Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, right now, the end of the pandemic may be--I underline ``may be''--within our reach. The Delta surge is finally waning. Over the past month, coronavirus case numbers have fallen by more than 40 percent, thank goodness. The average number of daily vaccinations has increased by more than 25 percent--not an unrelated statistic--and COVID death rates are finally starting to decline. These are all promising developments, and they demonstrate that President Biden's response to the coronavirus is working.

But as winter approaches, we need to ask ourselves a serious question: Will we continue to take the steps that are necessary to save lives and beat this virus once and for all? Or will we do nothing, as some of our Republican colleagues seem to urge, and allow the pandemic to come roaring back for another deadly wave?

Millions of American families have already suffered the consequences of denial, deception, and inaction. A report released earlier this month found that since June--just since June--nearly 100,000 American lives could have been saved if there were more vaccinations. But we can save the next 100,000 lives in America if we rally behind the President's call for his vaccination policy. The American people are already with him. The majority of people support mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for students 12 and up.

Business owners across the country have followed President Biden's lead by instituting their own vaccine mandates. They have helped increase vaccination rates by more than 20 percent. In Texas, where the Governor is seeking to outlaw vaccine mandates, one hospital CEO said that requiring his workers to be vaccinated is ``unequivocally . . . the best decision we ever made'' and that 98 percent of his staff has now been vaccinated.

President Biden's vaccine policy is supported by parents and business owners alike because they recognize a very simple truth: The only way to keep our kids in school, keep our economy on the road to recovery, and stop the spread of this deadly virus is vaccination. A do-nothing strategy is deadly and disastrous for our economy. Yet that is exactly what many of our Republican colleagues continue to propose that we do: nothing. It is the same response they had earlier this month when it came to raising the debt limit.

Let me reflect for a moment on the effort that is underway by State attorneys general. The Republican attorneys general across the United States represent 24 different States. They have threatened to file lawsuits to try to stop vaccine mandates and mask requirements.

I think it is fair to take a look at the period of June 15, 2021, to September 15, 2021, and ask how the States are doing represented by these attorneys general who are fighting President Biden's coronavirus policy. Well, we took a look at the average of the 24 States that are threatening these lawsuits. Their infection rate is more than twice than all the other States'. So the people in their States where they are supposedly fighting for their well-being are losing when it comes to the infections of coronavirus.

How about the death rates? Of the 24 States in this period of time threatening lawsuits, we have a death rate almost three times the death rate in the other 26 States. The vaccination rate is lower in the 24 States represented by these Republican attorneys general.

So what are they winning? Some political war? What the heck difference does it make who wins a political war when we are talking about a life-and-death issue? And that is frankly what we are faced with.

When it comes to the debt limit, we see the same negative default approach

by the Republicans. Senate Republicans were ready to let go of the steering wheel and swerve into oncoming traffic with the debt limit. Right up until the eleventh hour, they wanted to use the filibuster to block Democrats from addressing the debt, the limit of the debt. Do you know when that debt was incurred? It was incurred during the Trump administration, with many of these same Republicans voting for the spending that stands behind it.

Now the minority leader, Senator McConnell, has once again pledged that Republicans refuse to lift a finger to deal with the debt limit when it expires in the first week of December. Think for a moment what defaulting on the debt would mean to American families. It is fodder for even more inflation.

So don't come to the floor with your posing for Holy pictures on the issue of inflation and then turn around and say: I don't care what happens to the debt limit. Americans will pay more each month because of that for their mortgages and credit card bills and student and car loans. Fifteen trillion dollars in household wealth and retirement savings would be wiped out if Senator McConnell and the Republicans have their way in the first week of December.

If our Republican colleagues are truly concerned about the economic well-being of America, work with us to put together a sensible response to the debt limit. Senator Schumer and the Democrats have said to the Republicans: If you won't lead, if you can't follow, then get the heck out of the way. Democrats, with a majority vote, will enact a new debt limit. We understand our responsibility to this Nation.

Mr. President, ``denial,'' incidentally, seems to be the watchword on the Republican side. Certainly it is when it comes to climate change. Some of our Republican colleagues insist, despite all of the evidence, that climate change is a phony, fake news, a hoax. Others acknowledge it is real but say we just can't afford to do anything about it. In fact, what we can't afford to do is nothing. Climate change is here, and the cost of it is disastrous.

