Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, yesterday, Appropriations Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins announced they are ready to move ahead with the first three appropriations bills here on the Senate floor: MILCON-VA, Agriculture, and Transportation HUD. This is extremely good news for what has already been a fruitful and bipartisan Senate appropriations process. Chair and Vice Chair Murray and Collins have done an outstanding job negotiating this difficult work, so I thank them, as well as my other colleagues, particularly those on Appropriations, on both sides of the aisle. To keep the bipartisan momentum alive, I will file cloture on this package today, with a plan to hold our first vote early next week. The Senate appropriations process is a lesson in how governing should work. All 12 appropriations bills have been passed with bipartisan support through regular order. Nine of them were either unanimous or just had one ``no'' vote. That doesn't mean the parties have to agree on everything--we know that won't happen. But what it means is that our disagreements have not paralyzed the process. That is the mark of good governance. Of course, the work is far from over. When the House gavels back into session next week, time will be short for both parties in both Chambers to unite around a plan to keep the government open beyond September 30. There is only one way--one way--that this will happen: through bipartisanship. Neither party can afford to go at it alone if we want to avoid a shutdown. We are going to have to work together, just as we have done in the Senate, without resorting to extremism and unseemly tactics. And that message is intended for the House, the House Republicans, and the House Republican leadership, in particular. When I last met with the Speaker at the end of July, we had a good conversation on the matter, so I hope he sticks to his guns as this process begins in earnest. Both parties in both Chambers must come together on passing emergency supplemental funding to help our fellow Americans reeling from natural disasters, to stand with our friends in Ukraine fighting against Putin, and to fight against the fentanyl crisis, among other priorities. Later this morning, I will attend a classified briefing on the state of the war in Ukraine, where I expect we will see precisely why, now more than ever, our friends abroad need our help. We must continue to show Putin and the forces of autocracy that the United States stands firmly behind Ukraine. The worst thing we could do right now for our own national security and for our democratic values is to waver or hesitate in our support. What is the point in cutting off support now when we are at a turning point in the war--an inflection point--after we have invested such a large amount of resources to get us to this inflection point? It is a crucial moment right now. So one more time, let me implore my House colleagues: Follow in the Senate's example when you return next week and work with Democrats in a bipartisan way so we can avoid a costly, pointless, and very harmful and unnecessary government shutdown. We do not need to go down that road, and we cannot follow the lead of a mindless few who believe a shutdown is a good thing and who want it and who openly admit they want it. They are hurting the American people, plain and simple. We should not follow them. Democrats and Republicans in both the House and Senate should not follow this small band of people who are at the extreme. Instead, let's keep our economic recovery going. Let's keep our investments in infrastructure and manufacturing flowing, and let's make sure we help Americans with disaster aid, help our friends in Ukraine, deal with fentanyl, and fulfill our other needs too. The Senate, as I said, is off to a very good start. I hope the House gets off to a good start next week as well by embracing bipartisanship. We will know very soon whether they are ready or not to follow through on this very important responsibility they have to the American people.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now, finally, on AI. Next week the Senate will host one of the most important conversations of the year when the top minds in artificial intelligence convene for our first AI Insight Forum. It will be a meeting unlike any other that we have seen in the Senate in a very long time--perhaps ever. A coming together of top voices in business, civil rights, defense, research, labor, the arts-- all together in one room having a much needed discussion, conversation, about how Congress can tackle AI. Both parties recognize that AI is something we can't ignore, but we need a lot of help understanding the best way forward. Different countries are taking such different approaches to AI, and some are more successful than others. We have to learn from their mistakes and learn from this panel, illustrious as it is. We need to find an approach that balances both innovation and savings. That means both creative innovation to develop new applications, new technologies, new breakthroughs so we can advance in science and in medicine and in education and in health and