Marsha Blackburn

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, across our country, more than 3 million female high school and college athletes compete, practice, and train every day to achieve athletic success. For many of these young women and girls, their sports are more than just a game; they are a lifelong passion that improves their physical health, boosts self- confidence, and teaches them the leadership skills to succeed on and off the field. In short, women's athletics have done incredible things for women, which is why it is so deeply disturbing to see the Biden-Harris administration wage a war on women's sports--in their crosshairs: title IX, the landmark civil rights law that codified protections on the basis of sex by requiring equal resources for training, recruitment, and scholarships for female athletic programs. Title IX led to an explosion of women's participation in sports. In fact, since 1972--the year title IX became law--the number of female college athletes has increased by a factor of seven while the number of female high school athletes has increased by more than tenfold. Yet, for years, we have seen this administration undermine the very title IX protections that have enabled greater women's participation in sports. In 2022, on the 50th anniversary of title IX, the Department of Education announced new rules that forced schools to allow biological males to play on female teams; and just in April, the administration redefined ``discrimination'' to allow biological men to use women-only locker rooms and bathrooms. Are Tennesseans and the American people really expected to believe this is OK? You do not need to be a biologist to understand that there are fundamental, biological differences between men and women, and when it comes to sports, these differences undermine fair play, erase women's hard-earned achievements, and put female athletes in danger. Thankfully, many young women are bravely speaking out against the Biden-Harris administration's radical agenda, including Tennessee's Riley Gaines. In 2021, Riley was forced to compete against and share a locker room with a biological male during the NCAA women's swimming and diving championships. During the 200-meter competition, Riley tied for fifth with her male competitor, but when Riley went to the awards ceremony to pick up her trophy, officials told her that they were giving the fifth place trophy to the biological male. ``Yours will be coming in the mail,'' they told her. This should never happen in the United States. Now, more than ever, Congress should stand with the female athletes fighting for fair play and celebrate the incredible contributions women have made in the world of sports. That is why I am calling for unanimous consent for my resolution to establish October 10 as American Girls in Sports Day. Of course, we picked that date for a special reason. As the 10th day of the 10th month, October 10 is represented by the Roman numerals XX, the same numerals of the female sex chromosome. In the last 50 years, female athletes have gone from the sidelines to the center stage of competition. As we continue to fight for women's participation in sports, we must keep in mind what is at stake, and the American Girls in Sports Day resolution will help to ensure that we all join together and celebrate our female athletes. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be discharged from further consideration and that the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 669; further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I would encourage my colleague to go read the Republican Party platform. It is very short, as a matter of fact. There is nothing in it about banning anything, believe you me. I know that. So I would encourage him to take the 15 or 20 minutes. It is not a long, lengthy document. It has 20 actions that we are going to take, and then it has some principles on which we stand and believe. I also find it very interesting that he looks at a resolution that would celebrate women as something that should be feared, because it is not about fear. It is not about division. It is not about distraction. This is something that says to our young girls and these young athletes: We are proud of you. Keep it up. I mean, here is some of the language from the resolution: Athletic participation has an important, positive impact on young girls, improving their physical health, self- confidence, and discipline. . . . Women have been responsible for some of the greatest athletic feats in the sports history of the United States, from the Olympic games-- And we all cheered our young women who excelled and won those medals and those who were in competition in the Olympics-- [all the way] to professional competition. . . . [F]emale athletes have served as inspirations for generations of women and girls. In Tennessee, I will tell you, there are young girls probably out in the driveway bouncing a basketball right now. They want to be a Lady Vol. That is one of their goals in life. As for the number of titles and things that have been lost since 2003, biological men have displaced women and girls from over 950 championship titles, medals, scholarships, and records that should have rightfully gone to these girls and at least 28 women sports titles in volleyball, swimming, mountain biking, track and field, weightlifting, and cycling. This is a celebration of female accomplishments. This is a celebration of female accomplishments. So while I enjoy the opportunity to work with my colleague, I am disappointed to hear him feel and express his opinion that celebrating women and giving a day to celebrate our female athletes would be something that would strike fear and would cause division. We should all be united around celebrating our female athletes. