Jacky Rosen

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Madam President, these officers--these brave officers-- made the ultimate sacrifice for our communities, and they deserve our eternal gratitude. I will continue to work with my colleagues here in the Senate on solutions that support our police departments, the officers who serve, and, always, their families. I yield. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. ROSEN. Madam President, this week marks National Police Week, a time to recognize and honor the courageous work of men and women who keep our communities safe. These heroes put their lives on the line to protect our communities. And I want to give special thanks to law enforcement officers across Nevada who serve every day with honor and integrity. And I want Nevada police officers to know: I have your back. We have your back. With the Presiding Officer, my senior Senator from Nevada, we have your back. That means working to see that our law enforcement officers have access to resource, training, and recruitment support--the kinds of things they need to do their job safely. And we should also honor the men and women who have fallen in the line of duty protecting our communities. These men and women were heroes. They left behind family and friends and colleagues and communities they served and helped to protect--men and women like Las Vegas Metro Police Officer Truong Thai, who was tragically shot and killed this past October while responding to a domestic disturbance call. Officer Thai, who came to this country as a child from Vietnam, was a pillar of our community. He was deeply devoted to his family. He was an experienced patrol officer who trained new recruits over the course of his career. Officer Thai has been described as a mentor to his colleagues. One said: He ``did the job''--``did the job''--``for all the right reasons.'' Officer Thai was also a friend to so many, a consummate family man. And when he wasn't directly serving the community in uniform, he was often coaching volleyball or out in the water, boating with his family and friends. And 7 months since he was murdered, Officer Thai continues to be missed by his loved ones and the entire Las Vegas community, and no one will forget him and his service and his kindness. Unfortunately, Officer Thai is not the only one. Far too many officers have been killed in the line of duty. So, today, I am also thinking of these fallen officers and all of those who died in the line of duty in Nevada. To honor their lives and bravery, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a list of names of Nevada police officers who recently passed way and whose names have been added to the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the James D. Hoff Peace Officer Memorial.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. I thank the Presiding Officer so much for saying ``Nevada'' properly. I urge the rest of my colleagues to learn the proper pronunciation for our great State of Nevada. With that, I am going to respond to the objection by my esteemed colleague Senator Tuberville. The senior Senator from Alabama is preventing this body from confirming dozens of key promotions. We do know who these military promotions are. They have been serving proudly and with distinction in our military. They are not unknown to us. They deserve their promotions. The Senator is threatening our military readiness and our national security, and we can confirm these nominations right now if the Senator ends his blockade. Every day--every day--these holds persist, every day the Senator persists, he risks the U.S. national security and he risks our military readiness. Because we lack officials in key posts across the military at this critical time, we know we need to do this en bloc. It is what we have been doing. These men and women, serving proudly, are ready for their promotions, ready to take their next duty step. I just want to make one point before I go. Make no mistake, our adversaries--they are watching this very closely. Russia, China, Iran, and others--they understand how this hurts our military, and they will look and find a way to take advantage of this. So I am deeply disappointed that the Senator is continuing to object. We hope he will reconsider. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I want to express how deeply concerned I am about the senior Senator from Alabama's blockade of senior military promotions, which threatens to leave hundreds of nonpolitical, routine military positions unfilled, all because he wants to repeal the Department of Defense's policy that allows servicemembers to be able to seek and travel for reproductive care. This is a move that risks our national security in order to rob our servicemembers of their ability to make their own family planning decisions, servicemembers who, frankly, are sacrificing so much to keep our country safe. So failure--failure--to fill these positions poses a risk to our Nation's military readiness and our ability to ensure that these critical roles are filled with the personnel that we need. Don't just take my word for it. Seven--seven--former Secretaries of Defense from both Democratic and Republican administrations have voiced their concern and opposition to these holds. Secretary Austin and General Milley have also repeatedly stated that these delays pose a clear risk--a clear risk--to America's military readiness. In a moment, I will be asking the Senate to confirm by unanimous consent Calendar No. 110. Included in this batch of 23 routine military promotions is the current vice commander of the Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base. This is the home of our Air Force fighter pilots right in Nevada, where America's air combat tactics are developed, where they are refined, and where they are perfected to ensure that we keep pace with current and emerging threats. Training and instruction take place right at the Nevada Test and Training Range, which provides the largest air and ground military training space in the continental United States for testing and evaluation of weapons systems and advanced air combat training. Because of one Senator's anti-choice blockade, the vice commander of the Air Force Warfare Center in my great State of Nevada, which oversees more than 13,000 military and civilian personnel, is unable to receive the promotion and the pay increase that he deserves. He is unable to transition to his next duty assignment, and his replacement is unable to assume their duties and move their family to Las Vegas. This hurts military families. This hurts Nevada. This hurts the United States of America. We will also experience several high-ranking vacancies that are going to be left open because of this senseless blockade, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the top leaders of the Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, and even the commander of U.S. Cyber Command. We have a responsibility to keep our Nation safe, to protect our homeland and our troops all around the world. That begins by making sure that we have the appropriate professionals in top positions to lead our servicemembers. Nothing--I repeat, nothing--could be more important than that. I strongly urge my colleagues to stop playing politics. I strongly urge them to end this anti-choice blockade so that we can fill critical military positions like those in my home State of Nevada and around the world. We cannot waste any more time. So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Executive Calendar No. 110; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I would like to continue finishing the letter from the Birmingham jail: Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny. Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence across the pages of history, we were here. For more than two centuries our forebears labored in this country without wages; they made cotton king; they built the homes of their masters while suffering gross injustice and shameful humiliation--and yet out of a bottomless vitality they continued to thrive and develop. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands. Before closing I feel impelled to mention one other point in your statement that has troubled me profoundly. You warmly commended the Birmingham police force for keeping ``order'' and ``preventing violence.'' I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you were to see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys; if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refuse to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. I cannot join you in your praise of the Birmingham police department. It is true that the police have exercised a degree of discipline in handling the demonstrators. In this sense they have conducted themselves rather ``nonviolently'' in public. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation. Over the past few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or perhaps even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends. Perhaps Mr. Connor and his policemen have been rather nonviolent in public, as was Chief Pritchett in Albany, Georgia, but they have used the moral means of nonviolence to maintain the immoral end of racial injustice. As T. S. Eliot has said: ``The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.'' I wish you had commended the Negro sit inners and demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer and their amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation. One day the South will recognize its real heroes. They will be the James Merediths, with the noble sense of purpose that enables them to face jeering and hostile mobs, and with the agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer. They will be old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy two year old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride segregated buses, and who responded with ungrammatical profundity to one who inquired about her weariness: ``My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest.'' They will be the young high school and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience' sake. One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Never before have I written so long a letter. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers? If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me. I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil-rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood, Martin Luther King, Jr. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Ms. ROSEN. Madam President, as you have heard from my colleagues before me, there are serious concerns about the job-killing resolution that we will be voting on this evening and the effects it will have on our solar industry and American workers. For years, solar has been a growing source of clean, low-cost energy and economic development in States all across our Nation. And it is a source of jobs--good-paying, union jobs--right here in the United States. America's domestic solar industry is made up of more than 10,000 businesses--large and small--located in every single State, employing over 250,000 Americans. I will repeat that: employing over 250,000 Americans. In fact, my State of Nevada has the most solar jobs per capita of any other State in this great Nation. When we talk about the solar industry, we are talking about an industry that is generating hundreds of thousands of American jobs and supporting American workers, while at the same time helping us to transition to clean renewable energy. Thanks to historic investments we secured in the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, the American solar industry is experiencing an unprecedented boom. Last year, a new solar project was installed in the United States every 44 seconds and, in fact, the demand is only expected to increase. This is only going to create more jobs and help make us more energy independent. For example, the average solar installer in Reno, NV, makes about $80,000 a year. It is a good job. That is a job that lets a family pay their rent, buy groceries, put something away for their kids' college and for their own retirement. These are the kinds of jobs we should be creating, and we are, thanks to these historic investments. That is why I have been a champion of our domestic solar industry and have been fighting back against attacks on it from my colleagues--well, frankly--on both sides of the aisle. That is why I led a bipartisan group of Senators last year to push President Biden to pause additional retroactive solar tariffs after a Commerce Department investigation. Well, they threatened to destroy our domestic solar industry and kill tens of thousands of American jobs. But at this moment--this moment--our American solar workers are at risk. My workers in Nevada are at risk. Those $80,000-a-year jobs are at risk. And all of the progress we have made to transition to clean energy, all the good-paying jobs that we have created, and all of the solar projects that are lowering energy costs for families--well, they are all at risk, too. Last week, the House of Representatives passed a Congressional Review Act. This resolution rolls back the 2-year pause on these additional solar tariffs. If enacted, this resolution will decimate our American solar industry. So let me be crystal clear: Enacting additional retroactive tariffs on imported solar panels themselves will kill--will absolutely kill--the American solar industry, and it will kill any chance we have to meet our climate goals. It will kill the current American solar jobs. I know that some of my colleagues have said that supporting this resolution is being pro-worker. Well, I am just going to say that that is wrong. No one can say they are pro-worker while at the same time voting to kill good-paying American jobs. And that is exactly what this resolution will do. I don't even know why this is on the table. Are we seriously going to tell that solar installer that he is out of a job? Are we going to put his family on unemployment just for politics? I am going to repeat it: Supporting this resolution and killing American jobs, it hurts workers and their families. Period. Opposing this resolution means being on the side of American workers. It means being on the side of unions like IBEW, the laborers, the operating engineers, the carpenters union, who are all urging a ``no'' vote today. All of us here in this Chamber agree that we have to strengthen domestic manufacturing; we all agree we have to be competitive with China; and we all agree that we have to be energy independent. That is what this current pause on additional tariffs--that is what this current pause helps us to