Floor Statements

Madam President, I am just delighted to be here today on the floor of the U.S. Senate with my colleague Senator Klobuchar to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Sunisa Lee of St. Paul, MN, who won Olympic Gold in the individual all-around event in women's gymnastics in Tokyo this week.

Suni gave a historic performance while under immense personal pressure and under the difficult circumstances that have defined the 2021 Olympic Games. But she stepped up, and she gave an astounding performance to bring home gold, continuing the American tradition of excellence in women's gymnastics. Her routine on the uneven bars, as Senator Klobuchar said, one of the most difficult ever attempted in women's gymnastics, was just stunning.

On her way to Olympic Gold, Suni faced really tremendous obstacles. After beginning her gymnastics training at age 6, Suni showed incredible dedication, focus, and drive to reach the elite levels of her sport despite injuries and personal challenges.

In 2019, her father was paralyzed in an accident but continued supporting his daughter's gymnastics career. And while continuing her training during the coronavirus pandemic, Suni suffered a broken foot, an Achilles tendon injury, and the tragic loss of her aunt and uncle to coronavirus.

While pandemic precautions meant there were no spectators to cheer her on in Tokyo, Suni's family, friends, community members, and gymnastics fans all over the country got together to cheer her on from afar with watch parties held in her honor. The videos of these gatherings show the incredible shared joy and pride in her incredible accomplishment, and I am sure that she could feel all that love and support as she competed in Tokyo.

Not only is Suni the youngest member of the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team, but she is also the first Hmong American on the U.S. Olympic team and now is the first Asian American to be the Olympic women's all-around champion.

Her leadership and sportsmanship are an inspiration, and Minnesota is so proud to call her one of our own. In fact, Minnesota's Governor, Tim Walz, and St. Paul's mayor, Melvin Carter, have announced that today, Friday, July 30, 2021, is ``Sunisa Lee Day.'' It is too bad that Ms. Klobuchar and I can't be there to help them celebrate in St. Paul.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate those who contributed to Suni's victory: her parents, John Lee and Yeev Thoj, and her coach, Jess Graba. After Suni won her gold, she reminded us all that no one achieves success alone as she said, ``This is my family's medal, my medal. My coach's medal.''

Madam President, in this moment, I also would like to take an opportunity to acknowledge the awe-inspiring leadership of Simone Biles. Her choice to withdraw from the all-around event in order to protect her health and safety was courageous and is an important reminder that mental health is an essential part of our overall well- being.

In addition to being the greatest of all time, Simone's powerful advocacy and her unwavering support for Suni and the rest of her team show that she is also a great team player and an activist.

Every Olympic medal represents untold hours of hard work and struggle and resilience, and Suni Lee's all-around gold is no exception.

So congratulations to Suni. We are all so proud of you. Thank you for your courage, your dedication, and your inspiration to all of us everywhere in this country.

I yield the floor.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 83, S. 89.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 84, S. 189.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 85, S. 894.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1910.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 139.

I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 274.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 311, S. Res. 312, and S. Res. 313.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:30 a.m., Thursday, July 22; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; further, that at 1:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 162, Jill Hruby, to be Under Secretary for Nuclear Security at the Department of Energy, and the Senate immediately vote on confirmation of the nomination; that if the nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

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

Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Maryland. I rise today in gratitude because last night the Senate put us one step forward to finally making Juneteenth a Federal holiday.

Juneteenth is our Nation's oldest celebration of emancipation, and it should have been established as a Federal holiday long ago. So I am glad that yesterday the Senate passed our bill, with Senator Markey and Senator Booker, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, by unanimous consent.

The end of slavery in this country is a central milestone in our history, and Juneteenth should be commemorated nationwide as a day of celebration and reflection and rededication to the cause of racial justice in this country.

I am forever grateful to the generations of activists who made this possible, and, in particular, I want to thank Ms. Opal Lee, who at 89 years old walked halfway across this country to rise in support of Juneteenth as a Federal holiday.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to call Ms. Lee, now in her nineties, after this bill cleared the Senate, and I wish you could have heard the sound of joy in her voice when I told her the good news. This is a memory that I know I am going to treasure for the rest of my life.

So to Ms. Lee, if you are listening here today, I want to tell you that I have been honored to support your moral cause here in the Senate, and I hope to celebrate Juneteenth as an official Federal holiday with you soon.

I also want to thank my colleagues, especially Senator Markey and Senators Booker and Warnock, for their

leadership on these efforts, as well as Senator Cornyn and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, for their work to get this over the finish line. When it passed last night, we had over 60 bipartisan cosponsors, and I am grateful to all of them and all of you for your support.

So commemorating Juneteenth as a Federal holiday is an encouraging and meaningful step, but we have so much farther to go on the path toward justice. Let's use this victory to build momentum for the systemic change that we need--protecting voting rights and safeguarding our democracy, passing meaningful policing and criminal justice reform, pursuing economic and environmental justice, and working toward a more just and equitable world.

There will be plenty of times when this path seems impossibly long because the scale of the injustice is overwhelming. But when this happens, I will be thinking of Ms. Opal Lee, of her long walk to Washington, DC, and the joy in her voice when she heard the news that the Senate had taken one more step toward her dream of Juneteenth. May we all draw inspiration and strength from her example.

I am proud to walk this path with you, Ms. Lee, and with all of you. Let's keep this going.

I yield the floor.

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