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, as I am out and about across Tennessee, one thing I continue to hear from many Tennesseans and our small business owners is that one of the things they find very frightening is an IRS audit. Now, for a lot of our small business owners, when they talk about this, they mention how time-consuming it is and how it means sleepless nights and financial uncertainty and needless harassment because they are all working hard, and they are trying to comply with the law. As of last year--and I find this so very interesting. As of last year, nearly two-thirds of the IRS audits targeted Americans who were making less than $200,000, but in a misguided effort to fund the Biden- Harris administration's trillions in inflationary spending, the IRS recently doubled down on its pledge to ramp up audits on American taxpayers. We all know the administration had said no audits on taxpayers who are earning under $400,000, but bear in mind, two- thirds--two-thirds--of those audits were on taxpayers earning less than $200,000. Regularly, when I am doing meetings in our 95 counties, I will hear from small business owners, farmers, and independent contractors all across the State who are worried about being targeted by the IRS. This is the same Agency that received $80 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act, which was brought to us by this Biden-Harris administration--$80 billion to go out and hire 87,000 new agents. While IRS Commissioner Werfel recently promised that there would be ``no new wave of audits coming from middle- and low-income'' Americans--and that is a direct quote from him--a new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration confirms that Tennesseans do have a reason to be concerned. Although the Treasury Department directed the IRS to exclude Americans making less than $400,000 each year from increased audit rates, the report found that the IRS has no plan to make this happen. You heard me right. Treasury directed the IRS to exclude those Americans making less than $400,000, but the Agency has absolutely no plan for how they are going to do that. For example, they are using a novel definition of ``taxpayers' earnings''--it is ``total positive income.'' This phrasing has no statutory definition. According to the IRS, the term refers to ``the sum of all positive amounts shown for the various sources of income reported on an individual income tax return and, thus, excludes losses.'' To be sure, the confusing definition raises more questions than it answers: Will a small business owner or farmer be subject to more audits if his revenue exceeds $400,000 even if his profit is much less than that? Will a married couple with a household income of $400,000 face the same audit rate as a single person with the same income? For months on the Senate Finance Committee, I pressed Commissioner Werfel and other Biden-Harris officials for answers, but time and again, they have failed to provide satisfactory explanations. While disturbing, this lack of clarity should come as no surprise. The IG report found that the IRS has failed to define ``small business'' under the directive and develop a methodology for enforcing the $400,000 threshold, all while lacking basic documentation and transparency about its audit plan--there again, no plan. In short, the Biden-Harris IRS is preparing to shake down Main Street, all while claiming to focus on tax cheats and millionaires and billionaires. No doubt, the IRS audit plan is just the latest example of this administration's disastrous tax-and-spend agenda, which has seen our national debt increase by more than $7 trillion while pushing up prices across the board by 20 percent in less than 4 years. That is right. The current inflation rate from the time Joe Biden took office until today is actually 20.3 percent. Unfortunately, this administration has forgotten a simple fact: Hard- working Tennesseans and Americans do best when they have more money in their pocketbooks, not less. With its reckless audit plan, the Biden- Harris IRS is doing its best to ensure that they take more money out of your pocket. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask that the vote scheduled for 5:30 begin immediately.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, it is really so unfortunate and really quite sad that I have to come to the floor today and speak because, today, the Senate Democrat leadership is moving forward with a vote that undermines the longstanding bipartisan traditions that this institution relies upon to serve the American people and, indeed, for each of us to be able to serve the citizens of our State. In just a few moments, the Democrat leadership is going to move forward with a cloture vote on a judicial nominee, Kevin Ritz, whose home State Senators, which are Senator Hagerty and me, were not properly consulted by the White House during his nomination process. The consultation process between home State Senators and the White House on judicial nominees is essential to ensuring that a nominee is well suited to serve on the Federal bench. It is a part of our duty to provide advice and consent. Of course, Senator Hagerty and I attempted to work in good faith with the Biden-Harris administration to identify highly qualified nominees to fill the vacancy--the Tennessee vacancy--on the Sixth Circuit. We presented well-qualified nominees. Yet, contrary to bipartisan precedent, the White House barely even worked with us. Apparently, what became quite evident was this White House--the Biden-Harris administration--preferred backroom deals to open deliberation. This administration prefers a backroom deal to hearing the voice of the people from a State. This administration prefers backroom deals as opposed to considering nominees who have chosen to step forward and go through a nomination process with full transparency. To be sure, this vote is all the more shameful because Mr. Ritz is deeply unsuited to serve on the Federal bench. That is not just something that I say; these are comments that have come to us from dozens--dozens--of Tennesseans. In our country, every individual accused of a crime