Chuck Schumer

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 move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on another matter, today, with a heart full of gratitude, I join my colleagues in paying tribute to Laura Lytle, who is retiring today as the Daily Press Media Gallery Director. Laura is precisely my kind of Senate staffer: It was through her good work that the press has been able for all these years to access the Senate and keep the American public informed about our work. Laura joined the Sergeant at Arms in May of 1994 as an intern in the Press Gallery, taking on special projects to help the fine-tuned machinery of the Gallery to function properly. Over the years, she worked her way up the ladder and became the director of the Daily Press Media Gallery in June of 2013. It was Laura who was responsible for credentialing reporters for daily newspapers, wire services, and online publications and has helped facilitate press interactions with Members. Without Laura, that crucial bridge between this Chamber and the public that the press creates would not be possible. She has been the facilitator and gatekeeper, and we are all so thankful for her service. Laura, we wish you the very best on the next step in our journey. We will miss you, and please know you always have a home here in the Senate.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I have eight 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:

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration Calendar No. 117, S. 106.

Mr. SCHUMER. I further ask that the committee-reported substitute amendment be withdrawn; that the Baldwin substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and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.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn to then convene for pro forma sessions only, with no business being conducted, on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until the next pro forma session: Friday, November 17 at 7:30 a.m.; Tuesday, November 21, at 10 a.m.; Friday, November 24, at 11 a.m.; further, that when the Senate adjourns on Friday, November 24, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. on Monday, November 27; that on Monday, following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, 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 to resume consideration of the Bryan nomination; further, that the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, November 27.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration Calendar No. 191, S. 1510.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the Braun substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, 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.

