Maggie Hassan

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 724, which is at the desk.

Ms. HASSAN. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Madam President, I rise today to join Senator Baldwin and Senator Blumenthal and all of my colleagues who are speaking in support of the Women's Health Protection Act. And I want to thank Senator Whitehouse for his eloquence just now in describing the real life and death consequences of the Dobbs decision. I want to thank advocates from Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and other organizations who have been tirelessly pushing for this legislation and standing up and speaking out for reproductive freedom. The grave threat to the health and freedom of women all across our country makes clear that it is more important than ever for Senators, regardless of political parties, to come together and support this critical legislation. Nothing less than the freedom of American women and the future of our democracy itself depends on us doing so. For more than two centuries, each successive generation of Americans has enjoyed more freedoms than the last. By extending the promise of our democracy to all Americans, our country has only become stronger. But the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade brought that story of progress to an abrupt halt, taking away a fundamental freedom from millions of women--a freedom that most have known for their entire lives. Now, when women across the country raised the alarm following the Supreme Court's decision, there were those who suggested that we were overreacting. They suggested that life for most women would continue as it did before. Well, it has become very, very clear that those who espoused that view were wrong. Since the Supreme Court's decision, legislatures across the country have passed abortion bans into law. Just last week, Wyoming's Legislature passed a new law which will ban abortion in all trimesters, in nearly all cases, and would threaten doctors who perform abortions with jail time. Other States have imposed even harsher criminal penalties. This has had a chilling effect on women's healthcare providers and countless women can no longer access reproductive care that they need. Partisan politicians who believe women are incapable of making their own critical healthcare decisions have made clear that their ultimate goal is to ban abortion in all 50 States. In statehouses and here in Washington, these partisan politicians have demonstrated that they are not only committed to dismantling women's healthcare but that they do not believe that women have the capacity or conscience to make their own personal decisions. Like many of you, in the last 10 months, I have heard from women at rallies, in letters, and in quiet conversations who are fearful of these attacks on reproductive freedom. The question before this Senate is whether or not we believe that we have an obligation to listen to their voices, whether or not our government should be accountable to the people, including women. What is at stake is the principle that American women are free and equal citizens in our democracy and that they should be able to chart their own futures. That is why I urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting the Women's Health Protection Act, which would once again protect a woman's fundamental freedom in every part of the country. We can't stand idly by as women across America have become second- class citizens. We should stand united in the belief that our daughters deserve the same freedoms as everyone else. If we want to ensure that our country remains a place where the promise of our democracy belongs to all, where our daughters are free to make their own choices and reach their fullest potential, where we remain a government by, of, and for the people, then we must listen to American women and support the Women's Health Protection Act. I yield the floor.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Ms. HASSAN

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

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned under the provisions of S. Res. 100 until 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 9; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that following the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Werfel nomination postcloture; further, that all postcloture time be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination followed by confirmation of the Simmons nomination; further, that following disposition of the Simmons nomination, the Senate resume consideration of the Kahn nomination and at 1:45 p.m. vote on confirmation of that nomination; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Sullivan.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 100, submitted earlier today.