is entitled to due process of law. That is a bedrock principle of our justice system. Yet, as a Federal prosecutor and U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, Mr. Ritz has repeatedly flouted basic professional ethics. Mr. Ritz, for example, has been accused of using highly unethical bait-and-switch tactics to trick indigent criminal defendants into accepting plea deals that they didn't agree to. And when defense attorneys pushed back on him, Mr. Ritz has been accused of making outright false statements to the court to cover up his misdeeds. Indeed, Mr. Ritz has chosen to surround himself with those who seemingly treat their ethical obligations with disdain. Mr. Ritz's deputy, for example, received a 1-year probation for prosecutorial misconduct. To be clear, Mr. Ritz's record of unethical conduct is not my only objection to his nomination. There are Tennesseans who, for these same reasons, have come to us to object to his nomination. Now, under his watch, as the chief Federal law enforcement officer, the city of Memphis has tragically become one of the most dangerous places to live in the United States. In 2023, Memphis had the most homicides in its history and continues to lead the Nation in homicide rates this year. Now, there is a reason for this, and I think it is a reason that this Chamber needs to hear. And it is not a reason that is supposition. It is a reason that is grounded in statistics and fact. And it is a reason that citizens in Tennessee, in Shelby County, in the Western District have raised to us, because they are concerned about crime; they are concerned about what is happening in their communities; they are concerned about juvenile crime and the rates that are there. Now, here is their reason, and this is instructive to the Chamber as we consider this vote. As I said, Memphis has become one of the most dangerous places to live in the United States of America. In 2023, Memphis had the most homicides in its history and continues to lead the Nation in homicide rates this year. And here comes your reason: Under Mr. Ritz's predecessor, the U.S. attorney's office in Memphis had a policy of charging 100 percent of prosecutable gun crimes. They charged them all. Yet, under his watch, Mr. Ritz has failed to uphold that prosecutorial standard which helped keep Memphians safe and helped keep dangerous people locked up behind bars. And here is an example for you: Mr. Ritz's office failed to charge an individual with unlawful possession of a firearm, so this guy gets out and he goes on and he murders a Memphis police officer. So when we hear about violent crime and the people we represent and we love are saying ``do something about violent crime,'' they want these criminals locked up. But if you are not going to charge them with prosecutable gun crimes, they are not going to be locked up, and they are going to do like this criminal in Memphis and they are going to go out and they are going to murder. And the unfortunate thing is, in Memphis, they murdered a Memphis police officer. No one deserves a promotion--especially to one of the highest courts in the country--a lifetime appointment with a track record like Mr. Ritz. Just because the White House wants to ignore this fact doesn't mean that the Senate should ignore this fact. Listen to the voices of Tennesseans who have reached out to us and who have said to us: He does not deserve this seat. I would urge all of my colleagues to oppose this reckless, unqualified nominee. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, it is September, which means that, across the country, America's 54 million K-12 students are starting the new school year. For so many parents and students, this is an exciting time, with new classes and teachers and projects and friends and opportunities for academic success. But for too many others, the new school year brings a growing risk, and that is juvenile crime. Across the country, 64 percent of violent juvenile crime happens on school days, peaking between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. At a time when violent juvenile crime is rising across the country, I know many communities, including in Tennessee, are looking to the new year with apprehension. After years of steadily declining juvenile crime, in 2023, Shelby County saw a staggering 4,546 juvenile charges. Now, that is up 37 percent from 2021, and that spike in Memphis follows spikes we are seeing in cities like Washington, DC, and New York City, where the average age of a carjacking suspect last year was 15 years old. Now, young people are facing little supervision at the end of the schoolday and before their parents get home from work, and they are being lured into gangs that plague cities with theft, drug dealing, and murder. In Memphis, there are at least 30 criminal gangs that are out recruiting children as young as 8 years old into their operations. Every young American and Tennessean deserves the opportunity to succeed and avoid the dangers of criminal activity, and Congress has an incredible opportunity to help ensure that. Alongside Senator Cortez Masto, I have introduced the AFTER SCHOOL Act, which would create a grant program administered through the Justice Department for local communities like Memphis to establish, maintain, and strengthen afterschool programs with the goal of reducing violent crime among juveniles. Time and again, afterschool programs--ranging from athletics and tutoring to music and volunteer work--have proven to be successful at keeping young children out of trouble and focused on their own personal development. Across two different studies conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago, afterschool programs helped reduce arrests among at-risk teens by 28 to 35 percent and violent crime by 45 to 50 percent. Recidivism rates among participants, meanwhile, fell 21 percent. At the same time, studies have shown that afterschool programs improve behavior in class, decrease the likelihood of drug abuse, and promote academic success. The success of these programs is a big reason why the Memphis City Council unanimously endorsed and supported this bipartisan legislation. With juvenile crime on the rise, the lives of countless young Tennesseans and Americans are at stake, and I call on all of my colleagues to support the AFTER SCHOOL Act to secure a brighter future for our Nation's youth. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 806, which is at the desk.