One in three Americans live in a county that has been hit by an extreme weather event this summer--one in three--with family homes consumed by wildfires, farms ravaged by unprecedented droughts, and lives lost in floods of Biblical proportion.

Last year, our Nation was hit by 18 climate disasters costing at least a billion dollars each--18. The total tab for climate-related disasters that year was $95 billion. This year is worse. Remember Hurricane Ida? It caused $100 billion in damages. Think about that. One storm: $100 billion.

And don't believe that that is just a matter of private citizens contacting their insurance companies. You can bet that the Federal Government and many State and local governments will be investing heavily to overcome the damage that has been done.

Climate change is the gravest threat to our economy, bar none--not to mention our children's and grandchildren's future. We have waited too long. Climate change must be addressed today. Tomorrow is too late. Delay and denial would not make it disappear. They will only increase the damage and lessen the opportunities for solutions that we might consider.

America is the world's can-do Nation. We are the Nation who looks at problems and says: We can fix it. And here is something that our Republican colleagues either don't get or won't admit: Dealing with climate change has the potential to be the biggest job creator in generations. We have an opportunity to put millions of Americans to work building a sustainable, resilient future for our country.

Let me give you a recent example from last week. I had a chance to meet with the public transit officials in Champaign-Urbana, IL. Of course, Champaign-Urbana, IL, is home to the University of Illinois. They were there to showcase a new zero-emissions bus and a charging infrastructure that is cutting edge. You see, these buses run on hydrogen fuel cells powered by solar energy. They will save tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and prevent more than 130 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every single year.

Imagine if every city in America followed the lead of Champaign- Urbana, reconstructing their public transit system, making them sustainable and dependable. Think of all the Americans we could put to work assembling buses and trains, building charging stations, training workers to maintain and repair these fleets.

That is what President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill will help do. It is the largest infrastructure proposal in decades, and it will invest billions in green transit alone.

And, for the record, the previous President, Republican President Donald Trump, had no transportation package. He talked about it in the campaign, and for 4 straight years he delivered nothing.

President Biden's Build Back Better agenda is also an investment in our future. If you are worried about our worker shortage--and you should be--the Build Back Better plan will enable parents, especially mothers, to return to work by making safe and affordable childcare resources and senior care available for every family in this country. And it is a blueprint for America to win the 21st century and boost every family's economic security by investing in schools, education, and first-class job training.

Continuing to do nothing while China and our other competitors pass us by is a strategy for finishing in second place, which appears to be the Republican strategy. Our Republican colleagues say: We just can't afford to invest in America's workers, families, and economic potential. Boy, are they wrong. What we can't afford is to do nothing-- nothing.

That is what they did when it came to the American Rescue Plan. Not a single Republican would support our efforts for the American Rescue Plan to address the COVID-19 crisis.

The vaccination program, which has vaccinated most of Americans and continues to do even more, was funded by that program. Money was in that program to help businesses get back on their feet after the pandemic. It was a real investment in the future of America. Unfortunately, it did not have support from the other side of the aisle.

Mr. President, I have 14 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:

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business.

Mr. President, it was December 7, 1941, a young African- American man from the South Side of Chicago was celebrating his 23rd birthday. He was in a neighborhood tavern, and somebody bolted through the front door and cried out that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor.

In 1943, that same young man was inducted into the U.S. Army, a segregated institution at the time. He landed in Normandy within days of D-day. He fought across France in the Battle of the Bulge. While his unit regrouped, they heard rumors--horrible rumors--about a camp near Weimar, Germany. This young soldier and his commanding officer hopped into a jeep to see for themselves. What he witnessed at Buchenwald, the Nazi death camp, changed this man forever.

As he recalled in his memoir, his first thought was ``this is what happened to my ancestors.'' This is what happens when human beings see others as less than human.

Then he made a vow to himself. He said:

I made an emotional decision that when I returned from the

Army, the rest of my life would be spent trying to make [the

place] where I live, and the bigger world, a place where all

people could have peace and justice.

