Deb Fischer

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. I would suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, this bill is something I think we should all agree upon. Other medical device facilities, manufacturers, currently have this protection when there is a public emergency. They currently enjoy this protection, but this thin band of manufacturers, this thin band that provides these N95s which our healthcare providers need--and I talked to my first responders and firemen who were here this week and told them about this bill, and they said: We need this. We are transporting people to hospitals. In Omaha, NE, the Omaha Fire Department has picked up flights of American citizens who were flown from China to be at Camp Ashland, a National Guard facility between Lincoln and Omaha, and quarantined there. Fortunately, all were healthy, all were fine. Omaha also received 15 people from a cruise ship, and all those people were not fine. These first responders, these firemen from Omaha, transported them to a world-renowned facility, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, but they did not have the proper protection because we are arguing over something that other medical device providers currently have protection on during a public health crisis. I understand that my friends on the other side want to make progress on this issue and on other issues, but that shouldn't stand in the way of getting this done. There is a shortage of respirators, and the U.S. Senate has an opportunity to fix it. We have an opportunity to ensure the American people stay protected and healthy during this public health crisis, but my colleagues on the other side just stopped this from moving forward, and the American people need to understand what just happened here. As a result of this objection, I get to tell my Omaha firefighters that their safety and the health and safety of our healthcare providers in Nebraska and across this country are at risk.

Mrs. FISCHER

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 Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. FISCHER

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

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I rise to voice my opposition to these Articles of Impeachment. I want the people of Nebraska to know how I will vote and why, as the Senate prepares for the trial's final vote. I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and I have a responsibility to be an impartial juror during the trial. I have given fair and careful consideration to the evidence presented during this trial, and I have engaged in the questioning process. This is a process that should be about facts and fairness, and that is what the Senate has done its very best to do, but the reality is that the House of Representatives didn't do its job. Under the Constitution and by precedent, the impeachment investigation is the responsibility of the House, not the Senate. Hearings in the House inquiry during the Nixon impeachment investigation lasted for 14 months. The Clinton impeachment House inquiry relied on years of prior investigation and overwhelming amounts of testimony from firsthand witnesses. President Trump's inquiry in the House was deeply partisan, and it lasted only 12 weeks. Disturbingly, there was a lack of due process during this House investigation. The President was not allowed to have his lawyers cross- examine witnesses at the House Intelligence Committee hearings and depositions. This is the committee that was the lead on the investigative hearings. Shockingly, the President of the United States was prevented from participating in the House's impeachment for 71 of the 78 days of investigation. Our founding document protects the right of the accused. The Constitution explicitly states that no one should ``be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'' Our blueprint for freedom protects all individuals' rights, whether that person is a truckdriver, a farmer, a businesswoman, or the President of the United States. The third branch of government--our court system--is of foundational importance, and we have it for a reason. That reason is to provide every American with the opportunity to have justice in a fair way in accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law. But because House Democrats were in a rush to impeach the President before their holiday break, they decided to abandon the courts completely. It was the House's constitutional right to subpoena witnesses. It was the President's constitutional right to assert privilege. And it was the court's constitutional right to enforce subpoenas. The House did not petition the court to enforce subpoenas. Short-circuiting the process led to an incomplete investigation by the House. Article 1, section 3 of the Constitution provides that ``the Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.'' If the Senate were to become the factfinder in an impeachment investigation, it would completely change the role of the Senate from this point forward, this hallowed Chamber, the world's greatest deliberative body. It would become an investigative arm of the House. Setting this precedent would have a devastating effect on our political institution, transforming the very nature of the Senate during impeachment hearings for generations to come. The Senate is supposed to conduct a fair trial, protect the Constitution, and guarantee due process of law. My Republican colleagues and I understand the gravity of these proceedings. The record shows that President Clinton's impeachment trial was met with a motion filed by Senator Byrd to dismiss the Articles of Impeachment early on. This time, not a single Senator filed such a motion. We approached this process with the seriousness it deserves. Senate Republicans supported a resolution that gave the House managers more than ample time to lay out their case. Since then, we have heard an extraordinary amount of information over the last 2 weeks. The House managers presented 192 video clips with testimony from 13 witnesses and submitted more than 28,000 pages of documents. Senators then submitted 180 questions. After 2 weeks of trial arguments, the House managers failed to make a compelling case that the President should be removed from office; therefore, I will vote for the President's acquittal. I firmly believe it is time for the Senate to move forward and return to the people's business. It is time to refocus our attention on our bipartisan work: providing for our servicemembers, caring for our veterans, funding research to cure diseases that cut short too many lives, fighting the opioid addiction, and improving our criminal justice system. So I speak to Nebraskans and to all Americans in urging every Senator in this Chamber to have the courage, the heart, and the vision to move past this process and work together toward a brighter future for generations to come. That should be our mindset at this pivotal moment. That should be our mindset in everything we do. I urge my colleagues to take the long view and fulfill our constitutional role. Let's reunite around our common goals and our values. Let's bring this process to an end and advance policies that will make life better for Nebraskans and better for all Americans. Thank you. I yield the floor.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I have 2 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: Select Committee on Intelligence The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, at 9 a.m., to conduct a closed briefing. Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety The Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. Chief Justice, I send a question to the desk on behalf of myself, Senator Crapo, and Senator Risch.

Mrs. FISCHER

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

Mrs. FISCHER

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

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 340, S. Res. 385.

Mrs. FISCHER. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to; that the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 337, S. Res. 343.

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

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 341, S. Res. 447.

Mrs. FISCHER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 365, Senate Res. 142.

Mrs. FISCHER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment to the resolution be agreed to.

Mrs. FISCHER. I know of no further debate on the resolution, as amended.

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 368, S. Res. 395.

Mrs. FISCHER. 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.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 366, S. Res. 152.

Mrs. FISCHER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mrs. FISCHER

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 375, S. 1611.

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendments be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.