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, while he is still here on the floor, for his diligence and his work and his partnership as we have worked on the Kids Online Safety Act. Indeed, he has put many hours, as his team has also put many hours, into this. As we get ready to move forward with passage, I think we have to remember that it was 1998 the last time this body took up and passed a bill that became law that protected children in the virtual space. And a lot has changed since then. We have seen the emergence of social media. We have seen 100 million Americans born during that period of time. So thinking about these platforms and that emergence, when you think about Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat and TikTok and online video games, those interactive games that are pulling kids into those, you think about how social media has changed the lives and the exposure of children today. They have grown up in this. And, as Senator Blumenthal said, Mr. President, it is so important to note that there are laws that protect children from buying alcohol, buying tobacco, buying pornography, being taken to a strip show. We, as a society, have decided kids can't drive until they are 16 years old and they can't vote until they are 18 years old. But when you look at the social media platforms, there are no guardrails, and children are constantly exposed--constantly exposed--to content that encourages self-harm. That is why we have started to see, over the last decade, such a rise in cyber bullying. I had one mom tell me her child was bullied to death--cyber-bullied nonstop. I had a principal tell me--he said: You know, Marsha, it is interesting. Previously, in previous decades, children could go home and get away from the schoolyard bully. Now, that takes place over that phone, and it never stops. Indeed, many of the behavioral issues at school are related to what is happening online. And we have seen a rise in mental health disorders. We have seen an increase in eating disorders, online sexual abuse, human trafficking, drug overdoses in teens, and of course, suicides--online challenges where a child loses their life. And we have seen how, the way Big Tech approaches this, our kids are basically defenseless. That is why the Kids Online Safety Act has moved forward, as Senator Blumenthal said. We have worked on this. We have met with colleagues. We have met with wonderful parents. We have met with principals and pediatricians and so many people that are involved in children's lives. That is why this legislation is focused on safety by design. And that is a change. That will be a change for social media. It will have that duty of care. There will be that toolbox for kids and parents to make it a safer environment. Those algorithms are going to have to be opened up. There is going to have to be a portal so bad actors in the virtual space can be reported, and the social media platforms will have to do something about it. When we started focusing on these issues and doing our hearings, what became so evident to us, social media platforms knew. They knew that what they were doing and what they were allowing was causing harm. They knew it because the whistleblowers from those companies told us they knew it. But, you know what, they were putting profits before children. So they did it anyway. They did it knowing they were harming our children. But children are not a product when they are online. That is the way social media has treated them. Indeed, Meta assigned a value to each child. That child is worth $270 a year to that company. That is the callous nature with which they have approached this. So we are ready to move forward with this today, and we do thank the parents who have shared their stories with us and have done more. They have advocated. They have worked. They have pulled neighbors and friends and those who work with children into a coalition. It has been pretty powerful. So we are ready to move forward with this, and we do thank Senator Blumenthal and his team. We thank the other Members of the Senate, the 70 cosponsors that are on this legislation with us. We thank Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell for their work. Commerce Committee Chairman Cantwell and Ranking Member Cruz all have been supportive of moving this legislation. And it is, indeed, a testament to building consensus around bipartisan solutions that are going to last. We also thank all of the groups and organizations that have worked with us to make certain that this legislation gets across the finish line. And as we pass it today and send it over to the House, we know that we have Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers and Congresswoman Kathy Castor and Congressman Bilirakis. Castor and Bilirakis are the House leads on this legislation. There is broad bipartisan support in the House, and we know that the House leadership is supporting it. And we are ready to move this across the finish line and to the President's desk so that as kids head to school this year, they know they have new tools in the toolbox to protect themselves as they are in the virtual space.