Ms. HASSAN. 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.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Madam President, I am honored to recognize Dan Rath of Spofford as February's Granite Stater of the Month. For the past 22 years, Dan has led a team--the Frozen Sections--in Special Olympics New Hampshire's Penguin Plunge at Hampton Beach. Special Olympics New Hampshire works to foster inclusion for people of all ages with intellectual disabilities by enabling them to participate in sports. The yearly Penguin Plunge, where participants raise money and plunge in frigid Hampton Beach waters in early February, serves as a way to fundraise for Special Olympics New Hampshire's various programs. When Dan's wife showed him an ad to participate in the Penguin Plunge in 2001, he knew he had to sign up. Not only had Dan been a special education teacher for 4 years earlier in his career, but he also loved being in any type of body of water. After fundraising and plunging the first winter on his own, Dan began recruiting friends and people who he met through his job at Cheshire Medical Center. The recovery room nurses came up with a saying--``If you ain't plunging, you're pledging''--since if Dan couldn't convince someone to sign up for the Penguin Plunge with him, he usually could persuade them to at least donate instead. At 70 years old, Dan continues to lead an impressive group each year in taking the Penguin Plunge. This year, the 17 members of the Frozen Sections raised over $31,000 for Special Olympics NH. The highest fundraiser of the group was Becky May, who has been a Special Olympics athlete herself since the age of 5 and who raised more than $13,000 by driving across the State and knocking on doors to raise money. The other members of this year's Frozen Sections were: Cindy Bunszel, Patrick Moynihan, Aaron St. Peter, Trevor Hunt, Trent Hunt, Stacy Taylor, Kelly Erunski, Downey Page, Sean Craig, Taylor Woodward, Steve Hart, Cherie Rowe, Michelle Leavitt, Priscilla Jones, and Larry Welkowitz. I commend Dan, the Frozen Sections, and all Penguin Plunge participants in our State for submerging themselves in the frigid winter waters of Hampton Beach year after year in order to raise money for Special Olympics New Hampshire. Their hard work helps Granite State children and adults with intellectual disabilities to experience the joy and empowerment that comes with participating in a sport. Their commitment to making an impact in their communities is inspiring and a hallmark of the Granite State spirit, and I thank them for making New Hampshire a more inclusive place.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I request consent for the scheduled vote to start immediately.

