Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent 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.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, in conclusion, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Thursday, January 25; 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 upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Lund nomination; further, that the cloture motion on the Sherriff nomination ripen upon the disposition of the Lund nomination, and that if cloture is invoked on the Sherriff nomination, all time be considered expired and the confirmation vote be at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Republican leader; further, that following the cloture vote on the Sherriff nomination, the Senate resume consideration of the Kolar nomination and that the cloture motion ripen at 1:45 p.m.; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday's session, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 471.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 459.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, January 23, be waived.

Mr. SCHUMER. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 528.

Mr. SCHUMER. 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.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, and now to today's remarks. Senate negotiators continue their work on a truly significant undertaking: reaching a bipartisan agreement to protect America's national security, to strengthen our border, and to provide critical aid to Ukraine, Israel, and our friends and partners abroad, as well as humanitarian aid for the Palestinians in Gaza and humanitarian aid to other places around the world. We are close to reaching a bipartisan agreement on the supplemental, but we are not there yet. Negotiators are still working through some outstanding items. All of us want to reach an agreement, but it is very important that we get this right. So I am heartened that negotiations are in a good place, even as we have more work to do. I have stayed in close touch with my Senate colleagues, with the Republican leader, and with the White House, and we are all on the same page that we want to reach an agreement. The President said he is willing to work with Republicans in a big way on border security. For the last 2 months, Democrats have demonstrated that we are willing to have this very difficult debate. It is not easy. In fact, border security is one of the most difficult things we have undertaken, but Democrats are serious about getting something done. But as I have said from the beginning, any outcome on the border has to be bipartisan. It has to be something that can get 60 votes in the Senate. We believe we can get it done, so we are going to keep working. Now, there are many on the hard right who are trying desperately to kill these negotiations before they even finish. Many of them are motivated by naked partisanship; others are taking cues from Donald Trump. These hard-right saboteurs talk on and on about the need to fix the border, but now they don't actually want to see a bipartisan solution on the border--which is the only kind of solution, of course, that can pass. But here in the Senate, both sides have an obligation to make sure these hard-right voices stay in the minority. We must let the negotiators finish their work. Too much--too much--hangs in the balance for our national security, for our border, for our friends around the world. This is especially true for the war in Ukraine. Very soon, we will reach the 2-year mark since Putin commenced his illegal invasion, and the war now stands at a turning point. American aid, which has been so crucial for helping our Ukrainian friends hold the line, has been exhausted. The only way to provide more aid is through Congressional action, and it is essential that Congress acts because as Ukraine's supplies run low, Russia's supplies are replenishing. According to a report yesterday, weapons from North Korea are now making their way to the battlefield, including North Korean missiles. The more weapons from North Korea that enter the war, the more precious resources Ukraine will be forced to use to shoot these weapons down, resources that are already in short supply. In fact, Ukrainian commanders have already said they have been forced to ration munitions because they don't know when--or if--another round of American aid is coming their way. So, to my Senate colleagues, it is quite simple. As President Zelenskyy himself told us over a month ago, if the U.S. Congress approves more aid to Ukraine, they can win the war against Putin. But if Congress fails to act, Ukraine faces defeat. And make no mistake, a defeat for Ukraine will make the world a more dangerous place for the United States. Whatever costs we bear to resist Putin today will be magnified in the future. We dare not go down that road. We dare not shrink from our obligations to defend democracy in its hour of need. Our friends in Ukraine need our help. So we must answer their call by finishing work on the supplemental. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading.

Mr. SCHUMER. In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceedings.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 26.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent 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.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Finally, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 24; 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 upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Austin nomination; further, that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 11:30 a.m., the Senate vote on cloture on the Austin nomination, followed immediately by a vote on cloture on the Brisco nomination; further, that if cloture has been invoked on either nomination, all time be considered expired at 2:15 p.m. and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nominations in the order in which cloture was invoked; further, that following the disposition of the Brisco nomination, the Senate resume consideration of the Lund nomination and that the cloture motion ripen at 6:15 p.m.; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, over the weekend, Senate Democrats and Republicans and the White House continued negotiations on the national security supplemental. We have come a very long way since talks began 2 months ago, and Democrats remain committed to working in good faith on reaching an agreement. President Biden has also made clear he is willing to work with Republicans in a big way--in a big way--on border security. All of us on the Democratic side are serious about getting something done. I remained in contact with the negotiators throughout the weekend. We remain hopeful, but it is certainly not a done deal yet. There are a handful of issues that have not yet been agreed to. On something as complicated as the border, it is not just what we do that matters; it is how we do it. So negotiations are not done yet. Nevertheless, Democrats remain serious about finishing the job. Senators don't need to be reminded about what is at stake in this negotiation. The future of the war in Ukraine hangs in the balance. The security of our Western democracy hangs in the balance. The safety of our friends in Israel, our partners in the Indo-Pacific, and more humanitarian aid for innocent civilians in Gaza all hang in the balance. Ukraine is already running low on armaments and munitions that were, in large part, provided by the United States. A mere month from now, the tide of the war could turn greatly in Russia's favor, to the detriment of the West and, in all probability, for many years to come. If America comes up short, if we abandon Ukraine in their fight against Putin, the consequences will reverberate for years. Make no mistake. Putin will not be satisfied with merely taking Ukraine. His military influence in Europe will expand westward. The costs to NATO to hold Putin at bay will increase greatly. And, if we fail, our adversaries in Iran, in North Korea, and in the Chinese Communist Party will conclude that America no longer has the resolve to defend democracy in its hour of need. They have always bet on the fact that we would lose resolve. On our side, here on the Democratic side, we are not losing resolve. We want to get this done, and we know a good number of our Republican colleagues want to join us. We hope there will be enough. We cannot afford to go down a dark and ominous road where we abandon Ukraine and the consequences roll before us. The eyes of the world are watching closely what we do and how we respond. Sadly, it is clear there are some in this Congress and beyond who wish to prevent bipartisan action on the border and on our national security challenges. Whether they are blinded by naked partisanship or cowed by political pressure, these minority voices are cynically working to stymie bipartisan cooperation. In the Senate, both sides must make sure these voices are in the minority. For the sake of our national security, for the sake of our friends in Ukraine, for the sake of America's interests around the world, we must stay the course. Senate Democrats remain committed to finishing the job on the supplemental, and, if presented with the opportunity to pass a national security supplemental here on the floor, we intend to act as quickly as possible. We are not there yet, but we will keep going.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 467.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. SCHUMER

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