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, who has worked so diligently on this. This legislation has been years in the making, as he has said. Basically, the amending process has gone on for 3 years. And as I mentioned, 70 Members of this body have joined to sponsor this legislation. To the concerns that my colleague expressed, I want him to know this is not a speech bill. This is not a content bill. No agency can make rules on speech. Nonprofits are not covered in this bill. There is no rulemaking. News outlets are not covered in this. The government is given no new authority. And when he mentioned websites and blogs, the Kids Online Safety Act only covers social media, social networks, multiplayer online video games, social messaging apps, video streaming services. It does not include blogs and personal websites. Now, the question he was saying that the Kids Online Safety Act covers platforms that are run by nonprofits: Websites run by nonprofit organizations, which often host important and valuable education and support services, are not covered in the scope of this legislation. And these are important points to make. And as Senator Blumenthal said, reading the bill, you see this is a product design. The duty of care that is there, it requires social media companies to prevent and mitigate certain harms that they know their platforms and products are causing to young users as a result of their design choices, such as their recommendation algorithms, their addictive product features. The specific covered harms include suicide, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and sexual exploitation. And these are the reasons for having this duty of care and having this included in the Kids Online Safety Act. But, no, it is not a speech bill. It is not a content bill. It does not include rulemaking authority. It has no rulemaking authority in the legislation, and it does not give additional authority to the government, and it does not give more authority to State attorneys general or to the FTC. So I think the fears are unfounded. This is a good product, good legislation. We have worked with our colleagues. We have heard from thousands--thousands--of kids and parents, pediatricians, teachers, principals, mental health professionals, and everyone has come to the table to say: It is time to hold Big Tech accountable for what is happening to our kids. And I yield back to my colleague from Connecticut.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I know we are waiting for our colleague from Indiana to come to the floor, so as we do, today, we are moving to a cloture vote on the Kids Online Safety Act. This is something Senator Blumenthal and I have worked on over the last 3 years, and we are grateful that we are now to this day. We introduced this bill about 3 years ago, after a series of hearings where it became evident that platforms like Instagram knew they were causing rising rates of eating disorders, mental health issues among teenage girls, and yet they were downplaying these harms. Since then, we have seen more and more evidence that Big Tech is focused on putting profit over children's safety. Children are the product when they are online. We have seen internal documents from these companies that show they know what they are doing to our kids. We have worked tirelessly over the last 3 years to get this bill in shape. It will create new tools for parents to identify harmful behavior and to report abuse directly to those social media sites. It will provide new controls for families to support their children, including to opt out of algorithmic recommendations. It will require mandatory audits of the social media platforms to ensure that the platforms are mitigating harms to children. Perhaps most importantly, it will create a duty of care for online platforms to prevent and mitigate specific dangers to minors, including the promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, and sexual exploitation. Without real and enforceable reforms, social media companies will only continue to pay lipservice to the issue of protecting children while putting profits over their safety. I am grateful to my colleague Senator Blumenthal and to Senator Schumer for his leadership in allowing the vote today. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, this week the Senate is taking a historic step in the fight to protect children online by bringing the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act to the floor. Last Congress, Senator Blumenthal and I introduced KOSA following disturbing reports that Meta leadership knew its platform Instagram is toxic to teenage girls, causing rising rates of eating disorders and mental health issues, but Meta downplayed these harms in public. During a series of five subcommittee hearings, we heard testimony from social media companies, advocates, and parents on the repeated failures of tech giants to protect kids, to protect them from pro- suicide content, from drug dealers, from sexual predators, from eating disorder content, from human traffickers, and so much more. For years, the Big Tech giants refused to meaningfully address these problems, but that changes with KOSA, which will finally hold them accountable. Congress has not passed a major law to protect children online since 1998, and a lot has changed in the last 25 years. But this moment would have been impossible without the hundreds of parents, including many who have tragically lost their children to social media harms. They have traveled to Washington over the past several years to share their heartbreaking stories and to demand action to protect our children. Senator Blumenthal and I could not have accomplished this without their voices, and I want to thank all of our friends and our allies for their work in getting this bill to the floor. One thing is certain: Moms on a Mission have always proven to be an unstoppable force, and, indeed, they are. I also want to thank Leader Schumer, Commerce Committee Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Cruz, and our 68 Senate cosponsors for helping us get here. Once the Senate formally passes KOSA, our work is not done. We must ensure that the House quickly passes this bill and sends it to the President's desk.