, to join me in fighting to meet our climate goals, and to join me in making our Nation more competitive with China by voting against this job-killing resolution and saving America's solar future. Hundreds of thousands of American solar workers, their families, and our communities--well, they are counting on us.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I would like to continue finishing the letter from the Birmingham jail:

Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up

with America's destiny. Before the pilgrims landed at

Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched

the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across

the pages of history, we were here. For more than two

centuries our forebears labored in this country without

wages; they made cotton king; they built the homes of their

masters while suffering gross injustice and shameful

humiliation--and yet out of a bottomless vitality they

continued to thrive and develop. If the inexpressible

cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now

face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the

sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are

embodied in our echoing demands. Before closing I feel

impelled to mention one other point in your statement that

has troubled me profoundly. You warmly commended the

Birmingham police force for keeping ``order'' and

``preventing violence.'' I doubt that you would have so

warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs

sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. I doubt

that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were

to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here

in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse

old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see

them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys; if you were

to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give

us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. I

cannot join you in your praise of the Birmingham police

department.

It is true that the police have exercised a degree of

discipline in handling the demonstrators. In this sense they

have conducted themselves rather ``nonviolently'' in public.

But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of

segregation. Over the past few years I have consistently

preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must

be as pure as the ends we seek. I have tried to make clear

that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends.

But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps

even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.

Perhaps Mr. Connor and his policemen have been rather

nonviolent in public, as was Chief Pritchett in Albany,

Georgia, but they have used the moral means of nonviolence to

maintain the immoral end of racial injustice. As T. S. Eliot

has said: ``The last temptation is the greatest treason: To

do the right deed for the wrong reason.''

I wish you had commended the Negro sit inners and

demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their

willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in the

midst of great provocation. One day the South will recognize

its real heroes. They will be the James Merediths, with the

noble sense of purpose that enables them to face jeering and

hostile mobs, and with the agonizing loneliness that

characterizes the life of the pioneer. They will be old,

oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy two

year old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a

sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride

segregated buses, and who responded with ungrammatical

profundity to one who inquired about her weariness: ``My

feets is tired, but my soul is at rest.'' They will be the

young high school and college students, the young ministers

of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and

nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going

to jail for conscience' sake. One day the South will know

that when these disinherited children of God sat down at

lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is

best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in

our Judaeo Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation

back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep

by the founding fathers in their formulation of the

Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Never before have I written so long a letter. I'm afraid it

is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you

that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing

from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is

alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters,

think long thoughts and pray long prayers?

If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the

truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to

forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the

truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to

settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to

forgive me.

I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also

hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to

meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil-rights

leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Let

us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will

soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be

lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not

too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and

brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their

scintillating beauty.

Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood,

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Madam President, since the Supreme Court overturned longstanding protections for the fundamental right to access abortion care nearly a year ago, we have seen countless attacks on women's reproductive rights from anti-choice States across our Nation--States that are banning abortions without exceptions for rape or incest; States that are risking the lives of women who have miscarried; and I have been doing everything I can to stand up and to defend a woman's fundamental right to make healthcare choices for her own body without interference from anti-choice politicians.

And this includes making sure we protect our veterans' rights, and that includes the right for those veterans to make decisions over their own bodies. Our veterans and their families--you know, they have risked so much to protect our Nation, to protect our rights. And we owe it to them to defend their fundamental right to access reproductive care, regardless of where they live. They put themselves in harm's way. We must protect them.

That is why, last year, I urged the Department of Veterans Affairs to make it clear that they will provide access to abortion care to veterans and their families, and I am glad they listened. But today-- today--anti-choice Republicans in Washington want to overturn that decision, and they want to restrict our veterans' access to reproductive care.

That is what today's debate is about. If they get their way and they roll back this rule, the VA healthcare system would no longer be allowed to provide abortion counseling or any kind of care to servicemembers and veterans and--listen to this--even in the cases of rape, even when the mother's life is at risk.

I am not going to let that happen.

My State of Nevada is honored to be the home of hundreds of thousands of veterans, and we are a proud pro-choice State. When Nevadans sent me here to the Senate, they sent me here to fight for their rights, and that is what I will always do.