do because, right now, solar panel manufacturers in the United States can only meet about 15 percent of the demand for American solar projects. So thanks to the investments made by the Inflation Reduction Act, we are going to greatly ramp up our domestic solar manufacturing, creating jobs, making us energy independent right here at home. But it is going to take time. It will take time to ramp up domestic solar manufacturing so it can provide more than 15 percent of U.S. demand. Our current solar industry's best success depends on the steady supply of solar panels to install. We can't cut off supply of important solar panels by enacting massive retroactive tariffs that will just kill solar projects; it will kill American jobs; and it will hurt American workers. So what can we do? Well, what we can do is have a bridge that allows us to do both: keep our domestic solar industry alive while we invest and bolster our domestic manufacturing so that we can be competitive with China. That is exactly what this pause helps us to achieve. Enacting retroactive tariffs will even directly harm U.S. solar panel manufacturing businesses by cutting off their major source of solar cells--a key component in the panels--making it that much harder for them and us to compete with China. That is why I am leading the effort to block this resolution and to keep the pause in place. So I urge my fellow colleagues to join me and be on the side of workers by protecting good-paying American union jobs, to join me in fighting to meet our climate goals, and to join me in making our Nation more competitive with China by voting against this job-killing resolution and saving America's solar future. Hundreds of thousands of American solar workers, their families, and our communities--well, they are counting on us. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Madam President, since the Supreme Court overturned longstanding protections for the fundamental right to access abortion care nearly a year ago, we have seen countless attacks on women's reproductive rights from anti-choice States across our Nation--States that are banning abortions without exceptions for rape or incest; States that are risking the lives of women who have miscarried; and I have been doing everything I can to stand up and to defend a woman's fundamental right to make healthcare choices for her own body without interference from anti-choice politicians. And this includes making sure we protect our veterans' rights, and that includes the right for those veterans to make decisions over their own bodies. Our veterans and their families--you know, they have risked so much to protect our Nation, to protect our rights. And we owe it to them to defend their fundamental right to access reproductive care, regardless of where they live. They put themselves in harm's way. We must protect them. That is why, last year, I urged the Department of Veterans Affairs to make it clear that they will provide access to abortion care to veterans and their families, and I am glad they listened. But today-- today--anti-choice Republicans in Washington want to overturn that decision, and they want to restrict our veterans' access to reproductive care. That is what today's debate is about. If they get their way and they roll back this rule, the VA healthcare system would no longer be allowed to provide abortion counseling or any kind of care to servicemembers and veterans and--listen to this--even in the cases of rape, even when the mother's life is at risk. I am not going to let that happen. My State of Nevada is honored to be the home of hundreds of thousands of veterans, and we are a proud pro-choice State. When Nevadans sent me here to the Senate, they sent me here to fight for their rights, and that is what I will always do. So I urge my colleagues to join me in fighting back against this ideological attempt to restrict reproductive rights for veterans by opposing this resolution. For our veterans, for our women in Nevada, for women everywhere in the United States, I urge a ``no'' vote.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Madam President, well, I want to thank Senator Cardin for his leadership on small business. For the 4 years I have been here, he has been a friend and a mentor, and he has really encouraged me in so many ways to find my voice for Nevada, for this country, and I appreciate his leadership. Thank you. And the Senator is right. Small businesses, well, they are the engine of the U.S. economy. They foster innovation. They create jobs. They provide a lifeline for families. And, in Nevada, small businesses make up 99 percent of all businesses. Our small business economy, it is thriving. It is increasingly diverse, allowing many Nevadans to achieve the American dream by being entrepreneurs and providing for their families. These businesses, they are crucial for Nevada's economy. We should encourage and support them by making it easier to start and operate small businesses, increasing access to capital to help them grow and succeed, and cutting through that redtape that is far too often a barrier. So here in this Chamber, we must focus on helping small businesses overcome the enormous challenges that they face and the obstacles they experience just to get off the ground. As a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, my top priorities have been expanding resources in support for Nevada's small business--the owners, the employers, and their workers. And so from introducing a bipartisan bill to help those graduating from minority-serving institutions to open a business to sponsoring bipartisan legislation to help veterans start small businesses in underserved communities, to urging the Small Business Administration to open a Veterans Business Outreach Center in Nevada, I have been fighting for businesses time and time again, and I will keep fighting. I am also working in a bipartisan way to make small, nonprofit childcare providers eligible for Federal resources so that they can grow, create jobs, and provide more affordable childcare options in all of our communities. And this just means so much to our families. It gives them so much peace of mind. And I am going to continue, as well, to advocate to open up Federal loans for State-legal cannabis small businesses. They are job creators in our State and in a growing number of States across the country. And we can also help our small businesses by reducing the burden that entrepreneurs face, well, when they get started. The exhaustive hoops that American entrepreneurs have to frequently jump through--from obtaining permits to fulfilling licensing requirements--well, it can be a real challenge for people just to get those businesses off the ground. And so that is why I am proud to announce that, today, I am introducing bipartisan legislation to help small businesses by cutting through the bureaucratic redtape that often prevents them from getting off the ground. My legislation would create a centralized website. This website, entrepreneurs can come and visit to get all the information they need from the Small Business Administration on Federal, State, and local licensing and business permitting requirements, with information and resources all in one place, because I believe we should be making it easier to start a small business, and we must make sure that entrepreneurs are in the best position to succeed right from the beginning. And having them going to a one-stop website, that is a start because I know that when we invest in our small businesses and our entrepreneurs, when we invest in our communities, when we invest in our hard-working families, well, together, we create a successful future for our State and for our country. And so I urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to join me in cutting redtape, bringing down those barriers, and increasing information access for all of our small businesses. I yield the floor.