That soldier's name was Timuel Black. He kept that vow faithfully for 76 years. Tim Black was a foot soldier for justice. He died last week at the age of 102, living in the neighborhood that had been his home nearly all his life, a place that he personally called a ``Sacred Ground,'' the South Side of Chicago.

His passing is our loss--to our city, our State, and our Nation. If you are not from Chicago, you may not know his name, but we all live in an America that is better because Timuel Black helped shape it. He was a living link to some of our Nation's worst sins and our greatest achievements.

All four of Tim Black's grandparents were born into slavery. When he was a year old, Tim Black and his parents left Alabama and the terrorism of Jim Crow and headed to Chicago, part of the first wave of America's Great Migration. They settled on the South Side in a then- segregated neighborhood now known as Bronzeville.

After he served in World War II, Tim Black returned to Chicago. He graduated from Roosevelt University, earned a master's degree in history from the University of Chicago. He was teaching history in Chicago public schools in 1955 when he heard a young minister speaking on television, he was so moved that he decided, at his own expense, to fly to Montgomery, AL, to meet this man, a man by the name of Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1963, Dr. King and the great African-American labor leader A. Philip Randolph called on Tim Black. They asked him to organize Chicago's contingent to come to Washington for the great March on Washington. Three years later, Tim Black asked them to return the favor and he persuaded Dr. King to bring his campaign for racial justice to Chicago. Together, they pressed for an end to discriminatory housing laws that squeezed many of the city's Black residents into overpriced, ramshackle apartments in unsafe, segregated neighborhoods with few jobs and failing schools.

In 1975, after decades working at high schools, Tim Black became a professor of sociology, anthropology, and Black history at what is now known as Harold Washington College. He was the Griot of Chicago, who preserved the rich history of the Great Migration and Bronzeville. He was also a brilliant political strategist who understood how to use his power to help others.

So, in 1982, Harold Washington, who had been his friend since they were children, was representing their neighborhood in the U.S. House of Representatives. Professor Black and a few others went to Harold Washington and said: You have to run for mayor of Chicago.

Washington replied: ``Sure. If you get 50,000 new Black voters and raise $100,000, then I'll consider it.''

Washington figured that was the end of it; they would never reach those goals. But Professor Tim Black started a fundraising drive and helped organize a voter registration campaign that ultimately registered not 100,000, not 50,000, but 263,000 new voters in Chicago, and he raised more than $1 million for the Harold Washington campaign.

In 1983, with the support from voters from all backgrounds--Black, White, and Brown--Harold Washington became Chicago's first Black mayor.

A decade later, a young lawyer by the name of Barack Obama sought out

Professor Tim Black's guidance when he first considered running for office. Last month, President Obama returned to the South Side to break ground on the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson. Although Professor Black's failing health didn't allow him to attend in person, it is a good bet that ceremony couldn't have happened without him.

Mr. President, I was blessed to know Tim Black. When Barack Obama, my Senate colleague from Illinois, was elected President, I was given a handful of tickets to the inauguration. The first name that came to my mind was Tim Black. He had to be there, and his wife Zenobia Johnson- Black, a personal friend who volunteered to drive me in my first Senate campaign. Zenobia is a wonderful person. She is an exciting driver, and we had many escapades together.

So I invited Tim and Zenobia to come and sit in the best seats that I had for the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African-American President from the South Side of Chicago.

I was fortunate I knew Tim Black. I counted him as a friend. I was there sitting next to him at his 100th birthday party. It was a great night, and the man still had it all together and a great sense of humor.

Loretta and I send our condolences to his beloved wife of 40 years, Zenobia Johnson-Black, his daughter Ermetra, and his countless friends and students. A great man has left us. He will be missed.

Mr. President, tomorrow, the Senate will vote on whether to protect free and fair elections in America.

A big question we have to ask in the U.S. Senate is whether the right to vote and free and fair elections are worth any of our time.

You see, the first vote we have here is what is known as a motion to proceed. It is a basic question in the Senate: You want to talk about something? Is it important enough for your time? You want to bring it up here and say a few words about the right to vote in America?

That is the first vote. I think it is pretty simple.