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, 80 years ago this month, America and our allies embarked on a mission that would change the course of history. We stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Along with our allies, we formed the largest armada in world history, with more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft, with the goal of liberating Nazi-occupied Europe and defending the free world. To our country's eternal gratitude, these brave soldiers succeeded in their mission. On the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, I joined a bipartisan Senate delegation to Normandy to honor the Americans--among them, Tennesseans--who put their lives on the line in the name of freedom. Of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II, less than 1 percent are still with us today. So it was a special honor to meet with some of those brave heroes who served, and we sat together as we commemorated this day. Among them was Tennessee native Cletis Bailey, who fought to liberate Europe while serving in the 84th Infantry Division. Two years ago, at the age of 96, Mr. Bailey received a Bronze Star for fighting at the Battle of the Bulge. That was 76 years after his service had come to an end. Like so many Americans who served in World War II, Mr. Bailey was gracious and humble about the incredible sacrifices that he made to defend the country. It was a powerful reminder that the ``greatest generation'' viewed their service to our country, even through the horrors of war, as their duty as American citizens. But during the memorial ceremonies, these heroes received the recognition they deserve in front of a crowd of 10,000 people from all over the world. It was so moving to see French President Macron recognize 11 U.S. veterans with the Legion of Honor--France's highest distinction--for their role in helping to free France from Nazi oppression. While we thanked the surviving D-Day veterans for their service, our delegation also honored the brave soldiers who never returned home to America. In Normandy, there is no greater symbol of their sacrifice than the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, which holds the graves of 9,387 American war dead. Many of these warriors fell just hundreds of feet away from the cemetery grounds right there on Omaha Beach--the site of the fiercest fighting on D-Day, where U.S. forces suffered approximately 2,400 casualties. While many markers of the landings have long since disappeared, along the coastline, you will still see fortifications which Nazi forces used to rain machine gun fire on American soldiers who stormed the beaches to free a continent. In so many ways, Normandy is a reminder that America is the home of the free because of the brave. And while we can never repay their sacrifices, we must ensure that no veteran is ever left behind-- especially when it comes to the benefits and the quality care they deserve. In the Senate, I have championed legislation to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs' caregiver program and protect veterans' personal information. Thankfully, both of these bills have become law, but there is much more that needs to be done to honor their service. That is why I introduced the Veterans Health Care Freedom Act, which would expand healthcare options for veterans by allowing them to seek care in their local communities instead of VA facilities that are often far away from their homes. These efforts will not only benefit our Nation's veterans but also the more than 1.2 million Active-Duty troops when their service comes to an end. During the delegation trip, I was pleased to meet many of these brave warriors, including members of Fort Campbell's 101st Airborne Division who live in Tennessee. On D-Day, the 101st was crucial to the Allies' victory, parachuting into France behind enemy lines to clear a path for the infantry divisions that were storming the beaches. Eighty years later, the current members of the 101st honored this incredible legacy, conducting an air assault drill in Carentan, a French town liberated by the 101st. The outpouring of support for our veterans and servicemembers was a powerful reminder of General Eisenhower's words to the 175,000-strong expeditionary force on the eve of the D-Day landings: that--then and now--``the hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with'' America and our Armed Forces. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, 105 years ago today, this Chamber did something truly historic: It passed the 19th Amendment to secure the right to vote for American women. The amendment's ratification by the States 1 year later marked the largest enfranchisement in U.S. history, extending the vote to 26 million Americans. This incredible achievement fulfilled more than 70 years of tireless efforts by brave suffragists to make our country a more perfect Union, including many Tennessee women: Abbey Crawford Milton from Chattanooga, Ida B. Wells from Memphis, and Anne Dallas Dudley from Nashville. On this anniversary, I am especially reminded of Febb Burn of Niota, TN. In the summer of 1920, the Tennessee General Assembly was in a heated debate about whether Tennessee would ratify the 19th Amendment. At the time, 35 States had already voted to ratify the amendment, so only 1 more was needed to make the 19th Amendment the law of the land. On the day of the vote in Nashville, Febb Burn wrote a letter to her son, Harry Burn, the youngest member of the Tennessee State Legislature. She urged her son to support the amendment. She wrote: Hurrah and vote for suffrage and don't keep them in doubt. At first, Harry pinned a red rose--the symbol of the anti-suffragist movement--to his shirt and voted to table the amendment in back-to-back deadlocked votes, but with his mother's letter in his coat pocket, Harry ultimately listened to her advice, switched his vote, and switched to a yellow rose on that lapel, making Tennessee the 36th and final State to ratify the 19th Amendment. As the first woman to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate, I