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I rise today to express my strong and continued support for Dreamers, TPS recipients, and immigrant communities in Nevada and across our Nation. It has been decades since Congress has passed real immigration reform, and almost a decade since we have made a real attempt at taking action to provide a permanent solution for those communities and allow families--allow families to stay together. As a result, our broken immigration system has been left with a patchwork of policies that are outdated and inefficient. This is why Congress needs to take action now on comprehensive immigration reform, so we can, once and for all, fix this severely broken system. It shouldn't be a partisan issue. We are talking about families who deserve peace of mind about their future. They shouldn't be subjected to the uncertainty they currently face every single day. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refuse to come to the table to work with us on comprehensive immigration reform. They would rather leave Dreamers in limbo and have this issue for their own political gain than work toward solutions. But a number of reasonable Republicans have said in the past that they do support a legislative fix to protect our Dreamers and their futures. So let's start there and work together to provide an immediate, permanent legislative solution for DACA recipients right now--right now--while at the same time, we keep working for more comprehensive immigration reform. In the 10 years since the DACA program first went into effect, it has protected nearly 600,000 Dreamers and allowed them to make a home and build a life and a future here in our country. In my State of Nevada alone, thousands of individuals and families rely on DACA to live, work, and raise a family, free from fear in a country--the only country they have ever known or ever called home. DACA has provided vital protections and opportunities for Dreamers, ensuring that they can attend college, fully contribute to our economy, serve in our military, and really make a difference in our communities. Because of DACA, thousands of people have been given access to the American dream. And yet yearslong threats to end this policy have left nearly 600,000 DACA recipients in limbo, facing uncertainty and awaiting court decision after court decision that can jeopardize their future and threaten the lives that they have built here. So we cannot wait any longer to take action. That is why I am calling on my colleagues to work to pass a permanent legislative solution this year--this year--for Dreamers, one that gives them permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship, while we continue working on comprehensive immigration reform. So let's put a stand-alone proposal to provide a permanent legislative fix for DACA recipients. Let's put that proposal right here on the Senate floor and take a vote immediately to solve this issue. We must also continue to keep fighting. We have to keep fighting to ensure we take a comprehensive approach to reforming our immigration system and finally giving these families the peace of mind they so richly deserve. Families across our country deserve certainty in their futures, and the Senate must feel the same sense of urgency that they feel every single day. We can't keep them waiting any longer. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, on November 30, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 363 while attending a meeting and event at the Department of the Interior announcing the future designation of a new National Monument in Nevada. Had I been present, I would have voted yes on vote No. 363, cloture on the nomination of Camille L. Velez-Rive to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memories of the lives we lost and all who were injured or impacted in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017. Five years ago, Nevada experienced tragedy on an unprecedented scale. In just 10 minutes--10 minutes--58 innocent lives were taken, hundreds of people were injured by gunfire, and hundreds more were injured in the chaos that followed. Sadly, in the years since, two more victims of that night's attacks died because of the injuries they received during that shooting, bringing the death toll to 60. During the attack, scores of heroic first responders--police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and others--arrived at the scene in an attempt to neutralize the threat and provide aid to the victims. Then hundreds of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals-- well, they worked nonstop to save the lives of those on the scene. That day, the attack on the Route 91 Harvest Festival became the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Let me repeat that: the deadliest mass shooting in American history. And to this day--sadly, even with all of the mass shootings we have endured over the past few years since then--1 October--1 October--still remains the single deadliest mass shooting in American history. All it took--all it took--was just 10 minutes--10 minutes--for dozens of lives to be cut short, hundreds more injured and traumatized, with emotional and physical scars they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. These were our friends. These were our neighbors. For some, they were their family. And now there are 60 families who will never be the same, 60 families who will forever have an empty chair every night at their kitchen table. One October changed our community and the history of our State forever. It left a hole that can never be filled. We are united in our grief for those we lost and also in our gratitude and admiration for the heroes that day who worked to rescue and aid those in danger. This dark day put on full display the tight- knit community of southern Nevada that we all know and love. We came together to celebrate and thank the heroism for those who helped: our law enforcement officers, our first responders, our medical professionals, and so many everyday people. They just ran toward danger. They ran toward danger to help to get people to safety. Hundreds lined up for blocks to donate blood. They offered their cars for people who were displaced by the chaos. Our community--well, it rallied together not just in the immediate aftermath but in the days, weeks, months, and now years after. I know why--because we are Vegas Strong, we are Nevada Strong. Today, as we reflect on the 5-year anniversary since this horrific event, I stand here to honor the 60 individuals who lost their lives, the hundreds of survivors, and all of those--all of those--who experienced that traumatic event. I stand here today to honor the heroes--our first responders, our community members--those who risked their lives to help others. In