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, following the remarks of my many Republican colleagues.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to adjourn until 7:03 p.m. today.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, now on an FCC letter, last month, my colleagues and I wrote the FCC, urging them to adopt a number of key principles from our infrastructure law that fight against digital discrimination and ensure equal access to high-speed internet. Well, I have good news. The FCC heard us loud and clear and will vote tomorrow to implement the provisions I pushed with my colleagues to ensure everyone can access high-speed internet no matter what ZIP Code they live in. The digital divide has caused our country so much damage. It has shut out rural, urban, and low-income Americans, including far too many women and people of color, for whom basic internet access remains unavailable or unaffordable. I am proud of the great work we did to address the digital divide in our bipartisan infrastructure law. Now I encourage all of the FCC Commissioners to take advantage of the provisions in our infrastructure law so that underserved communities can access high-speed internet just like everybody else.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, tomorrow, for the second time since taking office, President Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the APEC summit in San Francisco. Above all, I look forward to President Biden pushing President Xi on something I raised during the bipartisan codel I led to China: cracking down on the sale of precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl. When my Senate colleagues and I met with President Xi, we explained in stark detail how destructive the fentanyl crisis was here in America and that China had a responsibility to do its part to stop its trafficking. One step we strongly urged President Xi to take is for Chinese law enforcement to coordinate with the United States to enforce laws already on the books on the sale of precursor chemicals. I believe we have made progress on this issue, and I am very optimistic that good news will come from tomorrow's meeting regarding fentanyl when President Biden meets with President Xi. If China stopped the sale of chemicals used to make fentanyl, it would not only save countless American lives but even benefit China, as it would go a long way to improving China's image in the minds of Americans. So, just as we pushed President Xi on cracking down on fentanyl last month, I expect President Biden will urge him to do so tomorrow, and I think we may see real results. When we met with President Xi in person, we were pointed and specific with our questions and issues and found him to be responsive, and I hope President Biden will have the same sort of frank conversation tomorrow with President Xi.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, we have until Friday to avert another costly, unnecessary, and avoidable government shutdown. Time is a luxury that neither side has. If we are going to keep the lights on beyond this Friday, our Republican colleagues will have to work with Democrats in a bipartisan way to pass a clean extension without hard- right cuts and without poison pills. So far, I am heartened--cautiously so--that Speaker Johnson is moving forward with a CR that omits precisely the sort of hard-right cuts that would have been nonstarters for Democrats. I certainly don't agree with everything the Speaker is proposing, and I can't imagine too many Senators would have taken the Speaker's approach in drafting this bill. But the proposal before the House does two things Democrats have pushed for: It will avert a shutdown, and it will do so without making any terrible, hard-right cuts that the MAGA rightwing demands. It also eliminates the poison pills that so many MAGA Congress Members put in the bills. We will see over the course of today how the House moves forward. Over the past few days, a significant portion of the Speaker's hard- right flank has torched his proposal precisely because it doesn't make cuts. I hope the Speaker does not yield to the demands of the hard right as we try to keep the government open. Instead, I hope the Speaker continues to recognize he will need Democratic votes in order to avoid a shutdown.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, on the student debt CRA, as soon as today, Senate Republicans will force a vote on a cruel measure to eliminate President Biden's historic Student Loan Repayment Program and strip away a critical lifeline for millions and millions of borrowers. I strongly oppose this terrible Republican measure to deny American families a critical lifeline just 1 month after the pause on student loan payments ended. My Republican colleagues talk a big game about helping working families, but with this student debt congressional resolution, they are actively trying to block relief that would immediately improve the lives of so many working Americans. The hypocrisy is glaring. Republicans are willing to give huge tax breaks to ultrawealthy billionaires and large corporations, but when it comes to helping working families, Republicans refuse to give them a break. They say that it costs too much money. But billionaire tax cuts don't? Give me a break. Right now, there are over 5.5 million borrowers involved in President Biden's SAVE Plan, including nearly 300,000 in my home State of New York alone. So the worst thing we could do for these borrowers and these families right now is let this Republican CRA pass and strip away this critical lifeline. I will strongly oppose this Republican CRA to overturn student debt relief, and Democrats will keep working to make sure relief reaches every borrower in need.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, on the Supreme Court, yesterday, for the first time, the U.S. Supreme Court announced the adoption of an ethical code of conduct for Justices. At a time when Americans' trust in the High Court is deeply, deeply shaken, the Supreme Court has taken an important step to lay down basic rules of the road for our Justices. Frankly, this should have happened a long time ago. Lower courts have long been required to embrace an ethical code of conduct, and there is no reason that the Supreme Court should not have done the same. Now, while the Supreme Court's announcement was important, its lack of enforceability is a glaring omission. Justices, it seems, are left to their own devices in applying this code to themselves. Frankly, Americans could be excused if they are skeptical after everything they have read in the paper about Justices accepting lavish gifts and vacationing with ultrarich ideologues, some of whom bring cases before the Court. Sheldon Whitehouse said it well. He said: It is as if they are agreeing to the rules of baseball but no umpires. So, while the Justices' code of conduct is a necessary and important step, it cannot be the final word. The public's trust in our courts is a key feature of our democratic society, and there is a lot of work left to do before that trust is fully restored. Congress must--must-- continue its efforts to hold the judiciary accountable.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, on a circuit court judge, last night, the Senate confirmed the 37th circuit court judge under President Biden: Ana de Alba to serve as circuit court judge for the Ninth Circuit. Judge de Alba's confirmation is significant. She is the 30th Hispanic judge confirmed by this Democratic majority under President Biden. With the confirmation of this 30th Hispanic judge, that is the most Hispanic judges confirmed by any President in one term--something we can all be proud of. That is the most Hispanic judges ever confirmed by any President in his first term--30--30 new Hispanic judges. We are making the bench look more like America. One judge at a time, Democrats are making our courts look more like America--greater diversity, more women, a broader range of professional and personal experiences. We will keep going. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, on Senator Tuberville, today, the Senate Rules Committee will mark up a resolution allowing the Senate to quickly confirm the military promotions currently being blocked by Senator Tuberville. I will join the Rules Committee later today--I am a member of the committee; it is the only committee on which I serve--and vote in favor of this resolution. I will vote in favor of the Rules Committee's resolution. For 9 months, Senator Tuberville has thumbed his nose at longstanding Senate custom and prevented the swift, bipartisan confirmations of hundreds of generals and flag officers. Each time Members from both sides have tried to reason with Senator Tuberville, he has only dug in further. As a result of Senator Tuberville's holds, America's national security is now paying the price. Our military readiness is paying the price, and our military spouses and kids, who can't plan the next chapters in their lives even though they have served us for many, many years--they pay the price too. Patience is wearing thin with Senator Tuberville on both sides of the aisle. I strongly support this resolution to overcome these military holds, and if it is reported out of committee today and if our Republican colleagues cannot soon convince Senator Tuberville to drop his holds, I will bring it to the floor for a vote. I thank Chair Klobuchar and Chairman Reed for their good work on moving this important resolution.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I have eight 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:

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, this week, President Biden will attend the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in San Francisco, where, on Wednesday, he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Earlier today, I spoke with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and urged that President Biden should push President Xi on some of the same things my colleagues and I did during the bipartisan codel I led to China last month. At the top of our list is the fentanyl crisis, which has killed tens of thousands of Americans each year--so many of them young Americans--and which, in large part, originates in China. For years, Chinese chemical companies have faced little oversight as they have sold chemicals like fentanyl analogs, xylazine, and other substances to Mexican buyers. Mexican cartels then turn these chemicals into fentanyl that they sell in the United States and ultimately into our communities, wreaking havoc, claiming tens of thousands of lives. So when my colleagues and I met with President Xi, we explained in graphic detail how fentanyl was devastating our communities and that China needs to stop the exportation of these precursor chemicals. We spoke in very strong terms--I did, Senator Hassan, and Senator Cassidy. We all told him what havoc this was wreaking in America. Then, I explained to President Xi that my dad used to be a small business owner and that it would go a very, very long way toward improving China's image for Americans if they took action to crack down on the fentanyl crisis; that the benefits China would get from cracking down on these companies, in terms of American good will, would far more than outweigh the tiny cost it would have on the economy. And I said any businessman knows that would be a good thing to do. President Xi seemed receptive to our concerns about fentanyl and said he would look into it. So, today, I relayed to Jake Sullivan that President Biden should be really strong on this issue and ask for concrete action from President Xi on this important topic. It sounds as if there may be a chance for progress with the Chinese Government on cracking down on exporting precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, so we are eager to hear more come out of Wednesday's meeting. If they will crack down on these precursor chemicals that are used to make fentanyl, it would be of huge benefit to this country and save thousands of lives. So we are optimistic and hopeful that our codel and now President Biden pushing the issue will get some real results. It was among the highest priorities for our codel last month. I also urged Jake Sullivan to make sure that President Biden echoes what we told President Xi about the need for reciprocity between U.S. and Chinese businesses. Time and time again, our best companies are prohibited from competing freely or competing at all in China, while many of their best companies can freely compete here. So many of our companies are severely disadvantaged when the Chinese Government stacks the deck against them in the form of forced technology transfers, the theft of their intellectual property, and other unfair practices. This is costing countless American jobs and tens of millions--if not more--to our economy every single year. We listed, roughly, a dozen major companies that right now face a major disadvantage competing in China, and we hope the President will strongly push President Xi on those this week. We also stressed to President Xi last month that if the United States and China are to improve their economic relations, U.S. companies need to be able to compete freely in China, just as they compete freely here. I expect President Biden will emphasize the same this week. Finally, I hope President Biden is adamant, as we were, with President Xi that China must lean on Russia and Iran not to exacerbate the military crises happening around the world. On the Israel-Gaza conflict, in particular, we told President Xi that China needs to use its influence on Iran to stop them from acting in any way that would widen the conflict. China should play a positive, not a negative, role in this delicate crisis. In fact, during my meeting with President Xi, as you may remember, I criticized the Chinese Government for issuing a statement about October 7 that failed to condemn the killing of civilians, and they ended up issuing a stronger statement the next day. When President Biden is similarly firm that China should play a stabilizing role with Iran and Russia, I think it will make a big difference. In short, Wednesday's meeting between President Biden and President Xi will be a real test for China to show that they truly want a better relationship with the United States. When my colleagues and I met with President Xi in person, we were pointed and specific with our questions and issues and found him to be responsive. So I expect President Biden will have the same sort of frank conversation we did a month ago. When the President hammers home the same things we focused on in Beijing on fentanyl, on reciprocity for U.S. businesses, on ensuring stability on the world stage, then, given what we saw in our conversations, we think it could make significant progress on issues we have long focused on here in the U.S. Senate. I salute President Biden for meeting with President Xi, and I am very hopeful we will get some real results as a result of that meeting.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, now a few moments ago, I asked for consent that the Senate delay today's cloture vote and allow for it to be rescheduled to a time to be determined later this week. We are pausing on our plans to move forward on a Senate vehicle to allow the House to move first with their proposal. I have said since the very beginning that bipartisanship is the only way to avoid a government shutdown; and for that reason, I am heartened that the bill Speaker Johnson is advancing omits the sort of devastating cuts that are nonstarters for Democrats. The Speaker's proposal is far from perfect, but the most important thing is that it refrains from making steep cuts while avoiding a costly government shutdown--two things we very much believe in and need. I hope the Speaker continues to acknowledge that he will need Democratic votes in both chambers if he wants to avoid a government shutdown. He needs to stay away from poison pills and steep, hard-right cuts to make that happen. Bipartisanship is the only way to get this done. I yield the floor.