have a special appreciation for the women who fought this fight, and I have worked to honor their legacy and advance their cause. But as we remember the suffragists on this anniversary, it is important to recognize that women are still fighting for a seat at the table and recognition for their achievements. Look no further than the National Mall right here in our Nation's Capital. This 2-mile stretch of land--America's front yard, as it is known--honors our Nation's history and ideals with monuments, memorials, and statues of incredible Americans who have made tremendous sacrifices to make our country a more perfect Union. Yet, among the 40 monuments, not 1 is dedicated to American women. That is why, alongside Senator Baldwin, I introduced the bipartisan Women's Suffrage National Monument Location Act, which would finally secure a monument honoring women's history on the National Mall. This monument will commemorate the women's suffragist movement, the passage of the 19th Amendment, and the incredible women who fought to secure the vote for millions of Americans. The House unanimously passed this legislation in November. Now the Senate should vote to make this memorial a reality and honor the giants who paved the way for generations of American women. I urge every Member of this Chamber to join Senator Baldwin and me in supporting the Women's Suffrage National Monument Location Act. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I have found this conversation so interesting. I will remind my colleagues that H.R. 2, a border security bill, actually did come to the Senate, and it has been here since May 15 of 2023--an actual border security bill--and the fact that the provisions in front of us are not border security provisions are things that are of concern.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I think the esteemed chairman of the Judiciary Committee is misreading the bill because this would apply to people who are entering the United States. It would apply to those who are coming to the southern border. This is a process that had been in place. The Biden administration chose to stop this process. What we understand is that they chose to stop this because the test takes 45 minutes--45 minutes to determine if that child is or is not related, 45 minutes to determine if that child should be left with those adults. Thirty percent of the children that are DNA-tested at that southern border are found to not be related to the adult who is holding them by the hand, who is bringing them into the country. So I would ask my colleagues, is 45 minutes too much time to take to be sure that a child is secure? We have had 10 million people come to that border. We have had 400,000 of those children. Don't we want to provide the best for these children and separate them from traffickers? By the way, HHS has lost track of 85,000 of these children. They can't tell the Presiding Officer's committee where those children are. They can't tell the Judiciary Committee where those children are-- 85,000 children. We do not know if they are dead or alive. We do not know if they are being labor trafficked, sex trafficked. We do not know what is happening. DNA testing is a way to help save some of these children. We should return to this policy. By the way, again I will mention that H.R. 2 has been in here. The Homeland Security Committee has had 374 days to have a markup on a border security bill. They chose not to. The Judiciary Committee could have had a markup on a border security bill. They did not do it. But they are bringing a political stunt bill to the floor today to try to push it through to give cover to vulnerable Members of your party. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, this week, we are taking a big step forward in the fight to end online child exploitation. The bipartisan REPORT Act, which you and I led, has been signed into law, and now law enforcement and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children-- or NCMEC, as we call it--will have the resources that they need to better protect vulnerable children and track down these predators and pedophiles. This legislation has been urgently needed. And, Mr. President, I thank you for your leadership on this issue. Here is a frightening statistic: In America, a child is bought or sold for sexual exploitation once every 2 minutes. In this country, in 2024, a child is bought or sold for sex once every 2 minutes. This abuse increasingly happens in the virtual space, where predators distribute child sexual abuse material; they recruit minors into sex trafficking rings; and they extort children into sharing explicit images of themselves. Just last year, NCMEC received 36.2 million reports of online child sexual exploitation, a 23-percent increase over 2021. NCMEC, whose CyberTipline serves as our country's centralized reporting system for online child abuse, does incredible work to track down these crimes and report them to law enforcement. But, tragically, so many more acts of online sexual abuse against children are going unreported. Although criminal law requires electronic service providers to report any child sex abuse material on their sites, online platforms-- including Big Tech sites, such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram--have no obligation to report content involving the sex trafficking or grooming of children or enticement crimes. Most online platforms choose not to report this abhorrent material to law enforcement. And even when they do report the content, electronic service providers often omit necessary information to identify victims and track down their abusers. We have also heard from victims, their families, and law enforcement about the need to modernize laws around reporting online sexual abuse. For example, children and their parents risk legal liability for transferring evidence of online sexual abuse that they have experienced when submitting reports to the NCMEC