Nevada, the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center that supports those affected by the 1 October tragedy, well, they launched a wide array of efforts to help people heal from and cope with the trauma and take action to honor the victims. I have a floor chart here. I know it is a little hard to see, but one of the projects the Resiliency Center is organizing on this fifth anniversary is creating a lantern. This is a picture of a lantern. It has an outline of the Las Vegas skyline. This lantern is going to serve as a sign of solidarity and respect for victims, survivors, and responders to the tragic shooting as it lights up the night with hope, because the lanterns are a symbol, representing the fact that out of the darkness of that night came the strongest light shining on countless examples of heroism--big and small--displayed by Nevadans. But as we remember this fifth anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves to action. In the nearly 5 years since 1 October, the epidemic of gun violence has impacted even more communities and broke more families' hearts all across our great Nation. Finally, after the recent mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, TX, Congress was able to finally come together and act. We passed the most significant gun safety legislation in almost 30 years. This was a breakthrough, and we know it will help save lives, keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. But it cannot be an end point. We can and we must do more to prevent these shootings. I know we can do this while also respecting people's constitutional rights. We can take commonsense, bipartisan action, like permanently banning bump stocks and high-capacity magazines which allowed the 1 October shooter to fire so many rounds and cause so much carnage. Bump stocks, in particular, are modifications that only make guns more deadly. The previous administration took regulatory action to address this issue, but the move to ban bump stocks now faces a wave of troubling legal challenges that threaten to reverse that progress. That is why I call on this Chamber to finally pass legislation that will permanently ban bump stocks--permanently ban bump stocks--and cut off access to these deadly and unnecessary weapons devices. Remember--remember this--with these devices, a shooter can fire hundreds of rounds to end or damage lives in mere minutes; 1 October, just 10 minutes. Inaction is not an option. We owe it to those who experienced the pain of gun violence to do more. We owe it to the future generations to keep up our efforts. At the end of the day, this is all about keeping communities safe. We must continue working to prevent more tragedies like the one that brought so much heartbreak to my hometown. I ask all of my colleagues in this Chamber to remember and honor the memory of the 60 victims of 1 October as we mark this 5-year anniversary. I yield the floor.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, in the months since the conservative majority on the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the assault on reproductive rights by anti-choice, MAGA Republicans has been relentless. Anti-choice States across the country have already enacted strict and rigid abortion bans that strip our rights away, threaten to jail women and their doctors, and put women's health at risk. And just as we have always known, this threat is not just at the State level. Last week, legislation was introduced in this very Chamber that would enact a national abortion ban, one that would strip women of the fundamental right to control their own bodies. This abortion ban--and that is exactly what it is, a nationwide abortion ban--poses a real and serious threat to the rights of women across this country. This is a dangerous nationwide government mandate that would threaten women and their doctors--threaten them--with jail time, including those in my State of Nevada. Pro-choice States like Nevada, where the people voted overwhelmingly to protect reproductive freedoms as part of State law, would be forced--forced--to abide by this Federal mandate. Because Federal law supersedes State law, this legislation would override the will of Nevadans and the freedom--the freedom--that they have had for decades. If anti-choice Republicans in Congress have their way and their national abortion ban passes--listen to this--then Nevada's doctors could be prosecuted; Nevada's women could be jailed; and Nevada's women could die as a result of a lack of access to care. So let's be clear. The only thing standing in the way of their national abortion ban is the pro-choice majority in the U.S. Senate, and I will do everything I can to fight this legislation threatening our reproductive rights not just in Nevada but across the country. That is why I helped to introduce the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act, along with Senators Murray, Padilla, and the Acting President pro tempore, Senator Lujan, to protect doctors in States like Nevada, where abortion remains legal and protects women from facing prosecution and potentially jail by anti-choice States. No doctor--let me repeat this. No doctor should ever be jailed for providing women with the reproductive and often lifesaving care they need wherever these women are from. No doctor should ever be jailed for providing care. Anti-choice Republicans in the Senate have blocked these efforts in the past as they have continued to push for dangerous bans. Today--today--we have another opportunity to protect doctors and their patients by passing this legislation--without obstruction or delay--because let's be clear: We will not--we will not--give up. We will not allow a national abortion ban to pass the Senate. We will not allow doctors to face prosecution for doing their jobs. We must--we must--protect a woman's right to choose and continue fighting against this ban every step of the way. I yield the floor.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Madam President, on September 6, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 326 while quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 326, cloture on the nomination of John Z. Lee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit. Madam President, on September 7, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 327 while quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 327, confirming John Z. Lee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit. Madam President, on September 7, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 328 while quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 328, cloture on the nomination of Andre B. Mathis to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit. Madam President, on September 8, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 329 while quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 329, confirming Andre B. Mathis to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit. Madam President, on September 8, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 330 while quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 330, cloture on the nomination of Salvador Mendoza to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, in the month since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the assault on reproductive rights by anti-choice MAGA Republicans--well, it has been relentless. We have seen