Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, for the information of Senators, there will be no further votes tonight. It is our expectation that we will finish all remaining business tomorrow. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 6503, which was received from the House.

Mr. SCHUMER

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 445, John David Russell, of Oklahoma, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma; that the cloture motion be withdrawn and the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, you, the Senator from Colorado, have voiced increased optimism in getting a supplemental done, and I agree with the Senator from Colorado. This won't be easy, but we will keep working because this is so important to our country and to the world. I read a statement that Senator McConnell and I issued a few hours ago, a joint statement regarding supplemental national security legislation: Bipartisan border security negotiations are essential to the Senate's efforts to address critical national security priorities. Our colleagues are making encouraging progress on this front. Challenging issues remain, but we are committed to addressing needs at the southern border and to helping allies and partners confront serious threats in Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific. The Senate will not let these national security challenges go unanswered. As negotiators work through remaining issues, it is our hope that their efforts will allow the Senate to take swift action on the national security supplemental early in the new year. In the time remaining this year, Senate and administration negotiators will continue to work in good faith toward finalizing their agreement. Now I will move to pass the extension of the reauthorizing of the FAA. It is critical we extend this funding as so many Americans travel for the holidays. It is going to give us more time for a long-term funding measure in the new year, so passing FAA funding tonight is good news.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motions filed during yesterday and today's sessions ripen at 5:30 p.m., Monday, January 8, 2024, and that the nominations remain in status quo notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXXI, paragraph 6, of the Standing Rules of the Senate.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 12 noon on Wednesday, December 20; that following the prayer and the 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 the Senate be in a period of morning business for debate only, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair.

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, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 117.

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 executive session to consider Calendar No. 142.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration Calendar No. 64, S. 310.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I understand 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 proceeding.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 175, S. 950.

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, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions: S. Res. 512, S. Res. 513, and S. Res. 514.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 194, S. 2073.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, over the past week, Democrats and Republicans have made important progress toward an agreement on the national security supplemental. While the job is not finished, I am confident we are headed in the right direction. I want to thank all the Members and staff from Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and the White House who worked through the weekend to get us closer to an agreement. I can imagine that they are tired after working nonstop, coming into the office early in the morning and working furiously into the evenings. With the holidays around the corner, they are sacrificing time with family, with their kids, and have to put travel plans on hold to get this done. I salute my colleagues and staff for their excellent work, and I am encouraged by the progress we made over the weekend--significant progress--and I urge them to keep going. Now, we all know this is extremely difficult work--among the most difficult things we have done in recent memory. Everyone knows that something should be done to fix our broken immigration system, but we can't do so by compromising our values. Finding the middle ground is exceptionally hard, and both sides must accept that they will have to make concessions. And it is going to take some more time to get it done. But we must succeed. Democrats remain committed to working with our Republican counterparts to reach an agreement. As these negotiations continue off the floor, we must also finish the job on confirming military promotions and other nominees. In past years, these four-star generals would have been swiftly appointed to their posts. But this year, one Senator--the Senator from Alabama--has broken decades of bipartisan tradition by placing blanket holds on these highly qualified and dedicated nominees. While I am glad the Senator has relinquished his holds, I am disappointed it has taken this long, and we will still need to confirm the last few of these nominees before the end of the week. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.