in so many other areas--communications. But we also need innovation on guardrails so we can find creative and new ways to protect our kids, our privacy, prevent racial bias, prevent doomsday scenarios. Innovation must apply to both sides of the equation, innovating so we can move the advantages of AI forward but innovating so we can deal with the problems that AI might create and lessen them as much as we can. It will not be easy, not easy at all. In fact, it will be one of the hardest things we undertake in Congress, the hardest thing we probably ever have undertaken. That is why next week's conversation will be so important because it will be the first of a series of forums that will give our committees the knowledge base and thought insights to draft the right kind of policies. Already our committees have done some outstanding work on this topic, holding no less than eight hearings on AI on matters related to national security, intellectual property, human rights, and more. In fact, as we speak, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing on AI and the Department of Energy's role in preserving competition and new technologies. One thing I want to underscore before I finish my speech here on my little talk here on AI is that we are doing this in a bipartisan way. Senator Rounds, Senator Young, Senator Heinrich, and myself are sort of steering this effort. We are having this be done in a bipartisan way, and we expect the committees to work in a bipartisan way because if this becomes a partisan issue, nothing will happen, and that could create real problems in our society. So the Senate is ready and engaging on this most important issue. I want to thank my colleagues for their work. I want to thank Senators Rounds, Young, and Heinrich for helping organize these forums, and I look forward to our conversation, our very important conversation, next week. We hope Senators will come--Senators and their staffs will come, listen, learn, and then act. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, nominations, well, it has been a productive first week back here on the Senate floor for nominations. Yesterday, I am proud to say, we confirmed Gwynne Wilcox to a second term on the NLRB, the National Labor Relations Board. I am happy she passed, just as she did 2 years ago when she became the first Black woman ever to be confirmed to the NLRB. Confirming highly qualified nominees like Ms. Wilcox to the NLRB is a top priority for Democrats and for all working Americans, because it is one of the most important proworker Agencies in the country. Under the Biden administration, the NLRB has been hard at work overturning Trump-era rulings that harmed workers and unions. They have been at work expanding protections in the workplace and safeguarding the right to organize. All important to maintaining the middle class and growing the middle class; because after all, it was the union movement that really created the broad American middle class in the first place. And when unions were attacked, the middle class declined. During her first term on the NLRB, Ms. Wilcox was a fervent champion of the labor movement, so I am pleased that she will be back on the board again. Now, later this morning we will confirm Adriana Kugler to be on the Federal Reserve Board. I was proud to champion this historic nomination of Ms. Kugler, a Colombian-American economist who will make history as the first--the first--Latina in the Fed Board's 109-year history. And I want to thank Chairman Menendez for championing this outstanding nominee. Ms. Kugler's historic confirmation will be a great moment for the Fed and for America, as we elevate fresh, diverse perspectives to our Nation's central bank and continue our strong economic recovery. We also confirmed two other very impressive nominees to the Federal Reserve this week: Philip Jefferson and Lisa Cook, another historic nominee, as Ms. Cook became the first Black woman confirmed to a full term on the Fed. Both of them again passed with bipartisan support. And, finally, today we will vote to confirm Anna Gomez as a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission. Ms. Gomez is an exceptional nominee with considerable telecom experience and broad support from groups on both sides of the aisle. And if confirmed, she will be the first Latina on the Commission in over 20 years, another glass ceiling broken. And these are so important to getting a full, diverse view on important governing Agencies like the Fed, like the FCC. Ms. Gomez's confirmation will fill the fifth and final spot on the FCC so they can do the crucial work of expanding access to high-speed internet, administering programs for affordable internet access, and protecting consumers from junk fees and much more. So I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their cooperation on these nominees, and I look forward to continuing this Democratic Senate's historic pace of confirming well-qualified and diverse nominees.

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. 124.

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. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 198, H.R. 4366.