and heard the horror stories of women in States that have outlawed abortion. We have seen women and even young girls-- children as young as 10--who were raped and unable to get an abortion in their own States. We have seen examples of States looking to restrict--restrict--a woman's ability to travel to other States-- restrict a woman's ability to travel to other States--to get the medical care, the often lifesaving care, they desperately need. In fact, this is an issue that Republicans in this Chamber objected to when Democrats brought up a bill to guarantee the fundamental right of women to travel in this country in order to seek care. MAGA Republicans--oh, wait. They want to strip women of their freedoms, and they want to strip women of their ability to choose what happens to their own bodies. If MAGA extremists have their way in Congress, they will enact a rigid--a rigid--nationwide abortion ban which will threaten women and their doctors with jail time. Look at what is already happening: Anti-choice States are working to stop women from going to pro-choice States to seek care, and now they are even going after the doctors--after the doctors--in those States, who are simply doing their jobs by taking care of their patients. This is utterly and completely outrageous. We cannot allow this to happen. That is why Senators Murray, Padilla, Lujan, and I introduced legislation to protect doctors in States like Nevada--where abortion remains legal--from facing prosecution by anti-choice States. Let me be clear. No doctor should ever be jailed for providing women with the reproductive and often lifesaving care they need wherever-- wherever--those women are from. Our bill, the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act, would do exactly what is in the name. It would let doctors--medical professionals--provide reproductive care in States like Nevada where abortion is legal, without fear of prosecution or fear of jail time. Our bill would empower the Department of Justice to protect women and their doctors in pro-choice States from anti-choice States' attempts to prosecute them. This means that if a woman from Texas travels to my State of Nevada, a pro-choice State, the Nevada doctor she sees cannot--cannot--be prosecuted under Texas's extreme abortion ban. We need to pass this now, without delay and without objections, because we must protect women, and we must protect their doctors. We must pass the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act now. I yield the floor.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that if the Senate receives a message from the House that it has passed H.R. 1842, and if the text of that bill is identical to S. 697, that the bill be considered read three times and the Senate vote on passage of the bill without intervening action or debate, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, for months, our country has experienced a severe computer chip shortage, one that has impacted nearly every American industry and increased costs for nearly every American. From cell phones to cars to televisions, even our refrigerators and washing machines--products we use every day--well, they need computer chips to function. They are also used in critically important technology like the medical equipment at our hospitals and the technology used by our military. This is why the computer chip shortage we are facing is a critical economic and national security issue. It has caused prices to rise, contributed to supply chain issues, and limited the availability of many products, something that anyone who has tried to buy or rent a car over the past couple of years knows all too well. This shortage was directly impacting hard-working families and the businesses that support jobs across our Nation. It has hurt companies that employ people in my State of Nevada, like Varian Medical Systems, which uses computer chips to manufacture cancer-fighting and other critical medical technologies. This shortage is impacting lives and likelihoods. For decades, America was a global leader in manufacturing and innovation; but over the years, we outsourced the production of computer chips to countries like China, costing us millions of potential American jobs and increasing our reliance on foreign nations for technology that is critical--critical for our national security and for our safety. All of this has been exacerbated by a global pandemic and the war in Ukraine. We can't afford to wait any longer to bring manufacturing of computer chips back to the United States. The Senate will be voting on bipartisan legislation to bring computer chip manufacturing back to the U.S. and help existing manufacturers compete, creating thousands of new American jobs and enhancing both our economic and our national security. We will also improve our supply chain, which will help businesses like Varian Medical Systems, and it will minimize the supply chain disruptions which will ultimately help lower prices for consumers. This bill will do so much more to spur innovation and invest in our American economy. As the first and only former computer programmer to serve in the U.S. Senate, I am so excited about what this legislation will do for the future of American technology and innovation. It will establish a first-of-its-kind effort to accelerate our development of critical technologies, like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing. We will invest heavily in STEM education and in our cybersecurity workforce. And it will help build regional technology hubs all across this country to spark innovation. I am also so proud that this bill includes bipartisan provisions that I worked on in the committee that wrote the bulk of the legislation, which includes these: my bipartisan Rural STEM Education Act with Senator Wicker to increase access to quality STEM education for rural schools so it is accessible to all of our students no matter where they live. It also includes provisions I worked on with Senator Blackburn to support advanced manufacturing workforce development and a bipartisan amendment I introduced with Senator Lummis to develop a secure and reliable critical mineral supply chain. This historic bipartisan legislation is just common sense. So let's build up our communities; let's strengthen America's competitiveness; let's invest in American innovation; let's lower prices for hard- working families; and let's bolster our domestic supply chain. Let's pass this critical piece of legislation now.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, on May 17, 2022, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 179, 180, and 181 while traveling to my daughter's graduation from law school. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 179, cloture on the nomination of Jennifer Rochon to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York; yea on rollcall vote No. 180, cloture on the nomination of Trina Thompson to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California; and yea on rollcall vote No. 181, cloture on the nomination of Sunshine Sykes to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California. On May 18, 2022, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, and 189 while attending my daughter's graduation from law school. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 182, confirmation of Jennifer Rochon to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York; yea on rollcall vote No. 183, cloture on the nomination of Barbara Leaf to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs; yea on rollcall vote No. 184, confirming Barbara Leaf to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs; yea on rollcall vote No. 185, cloture on the nomination of Elizabeth Watson to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor; yea on rollcall vote No. 186, confirming Elizabeth Watson to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor; yea on rollcall vote No. 187, confirming Trina Thompson to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California; yea on rollcall vote No. 188, confirming Sunshine Sykes to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California; and yea on rollcall vote No. 189, confirming Christopher Lowman to be Assistant Secretary of Defense. On May 19, 2022, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 190, 191, 192, and 193 while attending my daughter's graduation from law school. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall votes Nos. 190 and 191, cloture and final passage, respectively, of H.R. 7691, the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022. Since the beginning of Russia's brutal war, I have been a strong supporter of additional aid to Ukraine, and I am glad that this legislation passed the Senate with broad, bipartisan support. Had I been present on May 19, I also would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 192, cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 4008, the Small Business COVID Relief Act of 2022. This important bipartisan legislation would have provided over $40 billion in COVID relief to support restaurants, live entertainment venues, and other struggling small businesses. I have been a longtime supporter of replenishing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and providing more aid to small businesses, so I was extremely disappointed that the Senate fell many votes short of beginning debate on S. 4008. I will continue to be a champion for Nevada's restaurants and small businesses, working to make sure they get the resources needed to get back on their feet. Finally, had I been present on May 19, I would have voted yea on rollcall vote No. 193, cloture on the nomination of Stephanie Davis to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a beloved member of the Las Vegas community, Angie Ruvo, who passed away this month at the age of 98. Recognized as Las Vegas' first celebrity chef, Angie, along with her husband Lou, her sister Maria, brother-in- law Al, and son Larry, established the Venetian Pizzeria in downtown Las Vegas in 1955--the first pizza restaurant in Las Vegas. Later known as the Venetian Ristorante and Pizzeria, the famed restaurant hosted a wide array of clientele, ranging from celebrities such as Frank Sinatra--a customer so loyal he enlisted a bellman to pick up dinner for him from there every night--to tourists who traveled from across the country and all over the world to experience the warmth and comfort of Angie's cooking. Born in Niagara Falls, Angie became the matriarch of the Las Vegas restaurant scene almost as soon as she came to Nevada, but her remarkable legacy in the Silver State goes beyond her business and culinary achievements. When her late husband Lou was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Angie embraced the role of devoted caregiver. Sharing her own experience and advice with other caregivers became a significant role for Angie, and she frequently reminded other caregivers of the importance of self-care. In 2009, Larry Ruvo and his wife Camille opened the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in his father's memory. In honor of her 94th birthday, Larry and Camille created the Angie Ruvo Endowed Caregiving Chair, which provides financial support to caregiving research at the Lou Ruvo Center. In addition to being a champion for caregivers, Angie dedicated her life to charitable work in her community and was honored by various organizations over the years, including receiving the Augustus Society's Justinian Award, presented to notable Nevada Italian Americans. A woman praised and recognized by Senators and celebrities alike--and for whom Nevada Governors issued official proclamations-- Angie lived a life of philanthropy, generosity, and dedication. Her passing marks an immeasurable loss to her family, our community, and the Nation. May her memory be a blessing.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, for years, solar power has been a growing source of clean, low-cost energy and economic development in my State of Nevada, in States across our Nation, and surely in States like the Presiding Officer's, in California, but Nevada currently has the largest solar economy in the country, with the most solar jobs per capita--per capita--of any State. Supporting solar energy creates American jobs, and these jobs are helping us to transition to clean, renewable energy. Our domestic solar industry is made up of more than 10,000 businesses, large and small, located in every single State, employing over 250,000 American workers. But, at this moment, the American solar industry is at risk. All of the progress we have made to transition to clean energy and dramatically lower energy costs for American families is at risk. Hundreds of thousands of good-paying solar jobs are at risk because of a Department of Commerce investigation into imported solar panels. Our domestic solar industry's success depends on a steady supply of solar panels to install. If we don't have the panels to install, we do not have--we just don't have--a domestic solar industry. Unfortunately, solar panel manufacturers in the United States can only meet the needs of 15 percent--15 percent--of American solar projects. That leaves 85 percent of solar projects without any access to solar panels, and this requires--requires--importing solar panels. And let me make something very clear. I 100 percent support ramping up domestic solar manufacturing so that someday all of our solar panels and cells can be made in the United States, and I have introduced a bipartisan bill with Senator Jerry Moran to do just that. However, today, we simply do not have the capacity or the capability to manufacture enough panels to meet demand or to support the hundreds of thousands of American workers--many in union jobs--whose livelihoods-- well, they depend on access to available, affordable solar panels. Utilities across the country, and especially in the southwestern States, are shifting to renewable solar energy. They have already hired workers and in many cases have made multimillion-dollar investments to do so. These are good-paying jobs, which often require special expertise to install and maintain our solar installations. But since the administration's investigation was launched, there have been widespread reports of project cancellations and layoffs. It has thrown the entire solar industry into uncertainty, and it is threatening jobs. It is setting us back on our clean energy goals, and it is just sending--well, sending the wrong message to our communities as they plan for their infrastructure investments. One industry report states that as a result of the solar freeze, over 80 percent of American solar companies--I want to repeat that--over 80 percent of American