Ms. HASSAN. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Ms. HASSAN

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

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I am honored to recognize Kaylee Richard of Manchester and Samantha Grenier of Goffstown as January's Granite Staters of the Month. This high school student duo organized a career fair targeted toward young women in the Manchester School District in order to empower the next generation of women leaders. Kaylee and Samantha became friends at age 8 at a summer camp operated by Girls at Work, an organization that hosts programs to build confidence and strength in girls. In high school, they stayed involved with the organization as mentors, and so when they were faced with a challenge, they were prepared to take it on. When Kaylee and Sam attended a career fair in 2022, they noticed that it was geared heavily towards men and that they and other young women were struggling in the environment. In response, the pair approached their Girls at Work mentor, Elaine Hamel, to help them organize their own career fair targeted toward young women. In coordination with Girls at Work, the Manchester School District, and the Gear Up program, they organized a job fair with 16 local employers such as NH Fish and Game, the Manchester Police Force, and Trader Joe's. The 150 or so female sophomores and juniors from Memorial, West, and Central learned from women professionals from a variety of careers. I admire Kaylee and Samantha for taking the initiative to make a difference in their community and empower women to explore their career options. It is important that young Granite State women were able to see themselves in the women professionals they talked to and envision their career paths accordingly. Their courage in tackling the issue and making New Hampshire a more inclusive place is emblematic of the Granite State spirit, and I wish them luck as they organize a second women-only career fair this spring.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I am honored to recognize Harold ``Harry'' Armstrong of Canaan and John Bayliss of Hanover as December's Granite Staters of the Month. For decades, Harry has led a successful effort to collect used medical equipment and deliver it to those in need in the Upper Valley area and beyond. Harry helped start the Health Closet, with members of the Canaan Lions Club, more than 40 years ago. The group collected used medical equipment, such as manual and electric wheelchairs, walkers, lift chairs, crutches, canes, and bath stools from the area's visiting nurses, nonprofits, hospitals, and individuals. They would then keep the equipment in storage until they found someone who needed it. When Harry was hospitalized 2 years ago and had to have his foot amputated, he worried that Health Closet's mission would cease to be fulfilled. That is when Harry's friend and Lebanon Upper Valley Lions Club member John Bayliss stepped up to help run the initiative. Through their work, the duo profoundly touches people's lives by giving them the medical equipment that they desperately need to go about their lives and continue to be a part of their community. From doing DIY fix-ups of medical equipment in Harry's and John's garages, to lugging large medical machinery in their pickup trucks, their dedication to helping others, willingness to take the initiative, and generosity is a shining example of the Granite State spirit.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and honor the life of Robert ``Bobby'' Silverstein, who was a champion for people who experience disabilities and who made an incredible impact throughout his career. During his time working for both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Bobby held a number of leadership roles where he helped develop legislation to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities. This includes serving as staff director and chief counsel for the Subcommittee on Disability Policy on what is now known as the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. During his tenure, Bobby worked to build bipartisan consensus and helped negotiate critical pieces of bipartisan legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act--ADA. Bobby made a profound impact on countless families across the country, including my own. My son Ben experiences physical disabilities and because advocates like Bobby worked to pass critical legislation like the ADA, Ben had the opportunity to go to school, to learn, and make friends in our community. But my family's story is not unique. Across the country, in the more than three decades since the ADA was signed into law, people who experience disabilities have been more fully included in their communities and have received the support that they need to thrive at home, in school, at work, and in all aspects of their lives. As we mark Bobby's legacy, we also recognize that we have more work to do to build on his incredible efforts. And we must follow his example of working to build consensus and make a difference for the American people. While Bobby passed away in November, the impact that he has made in the lives of millions of people will live on in our democracy. I am profoundly grateful for the work he has done and will continue working to honor his legacy and ensure that Americans who experience disabilities are fully included in every aspect of our society.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I am grateful today to join my colleagues as we continue to sound the alarm about the ongoing serious threat to our democracy. This is a perilous time. I want to thank Senator Klobuchar for her leadership on this issue and all of the rest of my colleagues who have been so eloquent tonight and I know will be eloquent tonight, who are here today to highlight the challenges to democracy we are currently facing and the opportunities we have to protect it. I am honored to represent New Hampshire, a State that does democracy better than anywhere else. I want to start by talking about one of my favorite New Hampshire events. Shortly after I was first elected Governor in 2012, I attended our statewide Veterans Day ceremony at the New Hampshire Veterans Cemetery, a remarkable, serene, beautiful space in the heart of New Hampshire. I had attended that ceremony in the past, but on this particular Veterans Day, I had just days before and for the first time been elected to statewide office to lead and protect my State. My predecessor was also at the ceremony, as were current and soon-to-be Members of Congress, members of the current State legislature, and those who had just been elected. New Hampshire had seen a pretty dramatic change at both the State and Federal level. Two Democratic Congresswomen had won election, replacing Republicans. The State house of representatives had flipped from Republican to Democratic control in pretty dramatic fashion. But despite these changes, State and Federal elected leaders, veterans and their families, and citizens from all walks of life who wanted to ensure that our veterans knew how much they, the veterans, matter were all there--there to celebrate the people, the citizen soldiers who had stepped up in every generation since our country's founding to keep us safe and preserve our democracy so that the rest of us could live