So I urge my colleagues to join me in fighting back against this ideological attempt to restrict reproductive rights for veterans by opposing this resolution.

For our veterans, for our women in Nevada, for women everywhere in the United States, I urge a ``no'' vote.

Madam President, well, I want to thank Senator Cardin for his leadership on small business. For the 4 years I have been here, he has been a friend and a mentor, and he has really encouraged me in so many ways to find my voice for Nevada, for this country, and I appreciate his leadership. Thank you.

And the Senator is right. Small businesses, well, they are the engine of the U.S. economy. They foster innovation. They create jobs. They provide a lifeline for families.

And, in Nevada, small businesses make up 99 percent of all businesses. Our small business economy, it is thriving. It is increasingly diverse, allowing many Nevadans to achieve the American dream by being entrepreneurs and providing for their families.

These businesses, they are crucial for Nevada's economy. We should encourage and support them by making it easier to start and operate small businesses, increasing access to capital to help them grow and succeed, and cutting through that redtape that is far too often a barrier.

So here in this Chamber, we must focus on helping small businesses overcome the enormous challenges that they face and the obstacles they experience just to get off the ground.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, my top priorities have been expanding resources in support for Nevada's small business--the owners, the employers, and their workers. And so from introducing a bipartisan bill to help those graduating from minority-serving institutions to open a business to sponsoring bipartisan legislation to help veterans start small businesses in underserved communities, to urging the Small Business Administration to open a Veterans Business Outreach Center in Nevada, I have been fighting for businesses time and time again, and I will keep fighting.

I am also working in a bipartisan way to make small, nonprofit childcare providers eligible for Federal resources so that they can grow, create jobs, and provide more affordable childcare options in all of our communities. And this just means so much to our families. It gives them so much peace of mind.

And I am going to continue, as well, to advocate to open up Federal loans for State-legal cannabis small businesses. They are job creators in our State and in a growing number of States across the country.

And we can also help our small businesses by reducing the burden that entrepreneurs face, well, when they get started. The exhaustive hoops that American entrepreneurs have to frequently jump through--from obtaining permits to fulfilling licensing requirements--well, it can be a real challenge for people just to get those businesses off the ground.

And so that is why I am proud to announce that, today, I am introducing bipartisan legislation to help small businesses by cutting through the bureaucratic redtape that often prevents them from getting off the ground.

My legislation would create a centralized website. This website, entrepreneurs can come and visit to get all the information they need from the Small Business Administration on Federal, State, and local licensing and business permitting requirements, with information and resources all in one place, because I believe we should be making it easier to start a small business, and we must make sure that entrepreneurs are in the best position to succeed right from the beginning. And having them going to a one-stop website, that is a start because I know that when we invest in our small businesses and our entrepreneurs, when we invest in our communities, when we invest in our hard-working families, well, together, we create a successful future for our State and for our country.

And so I urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to join me in cutting redtape, bringing down those barriers, and increasing information access for all of our small businesses.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to express my strong and continued support for Dreamers, TPS recipients, and immigrant communities in Nevada and across our Nation.

It has been decades since Congress has passed real immigration reform, and almost a decade since we have made a real attempt at taking action to provide a permanent solution for those communities and allow families--allow families to stay together. As a result, our broken immigration system has been left with a patchwork of policies that are outdated and inefficient. This is why Congress needs to take action now on comprehensive immigration reform, so we can, once and for all, fix this severely broken system.

It shouldn't be a partisan issue. We are talking about families who deserve peace of mind about their future. They shouldn't be subjected to the uncertainty they currently face every single day.

Unfortunately, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refuse to come to the table to work with us on comprehensive immigration reform. They would rather leave Dreamers in limbo and have this issue for their own political gain than work toward solutions.

But a number of reasonable Republicans have said in the past that they do support a legislative fix to protect our Dreamers and their futures. So let's start there and work together to provide an immediate, permanent legislative solution for DACA recipients right now--right now--while at the same time, we keep working for more comprehensive immigration reform.

