Floor Statements

Mr. President, I understand that the Senate has received a message from the House of Representatives that it has taken action relative to impeachment, though it has not yet transmitted the article of impeachment to us.

I ask that pursuant to rule I of the Rules of Impeachment, the Secretary of the Senate notify the House that the Senate has received its message.

Now, Mr. President, on a related matter, a great deal has already been said about the disgraceful events of January 6. More will be said in the weeks ahead.

I understand the FBI has already made at least 100 arrests, and the Justice Department reports more than 275 persons under investigation--a number that is climbing fast. I want to commend the work of the Department to swiftly investigate and bring offenders to justice.

As I have stated, January 6 saw failures of institutions, protocols, and planning. Those failures did not just leave Congress itself exposed; they also left the courageous men and women of the Capitol Police themselves in a totally untenable situation.

So today, I want to reaffirm the huge respect and gratitude that I have--and I believe all Senators have--for the men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police who put their own safety on the line every single day that they clock in and stand guard.

Neither the institution of Congress nor the American people will ever forget the bravery and the valor of Officer Brian Sicknick, who sacrificed himself to protect this place and those inside it.

We will not forget our friend Officer Howard Liebengood.

And we will never forget our debt to all the brave CP officers and their families.

It is more than just comforting to come to work in a place protected by such fine men and women, at risk to themselves. It is also very humbling.

We are also grateful to the local officers from DC, Virginia, and Maryland, to Federal law enforcement officers, the National Guard, the Secret Service, and all the other professionals who helped subdue the criminals and secure the Capitol on the 6th and are working together to protect peace and order this week.

Tomorrow, a new President and Vice President will swear their oaths of office. They will also do so safely and securely because so many brave men and women have sworn their own oaths to support and defend our Constitution.

We salute you all.

Now, Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk due a second reading.

In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to further proceeding.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The clerk will call the roll.

The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

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

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Blackburn.) Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, I have 3 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:

Committee on Armed Services

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, at 3 p.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations.

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, January 19, 202, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations.

Select Committee on Intelligence

The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday; January 19, 2021, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a closed briefing.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 5, submitted earlier today.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 20; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the provisions of S. Res. 5 as a further mark of respect for the late Officer Brian David Sicknick of the United States Capitol Police.

Thereupon, the Senate, at 4:05 p.m., adjourned until Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at 4:30 p.m

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the majority leader and the Democratic leader be allowed to speak and that following their remarks, the majority leader and the Democratic leader each control up to 1 hour of debate time and be authorized to yield up to 5 minutes of that time to any Senator seeking recognition. Further, I ask unanimous consent that the Senators be permitted to insert statements into the Record.

Mr. President, we are debating a step that has never been taken in American history: whether Congress should overrule the voters and overturn a Presidential election.

I have served 36 years in the Senate. This will be the most important vote I have ever cast.

President Trump claims the election was stolen. The assertions range from specific local allegations, to constitutional arguments, to sweeping conspiracy theories. I supported the President's right to use the legal system. Dozens of lawsuits received hearings in courtrooms all across our country, but over and over, courts rejected these claims, including all-star judges whom the President himself nominated.

Every election, we know, features some illegality and irregularity, and, of course, that is unacceptable

I support strong State-led voting reforms. Last year's bizarre pandemic procedures must not become the new norm. But, my colleagues, nothing before us proves illegality anywhere near the massive scale-- the massive scale that would have tipped the entire election, nor can public doubt alone justify a radical break when the doubt itself was incited without any evidence.

The Constitution gives us here in Congress a limited role. We cannot simply declare ourselves a national board of elections on steroids. The voters, the courts, and the States have all spoken. They have all spoken. If we overrule them, it would damage our Republic forever.

This election actually was not unusually close. Just in recent history, 1976, 2000, and 2004 were all closer than this one. The electoral college margin is almost identical to what it was in 2016. If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral. We would never see the whole Nation accept an election again. Every 4 years would be a scramble for power at any cost. The electoral college, which most of us on this side been have defending for years, would cease to exist, leaving many of our States with no real say at all in choosing a President.

The effects would go even beyond the elections themselves. Self- government, my colleagues, requires a shared commitment to the truth and a shared respect for the ground rules of our system. We cannot keep drifting apart into two separate tribes with a separate set of facts and separate realities with nothing in common except our hostility toward each other and mistrust for the few national institutions that we all still share.