solar companies are facing cancellations; they are facing delays on all the materials that they need. Projects are on pause, companies are facing closure, and American jobs--people's livelihoods--they are in jeopardy. Earlier this month, the State of Indiana announced that, due to the investigation, it will not be able to complete its solar projects on time and will have to keep its coal-powered plant opened several years longer than initially planned. They won't be able to complete their solar panels in time. And in my State of Nevada, NV Energy, the State's largest power company, has said that this investigation is causing massive disruptions to multiple Nevada solar projects that would provide low- cost--low-cost--power to more than 114,000 homes. This is hurting President Biden's own clean energy goals. It is reversing our progress toward clean, renewable energy. I have highlighted all this in bipartisan letters that I have led to the Department of Commerce and to the White House signed by nearly a quarter of the Senate, including many of the colleagues you are going to hear from today. If the Department of Commerce continues down the path we are on and enacts additional and retroactive solar tariffs, more than 100,000 American jobs could be lost. Hard-working families across this country will feel the pain of this decision that will cause energy costs--they are going to cause energy costs to go up. Americans are already getting squeezed at the gas pump, facing historic inflation, and paying more for groceries. We cannot allow home energy costs to increase as well. The administration--they can prevent this outcome and quell the panic in the solar industry by swiftly bringing the Department of Commerce's misguided investigation to an end. I understand and respect the Department of Commerce's need to be thorough in investigating any claims of unfair trade practices, but as I have been pointing out, this petition is built upon a house of cards. The petition for the investigation was brought by one--one single solar company relying on data from researchers who say the company's claims are wrong and that the claims and the complaint do not accurately reflect their research. We cannot let this one single company use data in a misleading way to destroy hundreds of thousands of American jobs. We must support and build our U.S. solar manufacturing, and I stand ready to work with all my colleagues to make that possible. But there are supply needs that need to be met right now, and we cannot simply build our domestic solar manufacturing overnight. This is not an either-or situation. We need to do both. American jobs are on the line. We need a resolution. So I call on the Department of Commerce and the White House again to use every resource at their disposal to expedite this process and get American solar--well, let's get us back on track. President Biden, we need action today; not next week, not next month, or later this summer. Hundreds of thousands of American solar workers, their families, our communities, they are counting on you. Today, we will hear from several of my colleagues on this critically important issue, and I look forward to hearing from them about how we can continue to work together to save American jobs and protect our climate future. I yield the floor.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I am honored and humbled to congratulate former Nevada Governor and U.S. Senator Richard Bryan on his retirement last month from Fennemore Craig. A dedicated public servant and champion for Nevada, Senator Bryan spent over half a century advocating for others, serving in just about every position in government, from the Nevada Senate to the Governor's mansion to the U.S. Senate. Throughout his extensive and storied career, Senator Bryan always put Nevadans first. As the person with the privilege to serve in his Senate seat today, I think frequently about Senator Bryan's steady, unwavering leadership, and his pragmatic approach to addressing issues that mattered most to the people of Nevada. To note only a few of Senator Bryan's incredible accomplishments would be a disservice to his long history of achievements for the public good, but I will do my best. As a young man, Senator Bryan served his country in the U.S. Army, the Las Vegas community as a prosecutor, and later Clark County as its first--and youngest--public defender. Young Richard Bryan showed Nevada's youth that anything is possible when you are dedicated and determined. Later, he served as Nevada's 27th attorney general, and as Governor of Nevada, Senator Bryan helped shape our State during a pivotal time in its history, helping Nevada attract the best and brightest, inviting businesses of all different sectors and sizes, to call Nevada home. As a U.S. Senator for two terms, Senator Bryan never stopped fighting to protect Nevada's natural beauty. He stood up for policies that safeguarded our public lands, leading the charge for passage of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act of 1998, which to this day makes land and resources available for various public purposes to better the communities in our State. I also want to recognize Senator Bryan and the late Senator Harry Reid for being the leading voices in the fight against Yucca Mountain, standing up for Nevadans and against our State becoming the Nation's nuclear dumping ground. During his time in the Senate, Senator Bryan also worked tirelessly to advance civil rights, empower women in government, make our roads safer, and protect consumers from fraud. As a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Senator Bryan was the lead sponsor of seven consumer protection and highway safety bills that passed the Senate. And as chair of the Senate Ethics Committee, Senator Bryan demonstrated his commitment to the notion that public servants should fight for the interests of their constituents, not their own interests. Senator Bryan has been beloved his entire career--by his staff, by his constituents, and by his late wife Bonnie, who was the light of his life and stood by his side throughout Senator Bryan's public life, serving Nevada with poise and grace. Those who worked for Senator Bryan remember him as the kind of boss who made everyone feel like an integral part of the team, from the chief of staff, down to new interns. That is why they have stayed close with one another and with him ever since Senator Bryan left the Senate in 2000. Nevadans will forever be indebted to Senator Richard Bryan for his many selfless years of public service. I, personally, will always be grateful to Senator Bryan for his care, his compassion, and his kindness, particularly when I first joined the Senate to restore the Richard Bryan seat to a Democrat for the first time since he held it. I will never forget Senator Bryan walking me down the center aisle of the Senate Chamber, arm-in-arm, as I was sworn in to represent the people of Nevada, just as he had done decades earlier. I know I am a better Senator because of Senator Richard Bryan, I know we as a State and a nation are better off for his tremendous efforts, and I wish him all the best as he enters a well-deserved retirement.

Ms. ROSEN

Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. ROSEN

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

Ms. ROSEN

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