In the 10 years since the DACA program first went into effect, it has protected nearly 600,000 Dreamers and allowed them to make a home and build a life and a future here in our country. In my State of Nevada alone, thousands of individuals and families rely on DACA to live, work, and raise a

family, free from fear in a country--the only country they have ever known or ever called home.

DACA has provided vital protections and opportunities for Dreamers, ensuring that they can attend college, fully contribute to our economy, serve in our military, and really make a difference in our communities.

Because of DACA, thousands of people have been given access to the American dream. And yet yearslong threats to end this policy have left nearly 600,000 DACA recipients in limbo, facing uncertainty and awaiting court decision after court decision that can jeopardize their future and threaten the lives that they have built here.

So we cannot wait any longer to take action. That is why I am calling on my colleagues to work to pass a permanent legislative solution this year--this year--for Dreamers, one that gives them permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship, while we continue working on comprehensive immigration reform.

So let's put a stand-alone proposal to provide a permanent legislative fix for DACA recipients. Let's put that proposal right here on the Senate floor and take a vote immediately to solve this issue.

We must also continue to keep fighting. We have to keep fighting to ensure we take a comprehensive approach to reforming our immigration system and finally giving these families the peace of mind they so richly deserve.

Families across our country deserve certainty in their futures, and the Senate must feel the same sense of urgency that they feel every single day. We can't keep them waiting any longer.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, on November 30, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 363 while attending a meeting and event at the Department of the Interior announcing the future designation of a new National Monument in Nevada. Had I been present, I would have voted yes on vote No. 363, cloture on the nomination of Camille L. Velez-Rive to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memories of the lives we lost and all who were injured or impacted in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017.

Five years ago, Nevada experienced tragedy on an unprecedented scale. In just 10 minutes--10 minutes--58 innocent lives were taken, hundreds of people were injured by gunfire, and hundreds more were injured in the chaos that followed.

Sadly, in the years since, two more victims of that night's attacks died because of the injuries they received during that shooting, bringing the death toll to 60.

During the attack, scores of heroic first responders--police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and others--arrived at the scene in an attempt to neutralize the threat and provide aid to the victims. Then hundreds of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals-- well, they worked nonstop to save the lives of those on the scene.

That day, the attack on the Route 91 Harvest Festival became the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Let me repeat that: the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

And to this day--sadly, even with all of the mass shootings we have endured over the past few years since then--1 October--1 October--still remains the single deadliest mass shooting in American history.

All it took--all it took--was just 10 minutes--10 minutes--for dozens of lives to be cut short, hundreds more injured and traumatized, with emotional and physical scars they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

These were our friends. These were our neighbors. For some, they were their family. And now there are 60 families who will never be the same, 60 families who will forever have an empty chair every night at their kitchen table.

One October changed our community and the history of our State forever. It left a hole that can never be filled.

We are united in our grief for those we lost and also in our gratitude and admiration for the heroes that day who worked to rescue and aid those in danger. This dark day put on full display the tight- knit community of southern Nevada that we all know and love.

We came together to celebrate and thank the heroism for those who helped: our law enforcement officers, our first responders, our medical professionals, and so many everyday people. They just ran toward danger. They ran toward danger to help to get people to safety.

Hundreds lined up for blocks to donate blood. They offered their cars for people who were displaced by the chaos. Our community--well, it rallied together not just in the immediate aftermath but in the days, weeks, months, and now years after. I know why--because we are Vegas Strong, we are Nevada Strong.

Today, as we reflect on the 5-year anniversary since this horrific event, I stand here to honor the 60 individuals who lost their lives, the hundreds of survivors, and all of those--all of those--who experienced that traumatic event.

I stand here today to honor the heroes--our first responders, our community members--those who risked their lives to help others.

In Nevada, the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center that supports those affected by the 1 October tragedy, well, they launched a wide array of efforts to help people heal from and cope with the trauma and take action to honor the victims.

I have a floor chart here. I know it is a little hard to see, but one of the projects the Resiliency Center is organizing on this fifth anniversary is creating a lantern. This is a picture of a lantern. It has an outline of the Las Vegas skyline.