Every time--every time in the last 30 years that Democrats have lost a Presidential race, they have tried a challenge just like this--after 2000, after 2004, and after 2016. After 2004, a Senator joined and forced the same debate. And, believe it or not, Democrats like Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, and Hillary Clinton praised--praised and applauded the stunt. Republicans condemned those baseless efforts back then, and we just spent 4 years condemning Democrats' shameful attacks on the validity of President Trump's own election. So there can be no double standard. The media that is outraged today spent 4 years aiding and abetting the Democrats' attacks on our institutions after they lost.

But we must not imitate and escalate what we repudiate. Our duty is to govern for the public good. The United States Senate has a higher calling than an endless spiral of partisan vengeance.

Congress will either overrule the voters, the States, and the courts for the first time ever or honor the people's decision. We will either guarantee Democrats' delegitimizing efforts after 2016 became a permanent new routine for both sides or declare that our Nation deserves a lot better than this. We will either hasten down a poisonous path where only the winners of elections actually accept the results or show we can still muster the patriotic courage that our forebears showed not only in victory but in defeat.

The Framers built the Senate to stop short-term passions from boiling over and melting the foundations of our Republic. So I believe protecting our constitutional order requires respecting the limits of our own power. It would be unfair and wrong to disenfranchise American voters and overrule the courts and the States on this extraordinarily thin basis, and I will not pretend such a vote would be a harmless protest gesture while relying on others to do the right thing. I will vote to respect the people's decision and defend our system of government as we know it.

Mr. President, I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Texas, Senator Cruz.

I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Pennsylvania, Senator Toomey.

Mr. President, I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Oklahoma, Senator Lankford.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the majority leader and the Democratic leader be allowed to speak and that the time not count against the 2 hours of debate in relation to the objection raised on the State of Arizona.

I want to say to the American people, the United States Senate will not be intimidated.

We will not be kept out of this Chamber by thugs, mobs, or threats. We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation.

We are back at our posts. We will discharge our duty under the Constitution and for our Nation, and we are going to do it tonight.

This afternoon, Congress began the process of honoring the will of the American people and counting the electoral college votes. We have fulfilled this solemn duty every 4 years for more than two centuries. Whether our Nation has been at war or at peace, under all manner of threats, even during an ongoing armed rebellion and the Civil War, the clockwork of our democracy has carried on.

The United States and the United States Congress have faced down much greater threats than the unhinged crowd we saw today. We have never been deterred before, and we will not be deterred today.

They tried to disrupt our democracy. They failed. They failed.

This failed attempt to obstruct the Congress, this failed insurrection, only underscores how crucial the task before us is for our Republic.

Our Nation was founded precisely so that the free choice of the American people is what shapes our self-government and determines the destiny of our Nation--not fear, not force, but the peaceful expression of the popular will.

We assembled this afternoon to count our citizens' votes and to formalize their choice of the next President. Now we are going to finish exactly what we started. We will complete this process the right way, by the book. We will follow our precedents, our laws, and our Constitution to the letter, and we will certify the winner of the 2020 Presidential election.

Criminal behavior will never dominate the United States Congress. This institution is resilient. Our democratic Republic is strong. The American people deserve nothing less.

Mr. Vice President, I yield 2 minutes to the Senator from Oklahoma, Senator Lankford.

Mr. Vice President, I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Utah, Senator Lee.

I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Georgia, Senator Loeffler.

Mr. Vice President, I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Nebraska, Mr. Sasse.

I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Kansas, Senator Marshall.

Mr. President, I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Kentucky, Senator Paul.

Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Missouri, Mr. Hawley.

I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Utah, Mr. Romney.

Mr. President, I yield up to 5 minutes to the Senator from Ohio, Senator Portman.

Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from South Carolina, Senator Graham.

Mr. President, I yield back the balance of our time.

Vote on Objection to Counting of Arizona Electoral Votes

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

So, colleagues, here is where we are. We have a few more speakers now as we wait for the House to finish their debate and vote. We expect the House to finish voting on Arizona between 11:30 and midnight.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with the following Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 5 minutes each: Senator Toomey, Senator Rubio, and Senator Collins.

I know of no further debate.

I know of no further debate.

Vote on Objection to Counting Pennsylvania Electoral Votes

Mr. President, for information of all of our colleagues, we don't expect additional votes tonight