Why wouldn't we, at this moment in history, with everything that is going on, spend some time talking about the right to vote?

Senator McConnell, the Republican leader, says, no, we shouldn't take any time to discuss the right to vote in the United States of America. He and many of our Republican colleagues are threatening to use the age-old weapon against civil rights, the filibuster, to stop even a conversation on the floor of the U.S. Senate about the right to vote.

That would make it the third time this year that Senate Republicans have used the filibuster to kill voting rights legislation. They filibustered For the People Act twice this year after it passed the House. They said then they support voting rights, but not that voting rights bill. They said more compromise was needed. You can't reach compromise on anything until you talk about it.

We are going to have a motion to proceed to talk about voting rights on the floor of the Senate tomorrow. If they want to offer a compromise, if they want to get into a conversation or debate, that is the moment.

This empty Chamber--I wonder sometimes why we leave it the way it is. This would be a great meeting hall. We could rent it out for wedding receptions and have something productive happen on the floor of the U.S. Senate. But instead, this empty Chamber, day after day, finds ways to avoid the important issues of our time. That is sad.

There are very few of us who have been given this great honor and opportunity to serve in the Senate. We are supposed to come and talk about the things that matter in America.

Isn't the right to vote one of the most important things that matters in this country?

The Freedom to Vote Act is a compromise itself. It is based on a set of principles offered by Senator Manchin of West Virginia. Now, Senator Manchin has not concealed the fact that he didn't agree with the original bill, but in fairness to him, he sat down in good faith and bargained a compromised bill. He has worked exhaustively for months with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to find some common ground. I salute him for that. That is what we all should be doing.

The Freedom to Vote Act includes reasonable national standards for a voter ID in States that require identification for in-person voting. Now, that is a big concession from the Democratic side because, although many of our States have a photo voter ID requirement, many do not, and we believe in some cases in the past it has been abused.

With the fundamental concept of a voter ID, I don't have any objection to, as long as it is managed and administered fairly. That is what we are setting out to do.

If our Republican colleagues are really worried about election integrity and making sure voters are who they say they are, wouldn't you think that they would at least vote to start the debate on the Freedom to Vote Act? That we would have a conversation in this empty Chamber that might even attract a handful of Senators on both sides of the aisle to talk about the right to vote in America in the year 2021 and beyond?

That just seems so basic.

Well, what the Republicans say is the Freedom to Vote Act is much more than just a debate topic; it is a Federal takeover of our elections.

That simply is not the case. The Freedom to Vote Act does not create any undue burden on any State. Instead, it sets reasonable, minimum standards for voting access in all States, including automatic and same-day voter registration, 2 weeks of early voting, no-excuse mail-in voting. It establishes election day as a Federal holiday.

(Mr. PADILLA assumed the Chair.)

All of these proposals are consistent with the clear language of the Constitution. It will protect nonpartisan election officials from undue pressure and prevent politicians from overturning elections if they don't agree with voters' choices.

The Freedom to Vote Act makes it harder for billionaires and powerful corporations to buy elections. Let's be real honest, Members of Congress and others who run for office and set out to raise money, but the important fundraising is taking place in a mystery, in secret, with dark money that comes into an election with no indication of its source.

The Freedom to Vote Act is going to prevent the flow of foreign money into U.S. elections. Is there anybody who wants to argue for the premise that we should allow foreigners to invest in our election results or to try to influence the electorate, sometimes with misinformation and outright lies? I don't think they have any business interfering in our elections. I think most Americans agree with that. That is what the Freedom to Vote Act says.

In addition to that, dark money needs to get out of politics. If you want to stand up and support a candidate, so be it. But for goodness' sake, say who you are; identify yourself; let the American people know who is pushing one candidate or the other.

Organizations engaged in political spending will be required to tell the public who is giving them how much money. That is pretty simple, pretty obvious. There was a time when that level of disclosure was supported by the Republican minority leader in the Senate. I remember his speeches well on floor of the Senate. He shifted 180 degrees on the topic now.