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, September 7, be waived.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. Monday, September 11; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, 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 upon conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Bradsher nomination; further, that the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senators Cardin, Lankford, and Lee.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I have five 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 S(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, now, over the past few months, the Senate appropriations process has been a shining example of how things should work in Washington. These are divided times, in a closely divided Chamber, but, nevertheless, we can summarize the Senate's work of funding the government down to one word, bipartisan--one word, bipartisan. Thanks to the outstanding work of Appropriations Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins and many other colleagues from both sides, all 12 appropriations bills have been reported out of the committee with bipartisan support. Some of them--many of them were with unanimous bipartisan support. That doesn't mean everyone agreed on everything. It means something more important. It means that disagreements haven't paralyzed the process. This month, one of the Senate's top priorities will be to keep the government open beyond the September 30 deadline. Both parties in both Chambers will have to work together if we are to avoid a shutdown. So when the House returns next week, I implore--I implore--my Republican colleagues in the House to recognize that time is short to keep the government open and the only way to avoid a shutdown is through bipartisanship. House Republicans should follow the Senate's example and work with Democrats to pass strong, bipartisan appropriations bills. They will have their first chance to show their commitment to bipartisanship when they return next week. The last thing Americans need right now is a pointless government shutdown. Our economy has come a very long way since the darkest days of the COVID pandemic. Inflation is slowing down, job growth remains strong, the investments we have made through the infrastructure law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act are paying off with new projects and new good-paying jobs. We shouldn't squander all of that now. A shutdown is unnecessary and would harm so many American families and businesses. But if both sides work in good faith, embrace bipartisanship as we have done in the Senate, and avoid all-or-nothing tactics, then there will be no shutdown, and that will be very good news for the American people because it is the American people who suffer most when there is a shutdown.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, another criminal trial arising out of the events of January 6, 2021, is scheduled to begin on September 13, 2023, in Federal district court in the District of Columbia. The defendant in this case is charged with multiple counts, including unlawfully entering and remaining in a restricted area within the U.S. Capitol grounds. The prosecution is seeking trial testimony from Michael J. Mastrian, Director of the Senate Radio and Television Gallery, and Jeffrey S. Kent, Director of the Press Photographers' Gallery, which operate under the authority of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, relating to the regulation of access to the Capitol by bona fide members of the electronic news media, news photographers, and heads of photographic news bureaus. Senate Sergeant at Arms Gibson would like to cooperate by providing relevant testimony in this proceeding from Messrs. Mastrian and Kent. In keeping with the rules and practices of the Senate, this resolution would authorize the production of relevant testimony from Messrs. Mastrian and Kent, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the 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. 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. 327.

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. Mr. President, welcome back to you and our great staff, and it is good to be back. Leader McConnell will speak after me here on the floor, and I am glad to see him back and doing well. Mr. President, let me begin by welcoming back all of our Senators from the August work period. August was a busy month for all of us back home, a time to listen to constituents about what is on their minds, like lowering costs and increasing paychecks. It was also a time for ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings as the historic investments that Democrats made come to fruition; and, of course, it was a time to prepare for the very busy month in front of us. On the implementation side, August was a month of action, of groundbreakings, celebrating new factories and new good-paying jobs that will stick around for a long, long time. When a parent sees his or her son or daughter get these jobs, they know they are going to be around for a long time; they are not going to be gone in 2 or 3 years. It is a great thing for optimism and the future of America. And it was even nice to see Speaker McCarthy in my home State of New York, celebrating the new jobs secured by Democrats, when he visited JMA Wireless last month. I have been there many times too. In fact, it was from my own visits there and to other companies across New York that I saw firsthand the opportunity to invest in companies like JMA by buy-in-America provisions that we added to the legislation, and it helped us shape the Inflation Reduction Act. As the Speaker saw with his own eyes, Democrats' investments are already bearing fruit. In just one year alone, the Inflation Reduction Act alone has resulted in over 200 new clean energy jobs and created 170,000 new good-paying jobs, and it is projected to create another 1.5 million jobs over the next decade. Pick any region of the country, and you will have no trouble seeing Democrats' agenda in action. One of the amazing visits I went to was in Allegany County in Upstate New York. It is in Appalachia. By income levels, it is one of the poorest counties in our State. And there, the Inflation Reduction Act is blowing new life into Ljungstrom. This is a company that used to make coal technology equipment and has transitioned to making parts for wind turbines and is hiring 150 new workers, all in a place where people thought they didn't have much of a history, because they knew the coal industry was declining. It has happened all over America. In Georgia, Hyundai and LG announced