Benjamin Cardin

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I rise in strong support of the nomination of U.S. Magistrate Judge Adam Abelson to be elevated to become a U.S. district judge for the District of Maryland. I joined with Senator Van Hollen to recommend this nominee to President Biden. Judge Abelson, who lives in Baltimore and now serves as a U.S. magistrate judge in our Baltimore courthouse, has been nominated to fill the current vacancy that occurred due to former Chief Judge James Bredar recently taking senior status. Senator Van Hollen and I worked to establish a judicial selection committee in Maryland, including an open application process. In particular, we sought out a highly qualified and diverse applicant pool. Our committee interviewed numerous applicants. Senator Van Hollen and I then personally interviewed several finalists before recommending names to the White House. I want to tell you that this was an extremely competitive process. We had a very, very large number of well-qualified people who sought to serve as judge in our district court. Judge Abelson rose to the top, and we are very proud to make that recommendation. Judge Abelson has been a U.S. magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland since September of 2023. Prior to his judicial service, Judge Abelson worked in private practice at Zuckerman Spaeder from 2012 to 2023, rising from associate to partner. He served as a law clerk for both Judge Andre Davis on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as Judge Catherine Blake on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Judge Abelson received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the New York University School of Law and his B.A. from Princeton University. Before law school, Judge Abelson served in Santiago, Chile, as a research fellow for the Human Rights Watch. In private practice, he has represented clients in complex civil litigation, white-collar criminal defense, and government investigations. He maintained an active pro bono practice and was deeply involved in the community and legal profession. He served as chair of the American Bar Association's Working Group on Building Public Trust in the American Justice System, in which he worked to develop the ABA's ``Ten Guidelines on Court Fines and Fees.'' He coordinated its development of the ABA's ``Principles on Law Enforcement Body-Worn Camera Policies.'' He served on the board of the Job Opportunities Task Force, including serving as the vice chair, and served as a board member and officer of the Maryland chapter of the Federal Bar Association. I think you can see that Judge Abelson has been deeply involved in the legal community and in our community in order to be able to properly serve as a magistrate judge. In September of 2023, Judge Abelson was appointed by the bench to serve as a U.S. magistrate judge for the District of Maryland, where he now sits in Baltimore. As a sitting Federal magistrate judge, Judge Abelson presides over preliminary criminal proceedings, including initial appearances, detention hearings, and arraignments. He handles Federal misdemeanor offenses and reviews applications for search and arrest warrants, pen registers, and trap and trace devices. On the civil side, he presides over civil proceedings by consent of the parties, conducts settlement conferences in civil lawsuits, and decides discovery disputes and nondispositive motions. If confirmed as a district judge, he would continue to serve in the same court where he now sits as a magistrate judge and where he has practiced for many years as a private law firm attorney. I think you can see he is extremely well qualified for this position. He has the experience and he has the background to serve as a U.S. district court judge for Maryland. I was delighted to recommend the nomination of Judge Abelson to President Biden, along with Senator Van Hollen. Judicial nominees must meet the highest standards of integrity, competence, and temperament. I am confident that Judge Abelson will safeguard the rights of all Marylanders, uphold the Constitution and rule of law, and faithfully follow the judicial oath to ``do equal right to the poor and to the rich.'' Judge Abelson will serve the people of Maryland well if confirmed for this lifetime appointment. He has strong legal and judicial qualifications and demonstrates a track record of public service. Let me just say that the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary gave Judge Abelson a rating, unanimously, of ``well qualified,'' which, as you all know, is the highest possible rating. And the Judiciary Committee favorably reported Judge Abelson with a bipartisan vote in July of this year. I know that public service is a family affair and sacrifice. I particularly want to thank Judge Abelson's family for agreeing to share him with the people of Maryland in the interest of public service. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to confirm his nomination so he can continue to serve the public as a district court judge. With that, I see my colleague Senator Van Hollen is on the floor. Let me just comment that it has been a real pleasure for me to work with Senator Van Hollen as we have gone through the process of filling our judicial nominations in Maryland. And he has been an extremely valuable Member in recruiting and making sure we only recommend the very best to the Senate for confirmation. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Would my colleague yield for a comment?