Last fall, 2020, Americans braved a pandemic to vote in record numbers, but supporters of the former President nonetheless exhausted legal challenges and recounts seeking to validate the outrageous lie of election fraud, and their efforts went nowhere. Former President Trump went to 50 or 60 different courts to argue that Joe Biden didn't win the election. He couldn't produce a shred of evidence. All he had were the ramblings and gossip and fake news, if you will, on the internet. It didn't work.

Rudy Giuliani came up with some hair-brained schemes on behalf of President Trump: ``Italy-gate,'' that somehow the Italians had satellites that controlled America's voting machinery. Ridiculous things.

When that didn't work, the former President decided he would just take over the Department of Justice. Our Judiciary Committee, which I serve on, Mr. President, went into extensive investigation of that and came up with

detailed information, which we released to the public 2 weeks ago. And the Republicans were in on all of our investigation. They were invited to question the witnesses, to be present, to even see our majority report in advance.

We wanted to make this bipartisan and fair, and we did. And what we found was the President's failed attempt to take over the Department of Justice--to force them to go to the States and say: Don't validate the 2020 election.

A few people stood up and showed courage at the Department of Justice and said they were prepared to resign before they bent to President Trump's pressure, and that was a fact.

That is what we are faced with now--this former President still marketing his lies across America about the outcome of the 2020 election, and we will not even take the time to discuss elections and voting. The Republicans will stop us with a filibuster.

Many politicians in many States continue to use the Big Lie of the stolen election to try to make it harder for citizens to vote in future elections.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, 19 States passed 33 bills to make it harder for citizens to vote, so far this year.

Hundreds of similar bills have been proposed in 49 States. These laws and proposals are a dagger at the heart of America's democracy.

The Freedom to Vote Act, which we want to start the conversation on, just the conversation and debate on tomorrow, is America's democracy defense act.

I want to commend the bill's sponsors: Senator Amy Klobuchar. I don't know anybody who has worked harder than she has as chair of the Senate Rules Committee; Senator Manchin, he has been involved in the compromise; Senators Tim Kaine, Angus King, and Rev. Raphael Warnock.

And particularly I want to acknowledge our majority leader, Chuck Schumer, for his leadership in this effort. He has worked hard at it, trying to bring this matter before the American people and on the floor.

We have also been engaged in a similar process on an equally critical piece of legislation, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

I have been here long enough to remember a time when the Voting Rights Act came before the U.S. Senate and got 98 votes--virtually all the Democrats, all the Republicans voted for it. No controversy. They believed that this product of the 1960s civil rights debate was fair. It said that in certain States with a proven history of discrimination against minority voters, when they proposed changes in election laws, we would examine them, preclear them, as they say.

The Supreme Court tossed out that section, and we have tried to restore it. I think the Supreme Court was wrong and maybe even naive in believing that voter discrimination could not take place in the future.

When there was a voter suppression law passed in North Carolina and it was taken to a Federal court, the court said, and I paraphrase: They worked with ``surgical precision'' to violate the voting rights of minority voters.

The Freedom to Vote Act is the first of two crucial steps to take what our friend and colleague John Lewis said is a ``precious, almost sacred'' right, and I hope we take similar action on the Voting Rights soon.

Like the Freedom to Vote Act, the Voting Rights Act extension that Ronald Reagan signed in 1982 was the result of a compromise. In signing it, President Reagan said the final bill ``prove[d] that differences can be settled in good will and good faith.''

Wouldn't that be nice to have that happen on this empty floor of the Senate tomorrow? That is all we ask of our Senate colleagues. Don't use the filibuster, the weapon of Jim Crow, to abet the attacks we are seeing on Americans' voting rights.

Offer amendments if you like, but work with us in good will and good faith to protect the voting rights which so many have sacrificed for.

Mr. President, the Republican minority leader came to the floor a few minutes ago and once again spoke about inflation. And of course we are concerned about it, and we are watching it closely.

We are in an unusual place where we are recovering from a pandemic and the economy is getting back on its feet. And, yes, there are problems. We see supply chain problems addressed by President Biden just this week. We know things are stacked up trying to get into the United States.

That was possibly unavoidable in the midst of a pandemic, when customer demand cratered, and now it is recovering and our demand outstrips the supplies that are flowing into our country.