CyberTipline. The REPORT Act addresses these issues and more to ensure that they are defending children against some of the most heinous crimes imaginable. Now, electronic service providers will be legally required to report child trafficking and enticement. To ensure compliance with the law, the REPORT Act raises the fine for first violations from $150,000 up to as much as $850,000, and subsequent violations, that fee is raised from $300,000 up to $1 million. At the same time, the legislation enables victims to report evidence of online exploitation to the authorities and allows for the secure cloud storage and safe transfer of reports from NCMEC to law enforcement. It also increases the retention period for CyberTipline reports from 90 days to 1 full year; meaning, law enforcement will have more time to track down and prosecute these criminals. All together, these measures will do so much to protect the most vulnerable among us from online exploitation and help to put an end to this horrific abuse. Protests Mr. President, across the country, we are witnessing one of the worst waves of anti-Semitism that we have ever seen in our Nation's history. I appreciate that my colleague from Oklahoma spoke previously to this. One of the things that we have learned is a little bit about the leading perpetrators of these protests that are taking place. What we have found is that far-left activists, including college students at some of the most prestigious universities, are involved in these activities. We have all seen the pro-Hamas demonstrators who are harassing and intimidating Jewish students. They are blocking them from attending class or even from accessing public spaces. They are doing this with these protests and with these illegal encampments. Here are some examples of what we have had reported to us and what we have seen from individuals who are walking through these encampments with their cell phones. At Columbia University, activists chanted: ``We are Hamas'' and ``Long live Hamas.'' At George Washington University, one pro-Hamas demonstrator walked around campus with a sign calling for a ``Final Solution'' against the Jewish people. We have seen activists hand out fliers calling for ``Death to America'' and ``Death to Israeli real estate.'' And at schools like Princeton, students have waved the flag of terror groups, including the flag of Hezbollah. One thing should be obvious, the anti-Israel protests on campuses across this country are hotbeds for terrorist sympathizers and for anti-Jewish hatred. Never did I think I would see this in the United States of America. In fact, some of these college groups who are out protesting, including at Columbia, have allegedly held events with the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. These demonstrations have absolutely no place in America, and Tennesseans are telling me these demonstrations have no place in our great State of Tennessee. But instead of cracking down on these activists and the students who are out there peddling anti-Semitism and are glorifying terrorism, many schools are beginning to bow to their demands. I find this abhorrent and disgusting. In negotiations with pro-Hamas demonstrators, Northwestern University agreed to offer coveted faculty positions to Palestinian academics and set aside full-ride scholarships for Palestinian students. To appease its pro-Hamas students, Brown University, last week, agreed to hold a vote on divesting from Israel. After negotiating with pro-Hamas activists for weeks, Columbia University has canceled its commencement ceremony. We can only bring an end to this disturbing illegal behavior when there are actual consequences. College students who promote terrorism on behalf of Hamas should be added to the TSA No Fly List, and we should deport foreign students on visas who support Hamas--a U.S.-designated terror organization. And universities that allow anti-Semitism on their campuses should be defunded. The Stop Anti-Semitism on College Campuses Act, which I introduced alongside Senator Tim Scott, would ensure that happens. Instead of standing up for Jewish students, President Biden has drawn, unfortunately, a moral equivalence between pro-Hamas activists and pro-Israel Americans. When asked about the anti-Semitic demonstrations last month, the President said he ``condemn[s] those who don't understand what is going on with the Palestinians.'' At the same time, the President has focused on pushing billions in new illegal student loan forgiveness--forgiveness that could very well benefit the students who are out leading these demonstrations. So that is why I have joined my Senate Republican colleagues in introducing the No Bailouts for Campus Criminals Act, which would make any person who is convicted of a State or Federal offense in connection with a campus protest ineligible for any Federal student loan forgiveness. The President is also reportedly looking to welcome Gazans to America as refugees. According to a recent poll, 71 percent of Gazans said they supported Hamas's horrific October 7 attack on Israeli civilians. Seventy-one percent of Gazans said they supported Hamas's horrific attack on October 7. More than 300 individuals on the Terror Watchlist have entered our country under President Biden, but, for some reason, this administration thinks that they can vet Gazans, who elected Hamas as their government, who support the terrorist attack. They think they can properly vet them and bring them into this country? Have they not asked Egypt, Jordan, other countries in the region why they will not take these Palestinian refugees? I think it would be instructive. Our country cannot afford more failed leadership and not knowing who is coming into this country who may wish us harm. We would like to see the President rescind this and review his priorities and make it his priority to protect the American people. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN

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