in freedom. I have always loved this confluence of election day and Veterans Day. On an early Tuesday in November, Americans flood to the polls to cast their votes, expressing their hopes for the State and country that they envision and want to be a part of, confident that they have a voice as stakeholders in our democracy. And then just days later, they join their friends, neighbors, political allies, and opponents to honor our veterans and the principles that they sacrificed and fought for, the foundational idea that every person in our democracy matters and has the opportunity to be included in our civic life. Just days after a pitched political battle--as my dad would have said, ``a war of words''--we were together standing united to support those who serve and have served and in doing so, to support the remarkable idea that is the United States of America. This unifying moment year after year, election cycle after election cycle, didn't happen by accident; it happened because Americans have understood since our founding that the cornerstone of our democracy starts with free, fair, and impartially administered elections. Throughout our history, we have failed and then struggled to include and treat equally all Americans, but as we have made progress to acknowledge the full citizenship of all of our people, we have committed to expanding voting access and to protecting an impartial electoral system that ensures the full and fair counting of all votes cast. The acceptance of the outcome of these elections so that our country can continue to function, grow, become more inclusive, and thrive has been essential, not just for the sake of stability but for the sake of a democracy in which the government is truly responsive, truly of, by, and for the people, a government so responsive that a constituent, a 9- year-old little girl named Jada, can approach her Senator to talk to her about the sadness in her family after a beloved cousin died of an opioid overdose and expect her Senator to take her seriously and work to expand access to prevention and treatment services for those with substance use disorder; a government so accessible that a constituent named Sy can approach his Senator at a business in town and thank her for passing the Burial Equity Act, which allows those who serve in the National Guard or Reserves but aren't deployed to be buried in their State's veterans cemetery. Sy, like so many of his fellow reservists, volunteered and was ready to answer the call and to sacrifice for his country, but he was never called up to do so. Artificial bureaucratic barriers prevented his service from being recognized in the same way that other military service is, but thanks to the advocacy of Guard men and women and reservists, that has now changed. Sy's service is being recognized, and he is being included, as he should be, in the remarkable legion of citizen soldiers that has kept this country free, and he can now be buried in a sacred place of honor. Jada's voice counts. So does Sy's. Their experiences and their lives matter and, in a true democracy, so do their opinions and their votes. But the question for Americans today is this: For how much longer will the voices of everyday Americans count? As we all know, in November, in State after State, including in New Hampshire, democracy was on the ballot. There were, in fact, candidates who questioned the sacred right to free and fair elections, individuals who expressed their willingness to overturn the 2020 election and their willingness to try to reject or overturn election outcomes in the future if their preferred candidates didn't win. I want people to think for a moment about what this means. These candidates were open in their willingness to reject the votes of their fellow citizens, leading to a system in which those in power are unaccountable and therefore unresponsive to the people they claim to represent. In race after race, anti-democracy candidates proposed extreme, unpopular agendas, whether it was eliminating Social Security and Medicare or imposing a nationwide abortion ban--ideas that voter after voter opposes. This disconnect, of course, explains their election denial. In a functioning democracy, the few cannot impose an extreme, unpopular agenda on the many. The only way for these extremists to accomplish their goals is to reject the votes cast by the majority. The welcome news is that, in many cases, the American people rejected some of the most vehement election deniers. On a brisk, cold Tuesday this November, Granite Staters, like millions of Americans, once again went to their polling places to cast their votes. They did so not with the expectation that their preferred candidates would win but, rather, that their individual votes would be counted. They did so at middle schools and townhalls before work and while grabbing lunch, and they did so in New Hampshire in record numbers. Voters recognized the real threat posed by those who would undermine our democracy. They saw the need to reject those who would disenfranchise them. They used their votes and their voices to stop those who would have otherwise jeopardized our democracy. In November, democracy prevailed, but that does not mean the work is over. We know that while many election deniers lost their races, some won, and some remain in Congress. Those who threaten the integrity of our elections will remain persistent in their efforts, and those who stand on the side of democracy must remain persistent as well. Our Founders understood just how fragile our democracy was, and the generations of Americans who have followed have understood it as well. If we are to live up to their example and if we are to ensure that people like my constituents Jada and Sy are included and can make a difference, Americans must continue to do all that we can to uphold our freedoms and democracy. In Congress, this means that we must continue to fight for access to the ballot box and share a commitment in accepting the results of elections. We can do that by supporting legislation like the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. This week, we will take an important step forward by passing the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act. Across the country, we must continue to do what the American people did this year--reject those who would end democracy as we know it. If we are truly to remain a government of, by, and for the people, we must stand up and ensure that its foundation of free and fair elections truly accessible to all eligible voters remains protected for generations to come. I yield the floor.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I have two 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:

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 3316 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Ms. HASSAN. I ask unanimous consent that the Grassley substitute amendment be considered and agreed to and the bill be considered read a third time.

Ms. HASSAN. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.

Ms. HASSAN. I further ask that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 502, S. 4577.

Ms. HASSAN

Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, 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.

Ms. HASSAN

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