But I also want to remind the Republican leader from Kentucky that his opposition to extend the debt ceiling, unfortunately, is also a problem when it comes to inflation. If there is uncertainty as to whether this Nation will pay its just debts, obviously that will be reflected in the financial markets and higher interest rates. So the strategy of Senator McConnell, when it comes to the debt ceiling, is pro-inflationary itself.

Also, he talks about the ``socialist spending spree'' of the reconciliation bill, Build Back Better. And he says in critical terms that the Democrats argue that the cost of this will be ``zero dollars.'' He says that what Democrats don't say is they have to impose massive tax hikes for this to happen.

Well, I might say to the Senator from Kentucky, we have been very open about what our tax policy would be to pay for Build Back Better.

That policy would say those making over $400,000 a year in income would have to pay higher taxes. Yes, we have said it. Those people would have to pay higher taxes. And corporations that are escaping their just tax liability would now have to pay their fair share, too. In those two instances, we are raising taxes, but the taxes don't touch the working people in this country or those in lower income categories.

Mr. President, he says--these are his words--Democrats are waging a war on affordable energy. I want to just reflect on the words ``affordable energy.'' It is true that we have ample energy resources in most places in America, but to argue that they are affordable is to fail to take into account what the costs of climate change are in America and around the world.

It is not affordable for us to have so many greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuels that we are creating extreme weather events all across the world. And we have seen them here in the United States. We have seen the fires in your State of California and in the Northwest; we have seen the flooding all across the country, including the Midwest; we have seen violent weather occurring at times of the year when historically it never occurs; and we are paying a heavy price for climate change, global warming, and the fact that we are so dependent on fossil fuels.

So when the Democrats--it used to be another bipartisan issue--and it no longer is--but when the Democrats sound the alarm about climate change and global warming, it is because current energy sources are not affordable in terms of the future of our planet. We have to find a better way.

I am sorry to see so many current politicians unable or unwilling to accept their responsibility to change this country and the world for the better and to leave an Earth, a planet, an environment that our kids can live in. I don't think that is too much to ask, and I think we ought to do our part.

Mr. President, the last thing Senator McConnell went into this morning was giving new powers to the IRS to snoop.

Well, I guess that is true in some respects. We believe that people who owe taxes ought to pay them, and the vast majority of American families are honest; they want to do their civic duty. They file their taxes on time and try to pay every penny they are supposed to--not more, but every penny they are supposed to.

And yet there are many hiding their assets, hiding their profits, hiding their revenues, and hiding their money from the IRS. They should be held accountable.

Why should the average American family be held to a higher standard of honesty than the richest people in this country? I think it is only fair that everyone be held to the same standard.

Madam President, this week, the Senate will consider Christine O'Hearn's nomination for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Ms. O'Hearn is eminently qualified to be a district court judge.

She has nearly 30 years of experience as a litigator in private practice. During that time, she has tried numerous cases to verdict and has completed more than 150 trial days as lead counsel.

Ms. O'Hearn has worked on both the plaintiff and defense sides of complex civil litigation matters, with her core focus being employment law.

In addition to representing individual clients, Ms. O'Hearn has represented both private and public entities, including a number of county and municipal governments.

Throughout her career, Ms. O'Hearn has also given back to the legal community. For example, she has served on the New Jersey Supreme Court's Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law; the U.S. Magistrate Judge Selection Committee for Camden, NJ; and the New Jersey Supreme Court District IV Ethics Committee.

While serving on the New Jersey Supreme Court's Ethics Committee, Ms. O'Hearn devoted hundreds of hours--pro bono--to prosecuting an attorney for violating the New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct. After a 15- day trial before a Special Master, the attorney was found to have violated multiple Rules of Professional Conduct. Ms. O'Hearn also briefed and argued the case on appeal, where the ruling was affirmed.

Numerous groups and individuals have written letters of support for Ms. O'Hearn's nomination, including: the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Camden County Bar Association, and dozens of New Jersey Fellows with the American College of Trial Lawyers.

With her extensive experience, it is no surprise that Ms. O'Hearn was unanimously rated ``well qualified'' by the American Bar Association.

Ms. O'Hearn has the strong support of her home state Senators, Senators Menendez and Booker, and she received bipartisan support in the Judiciary Committee.