Mr. CARDIN. To Senator Wicker, I am glad that you mentioned Eddie Crossman. As you know, we have had a chance to be together when Eddie Crossman has been our escort. And I just want to underscore that your comments represent my thoughts as well. He is a true professional. I told him that what he has done in making sure that our representation around the world is done in a professional manner, that we stick to the important reasons for our missions, that he handles all of this with safety and the way it should be done--he is an incredible individual who served our Nation. And I just really want to join you in thanking him for his service to our country and his service to the U.S. Senate and advancing policies of our country globally that are critically important for our national security. So I thank you for taking the time. I should have thought about it and done it myself, but thank you for giving me the opportunity to stand with you to thank Eddie for his service.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to once again call attention to the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Our Presiding Officer knows about this conflict very well. It is one of the most tragic circumstances that we have anywhere in the world. The humanitarian crisis is beyond description. The ethnic cleansing and tragedies of two factions at war has made this a living hell for so many people in that region. After more than a year of brutal violence, the two sides may come together soon to talk. We certainly hope that is the case. This is a critical first step to ending the fighting that erupted last year in a country that has seen decades of war. I want to acknowledge the Biden-Harris administration and Special Envoy Tom Perriello for their work in Sudan. It was not easy to get here, and I hope the effort to launch a dialogue this month is successful. Despite the best efforts of this administration, the violence and humanitarian crisis continues, and the international community is falling willfully short. While we wait for talks to begin, civilians on the ground are being killed, abused, and forced out of their homes. Nearly 11 million people have been displaced, half the population--close to 26 million--face crisis levels of starvation. So 750,000 people are on the brink of starvation. According to one published report, 2.5 million more people will die because of the conditions related to the conflict and the use of food as a weapon of war. Credible rights organizations claim that genocide has once again occurred in Darfur. I remember Darfur, and we said never again. And it is happening again in Darfur. But there are no clear U.S. or U.N. plans to ensure humanitarian access across borders or across military lines. As the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I come to the floor to say we need to take urgent action now. We need to work with our partners and allies to pressure the parties to agree to an immediate cease-fire and for both sides to make it stick this time. To its credit, the Biden-Harris administration has imposed sanctions on a variety of actors, including at the senior levels of both warring parties. But our partners and allies have not followed suit. In fact, just this week, the Sentry released an analysis of the multilateral sanctions regime and found that the European Union, in particular, has lagged behind in this implementation. It is time--it is past time--to do more. It is time for our allies to prioritize these measures so we are speaking with one voice to the warring parties. We need also to work urgently with our African and European partners to devise concrete measures the international community can take to protect civilians from a repeat of last year's mass atrocities. And we need to focus on the next phase: creating and protecting space for the Sudanese civilians to establish a path toward a peaceful democratic transition and accountability for those responsible for the atrocities in contravention of international humanitarian law, including unspeakable acts of sexual violence and systematic use of starvation as a weapon of war. We should not let them get away with their corrupt schemes that pillage the Sudanese people's resources. We should not let them extinguish Sudan's transition to democracy. That means taking steps against those actors who supply or facilitate arms and military materiel to any side in Sudan. It means enforcing the existing United Nations arms embargo and pushing for its extension to cover all of Sudan so that neither side responsible for the violence is protected or immune. And it means working collectively through the United Nations and other multilateral institutions to support these efforts. And it means that the international community and the United Nations must pursue any and all means to deliver humanitarian assistance into the hands of the Sudanese people and ensure robust funding for the humanitarian response as the situation demands. Sierra Leone is taking up the presidency of the Security Council. It is imperative that we work together on action plans to protect civilians, on support for coordinated peace negotiations, on initiatives to end the impasse on humanitarian access, and on accountability. I have said this before, but every life is precious. The Sudanese people want to live in peace and security and prosperity. And so I urge all those who fight for justice, for those who fight against atrocities, for those who fight against famine, let us come together with the Sudanese people and, after decades of war, let us end this conflict once and for all.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I rise today to honor the 225th anniversary of the publication of the Star Democrat in Easton, MD. The Star Democrat was founded August 21, 1799, during the first session of the fifth Congress. First founded as the Republican Star, their original philosophy of individual liberty, local autonomy, and limited central government continues to this day. Since its founding, the Star Democrat has been published during the administrations of 45 of the 46 Presidents of the United States of America and during all but one of the Nation's major wars. Over the years, the newspaper has merged with other weekly newspapers published in Easton and gone through various name changes, arriving finally at the Star Democrat. In August 1974, the newspaper celebrated its 175th anniversary and converted from weekly to daily publication, 5 days a week. In the fall of 1978, the newspaper moved from downtown Easton to its current plant at 29088 Airpark Drive. In October 1988, the newspaper launched its Sunday edition, the Sunday Star, now one of its two largest issues of the week. In 1996, the Star Democrat added its Web edition, www.stardem.com. Throughout its prestigious history, the Star Democrat has overcome many challenges. The office and equipment were destroyed by two fires, it was wrecked by a mob of vandals, and one of its editors was arrested and exiled by Federal troops during the Civil War. Yet the Star Democrat has continued to persevere and has been a thoughtful voice for Easton and Maryland Eastern Shore for more than two centuries. This longevity is noteworthy at a time when local journalism is under great strain nationwide. The newspaper is published Sunday and Wednesday through Friday and serves readers in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, and Talbot Counties on Maryland's central Eastern Shore. On behalf of all Marylanders, I thank them for their dedication to a free press and congratulate them on this major milestone.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology be discharged of S. Res. 750 and the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions: S. Res. 750, S. Res. 789, and S. Res. 790.