This lantern is going to serve as a sign of solidarity and respect for victims, survivors, and responders to the tragic shooting as it lights up the night with hope, because the lanterns are a symbol, representing the fact that out of the darkness of that night came the strongest light shining on countless examples of heroism--big and small--displayed by Nevadans.

But as we remember this fifth anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves to action.

In the nearly 5 years since 1 October, the epidemic of gun violence has impacted even more communities and broke more families' hearts all across our great Nation.

Finally, after the recent mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, TX, Congress was able to finally come together and act.

We passed the most significant gun safety legislation in almost 30 years. This was a breakthrough, and we know it will help save lives, keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. But it cannot be an end point.

We can and we must do more to prevent these shootings. I know we can do this while also respecting people's constitutional rights. We can take commonsense, bipartisan action, like permanently banning bump stocks and high-capacity magazines which allowed the 1 October shooter to fire so many rounds and cause so much carnage. Bump stocks, in particular, are modifications that only make guns more deadly.

The previous administration took regulatory action to address this issue, but the move to ban bump stocks now faces a wave of troubling legal challenges that threaten to reverse that progress.

That is why I call on this Chamber to finally pass legislation that will permanently ban bump stocks--permanently ban bump stocks--and cut off access to these deadly and unnecessary weapons devices.

Remember--remember this--with these devices, a shooter can fire hundreds of rounds to end or damage lives in mere minutes; 1 October, just 10 minutes.

Inaction is not an option. We owe it to those who experienced the pain of gun violence to do more. We owe it to the future generations to keep up our efforts.

At the end of the day, this is all about keeping communities safe. We must continue working to prevent more tragedies like the one that brought so much heartbreak to my hometown.

I ask all of my colleagues in this Chamber to remember and honor the memory of the 60 victims of 1 October as we mark this 5-year anniversary.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, in the months since the conservative majority on the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the assault on reproductive rights by anti-choice, MAGA Republicans has been relentless.

Anti-choice States across the country have already enacted strict and rigid abortion bans that strip our rights away, threaten to jail women and their doctors, and put women's

health at risk. And just as we have always known, this threat is not just at the State level.

Last week, legislation was introduced in this very Chamber that would enact a national abortion ban, one that would strip women of the fundamental right to control their own bodies. This abortion ban--and that is exactly what it is, a nationwide abortion ban--poses a real and serious threat to the rights of women across this country. This is a dangerous nationwide government mandate that would threaten women and their doctors--threaten them--with jail time, including those in my State of Nevada.

Pro-choice States like Nevada, where the people voted overwhelmingly to protect reproductive freedoms as part of State law, would be forced--forced--to abide by this Federal mandate. Because Federal law supersedes State law, this legislation would override the will of Nevadans and the freedom--the freedom--that they have had for decades.

If anti-choice Republicans in Congress have their way and their national abortion ban passes--listen to this--then Nevada's doctors could be prosecuted; Nevada's women could be jailed; and Nevada's women could die as a result of a lack of access to care.

So let's be clear. The only thing standing in the way of their national abortion ban is the pro-choice majority in the U.S. Senate, and I will do everything I can to fight this legislation threatening our reproductive rights not just in Nevada but across the country.

That is why I helped to introduce the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act, along with Senators Murray, Padilla, and the Acting President pro tempore, Senator Lujan, to protect doctors in States like Nevada, where abortion remains legal and protects women from facing prosecution and potentially jail by anti-choice States. No doctor--let me repeat this. No doctor should ever be jailed for providing women with the reproductive and often lifesaving care they need wherever these women are from. No doctor should ever be jailed for providing care.

Anti-choice Republicans in the Senate have blocked these efforts in the past as they have continued to push for dangerous bans.

Today--today--we have another opportunity to protect doctors and their patients by passing this legislation--without obstruction or delay--because let's be clear: We will not--we will not--give up. We will not allow a national abortion ban to pass the Senate. We will not allow doctors to face prosecution for doing their jobs. We must--we must--protect a woman's right to choose and continue fighting against this ban every step of the way.

I yield the floor.