With decades of legal experience on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants alike, Ms. O'Hearn is well prepared to serve with distinction in the District of New Jersey.

I urge my colleagues to join me voting in support of her nomination.

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

Madam President, like so many others in the Senate across America, I was saddened to learn this morning of the passing of Colin Powell.

In his lifetime, he broke down so many barriers, and he held some of the most important titles in this great Nation: General of the U.S. Army, National Security Adviser, America's first Black Joint Chiefs of Staff, and our first Black Secretary of State.

But before he held any of those positions, and after he stepped away from them, Colin Powell was always a patriot and a public servant. He was the son of immigrants--Jamaican immigrants--who raised their children to make the most of every opportunity that America offered and to show their gratitude to this Nation by giving--giving back however they could.

That story of opportunity and obligation is a story told by every immigrant parent to their children. It is the same story my mother taught to me and my brothers.

Much has been said and written about Colin Powell's historic and distinguished career as a soldier and a statesman. He was respected in a way that transcended partisan labels.

He wasn't perfect. His speech in 2003 to the U.N. General Assembly claimed incorrectly that Iraq likely possessed weapons of mass destruction. It was based on information he was given and later learned to be false. It helped make a case for a war about which he had misgivings, and he would come to regret those remarks the rest of his life.

But he never stopped trying to serve, even after leaving public office. In 2010, Colin Powell spoke out publicly about a cause that is deeply personal to many people, including myself. He and other military leaders urged this Senate to pass the Dream Act--legislation that would give young immigrants who grew up in the United States a chance to earn their citizenship.

Who better could speak to that issue than Colin Powell, the son of immigrants who served this Nation with distinction and combat and in public service? Regrettably, at the time, while a majority of Senators supported the Dream Act, it was filibustered and did not pass. Still, tens of thousands of immigrants are risking their lives today defending our Nation in uniform. Among them may very well be another Colin Powell.

It would be a fitting tribute to Secretary Powell for us to pass immigration reform now--this year--and recognize what a great patriot and son of immigrants like Colin Powell brought to this Nation.

One last point. Colin Powell survived one form of cancer nearly 20 years ago. He was being treated for another when he passed away. Multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, weakens the immune system. So despite the fact that he was fully vaccinated, General Powell died of complications of COVID.

It is sad and ironic that a man who spent so much of his life defending others from danger, in the end, died from a common enemy that too many of our fellow citizens continue to deny, thus giving the virus an opportunity to replicate and wreak havoc. We are not each other's enemies; the virus is the enemy.

Today, it claimed the life of an American statesman. By this time tomorrow, it will have taken another 1,500 family members, neighbors, heroes to many.

Especially for young children who can't be vaccinated yet and for the millions of Americans with compromised immune systems, we really have to increase our vaccine rates.

Madam President, last night, the world discovered that in Chicago, the sky is the limit. Our city of Chicago is home to a new team of champions.

During the Women's National Basketball Association finals at Wintrust Arena, the Chicago Sky mounted a comeback for the ages. In the fourth quarter, the team overcame an 11-point deficit to claim their first- ever championship title. The victory was the culmination of a historic season. Their record in the regular season was a mediocre 16 and 16, but in the runup for the playoffs, the Chicago Sky won 8 postseason games, an alltime record for the WNBA. And from start to finish, last night's victory was truly a team effort.

Hometown hero Candace Parker scored 16 points--she is nothing short of amazing--including a three-pointer that tied the game with less than 2 minutes left, sending the arena into an uproar. Kahleah Copper was named the WNBA finals MVP. Allie Quigley, a Joliet native, scored 26 points, and her wife and fellow teammate, Courtney Vandersloot, finished the game with 15 assists.

All-around, last night's victory was a legendary feat for the Chicago Sky. Tomorrow, our city will celebrate our new hometown champs in Millennium Park.

I want to thank every member of the Chicago Sky for making Skytown proud, especially Michael Alter and John Rogers, two personal friends who brought the franchise to Chicago and have worked diligently to make it the best every step of the way. Last night, they did. It is an inspiration to our city and to all the young players everywhere who want to look to a team that proves you should never quit.