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, 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, all en bloc.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, shortly we are going to be voting on the cloture motion for the confirmation of Dorothy Shea, the nominee for Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations. I come to the floor today as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We have recommended to the Senate in a very strong bipartisan vote the support of Dorothy Shea to be the Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations. We need a full team in place to fight for the interests of the United States and our allies at the United Nations; to counter adversaries like China and Russia; to work with our allies to respond to conflicts, from Ukraine to Sudan; to ensure that the United States is at the table for conversations on the role of technology and AI; and to stand up against anti-Semitism on the global stage. Yet our mission to the United Nations has been without a Senate-confirmed Deputy for nearly 2 years. This post is not only crucial to managing the safety and security of U.S. and foreign personnel during U.N. meetings of heads of State in New York in September, the Deputy plays a key role in the policy planning process. At a time when strong U.S. leadership at the U.N. is so important, we need someone in this post who has experience tackling the complexities of the United Nations General Assembly; someone who will make sure the U.N. is positioned to take on the challenges of the future, including reforms; someone who will multiply our engagement in the Security Council and General Assembly, working alongside Ambassador Thomas- Greenfield; someone who is not afraid to stand up for American values. That is why, as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I fully support Dorothy Shea's confirmation to this post. Ambassador Shea has decades of experience working in the Foreign Service, at the State Department, and with the National Security Council. She is a career senior Foreign Service officer who has proudly served both Democratic and Republican administrations for 32 years, including working for colleagues across the aisle on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. While she was our chief diplomat in Lebanon, Ambassador Shea was awarded the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award for sustained extraordinary accomplishment. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated her deep commitment and ability to advance U.S. interests. At a time of war and escalating humanitarian crises worldwide, we can count on Ambassador Shea to represent U.S. interests at the United Nations. From advancing the peace process in the Middle East and Sudan, to revitalizing the global humanitarian system, to implementing institutional reforms at the United Nations, she will work to find solutions to our global challenges. I strongly urge support for her nomination. I urge my colleagues to support the cloture on her nomination so that we can get a confirmed Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations. I yield the floor. Nomination of Joseph F. Saporito, Jr.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I have nine 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. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, first I have got to acknowledge that I am not objective when it comes to Margaret Taylor, since I have had a chance to work with her. When I was the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, she was the legal counsel for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the Democrats. She was well respected in the legal advice that she gave us, both to Republicans and Democrats, and well respected by all Members of our committee. She is an outstanding public servant and is desperately needed to have a confirmed position for legal counsel in the State Department. And, I must tell you, it is no surprise that all of the living former Legal Advisers, from Reagan to Trump--40 years, Democrats and Republicans--wrote to our committee to strongly endorse her and urge her prompt confirmation. In regards to the two points that Senator Risch has raised, one in regards to the interpretation of reproductive rights, she advised full compliance with U.S. law, including relating to statutory restrictions on foreign assistance related to reproductive health. It is the same advice that was given by general counsel to the Trump administration. There was no difference between the two administrations. And as for the issue concerning Mr. Malley, that issue was 6 months before this nomination was considered. This nomination needs to be confirmed. We need to have a confirmed person in this position. There has been no substantive argument as to why she should not be confirmed. She is highly qualified. I urge my colleagues to support the nomination. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. I want to thank Senator Ernst for arranging this time. This is a critical moment. We are close to having a deal where the hostages can be released. It is important that we all speak out. I want to thank Senator Ernst for arranging this time. To Senator Rosen, thank you for your incredible leadership on this issue. I thank you for your comments. I certainly concur in those comments. We just left a meeting with the hostage families that are here. I have been meeting with the hostage families regularly since October 7. I first want to acknowledge their courage for putting a face on these issues and motivating us to do more. I made a commitment when I was in Israel in October that I would do everything in my power to get the hostages released. And, every day, I look at opportunities and I ask my staff to look for opportunities so we can get the hostages released. Let me make this clear. Hamas is responsible for the hostages. They have taken them. They never should have. Some died under their custody, and there are still hostages who haven't been released after 291 days. I had the opportunity to be in Buenos Aires last week, representing the United States at the 30th commemoration of the AMIA bombing, the Jewish community center where 85 lost their lives. It was a very moving ceremony in which the families of the victims of the Jewish community center bombing spoke. They want to make sure we never forget the names of those 85. And they demanded justice. It has been 30 years, and justice still has not been handed down to Hezbollah and Hamas and Iran, who are responsible for those attacks. We are demanding the release of the hostages that were taken on October 7, and we will not forget their names--the eight Americans who have not yet been accounted for. Omer--I just met his family--a 22-year-old born leader, grew up in Long Island. He was the regional president of the United Synagogue Youth and captain of many sports teams. He is being held by Hamas. You heard about the others: Itay, Edan, Hersh, Sagui, Keith, Judith, and Gadi. They are just the eight Americans that are being held. All the hostages need to be released, and they need to be released now. Two hundred ninety-one days--it is outrageous. Mr. President, I wanted to join Senator Ernst today to make it clear that there is no justification for the holding of the hostages. We have an opportunity to reach an agreement. Let's do this. Let's get it done. Let's get the hostages home. Let's hold the perpetrators accountable for the atrocities that they have perpetrated. And let's find a path for real security and peace in the Middle East, for the Palestinians and the Israelis. There is no room for peace in the Middle East with Hamas. They need to be held accountable for these atrocities, and the hostages need to be released today. Let us all join together in unity to get the hostages home. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, just to alert our colleagues, it is my intention at the end of this debate to make a point of order that this joint resolution is not entitled to privilege under 50 U.S.C. 1546a due to U.S. troops not being engaged in hostilities, but in order to allow the debate to continue, I will withhold that motion until the end of discussions. This resolution that is before us would be an unprecedented invocation of the expedited procedures in the War Powers Resolution. I am a strong supporter of the War Powers. I think it is an appropriate use of oversight on our power to commit our troops to harm's way. This resolution does not seek to remove U.S. forces from hostilities but, rather, to end a specific mission. The War Powers is to deal with our military troops, not to deal with tactical military and nonmilitary actions. The Senate should not allow the privileged vehicles intended for entirely different purposes to be used as a backdoor effort to stop humanitarian assistance. Let me be clear about this. American boots are not on the ground in Gaza. The U.S. troops who are operating the pier in question are not engaged in hostilities or in carrying out a mission that requires the authorization of the use of military force. They are facilitating the delivery of food, water, and other basic humanitarian assistance. The supplies are not even being delivered by U.S. forces. Let me just call to our colleagues' attention what is included in the War Powers Act itself. It deals with U.S. Armed Forces when they are ``[i]nto hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and to the continued use of such forces in hostilities or in such situations.'' That is not what we have here in regards to the pier, so this is not the appropriate use of the War Powers Act. I might tell you, this is somewhat moot because we expect, by the end of this month, for the pier operations to cease. In any event, I think it is important for this body to make clear that we support the War Powers. This is not an appropriate use of the War Powers. For that reason, I will be making a motion, at the end, of a point of order. I understand some of my other colleagues have some points, so I will yield the floor, but I will ask for the floor before the end of the debate.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, let me thank my colleague from West Virginia. I think my colleague is going about it the right way in dealing with the substance of the issue through a resolution and not by invoking the authorities we have for expedited procedures under the War Powers Act. For that reason, I later intend to make a point of order. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, there is no dispute that there is active hostility in Gaza. That is not the issue. The question is whether American troops have been engaged in that hostility, and they are not. That is when the War Powers Act is triggered. American presence through missions are common in areas surrounding active hostilities. That is not unusual. So the use of the War Powers Act in this circumstance would be unprecedented. I would urge my colleagues to recognize there are other ways we can express ourselves. I thank Senator Manchin for giving us that opportunity. But this is the wrong procedure to use. And if all time is yielded back--

Mr. CARDIN. I yield the floor.

Mr. CARDIN. In a brief rebuttal, I will tell you a mission dealing with humanitarian assistance is not introducing our soldiers. Point of Order Mr. President, I yield back our time, and I make a point of order that this joint resolution is not entitled to privilege under 50 U.S.C. 1546a due to U.S. troops not being engaged in hostilities. Vote on Point of Order