they are increasing their multibillion dollar investment towards a major EV and battery manufacturing plant, one that will be the State's largest project ever, creating thousands of good-paying jobs in years to come. And in New Mexico, Arcosa broke ground on a new wind tower production facility expected to create 250 new jobs. These jobs will help fill the over $1 billion worth of wind tower orders they have received since President Biden signed the IRA into law. These investments, and many others, are supporting the whole of America, red and blue States, rural and urban, everyone, everywhere. And you can be sure the best is yet to come. Last month, we saw other examples of implementation, too. Over the past few weeks, President Biden made groundbreaking announcements on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, on prevailing wage, and more. Many of these are a direct result of the work that we have done in the Congress. So Democrats are very proud of the agenda now taking hold across America, and we intend to keep going. Now the Senate gavels back into session with a lot to do, but there is one clear place to begin: Keep the government open. As we all know, government funding is set to expire on September 30. By the end of this month, the House and Senate--Democrats and Republicans--all must get on the same page about keeping the government open and avoiding a pointless shutdown--a shutdown that will hurt just about every single American; a shutdown that, of course, shouldn't happen. To accomplish that, the answer is very simple: All sides must work together in good faith, without engaging in extremism or all-or-nothing tactics. Look no further than the example we have set here in a bipartisan way in the Senate: Democrats working with Republicans on a bipartisan basis; chairs, Democratic chairs, engaging fruitfully with Republican vice chairs and ranking members. All 12 appropriations bills have been reported out of committee with bipartisan support, some of them unanimously--unanimously. Both sides avoided dragging the process down with unseemly tactics. It sets a very good template for how things should work in Congress. I want to thank all my colleagues, but especially Appropriations Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins, for their tremendous work thus far on the appropriations process. They truly deserve a lot of credit. When the House returns next week, I hope House Republicans--I implore House Republicans to recognize that time is short to keep the government open and that the only way--the only way--we will finish the appropriations process is through bipartisanship, the idea of both parties working together, not one party, particularly if it is a party governed by an extreme 30 or 40 Members filling out a wish list that they know can't pass. They can't do that. So let me repeat. Let me say it again. The only way to avoid a shutdown is through bipartisanship. So I urge--I plead--with House Republican leadership to follow the Senate's lead and pass bipartisan Democrat and Republican appropriations bills supported by both parties. As we work to fund the government, there are plenty of other things we must do, too, both on and off the floor. We will, for one, continue laying a foundation for bipartisan congressional action on AI. Next Wednesday, along with Senators Rounds, Heinrich, and Young, I will host the Senate's inaugural AI Insight Forum, a first-ever convening of the top minds in AI here in the Congress. Voices from business and the civil rights community, researchers, worker advocates, and many more, all in one room having an open discussion about how Congress can act on AI: where to start, what questions to ask, and how to build a foundation for safe AI innovation. These AI forums are vital. Artificial intelligence is unlike any topic we have undertaken in Congress. It moves faster; it is more complex; and there is little precedent for this kind of work. This is not going to be easy. In fact, it will be one of the most difficult things we undertake, but in the 21st century, as technology moves forward with or without us, we can't behave like ostriches with heads in the sand when it comes to AI. We must treat AI with the same level of seriousness as national security, job creation, and our civil liberties. Now, ultimately, of course, the real legislative work will come in committees, but the AI forums will give us the nutrient agar, the facts and the challenges, that we need to understand in order to reach this goal. Of course, next week's forum is just the start. The Senate will continue hosting AI forums throughout the fall on a variety of topics, including finding ways to promote AI innovation, IP issues, workforce issues, privacy, security, alignment, and many more. We will also move the ball forward on other items on our agenda wherever we can, but of course they will need Republican help to reach the necessary 60 votes to move forward, like lowering the cost of insulin and prescription drugs, something Members on both sides of the aisle are hard at work on. We did it in the IRA for insulin for Medicare for people over 65. We should do it for everybody else. Insulin is too vital and becoming too expensive for too many Americans. And making progress on cannabis through the SAFE Banking Act, as well as commonsense rail safety, which I said in July would be a big priority. We also must build on the work we did during the NDAA to outcompete the Chinese Government, to keep the American people safe, to protect American businesses, and ensure that American innovation and technology leads the way this century. We also must continue standing with our friends in Ukraine, now more than ever, as the counteroffensive against Putin's forces is in full swing. And we must stand with our fellow Americans in places like Hawaii, Florida, Vermont, and other regions battered by storms and fires and flooding. The topics continue: from advancing a farm bill to kids' online privacy, to reauthorizing the FAA, and to holding bank executives accountable for irresponsible behavior. Our committees have done excellent work to move all of these issues along, but we are under no illusion that we can make progress on the Senate floor unless we get bipartisan cooperation. None of this will be easy either. The bills will require a lot of work and compromise, but if we can progress on these items, we will greatly improve the lives of average Americans. Finding bipartisan compromise on issues like these is never easy, but that is what it will take to get things done, and our efforts to do precisely that have already led to significant accomplishments under this majority. As we gavel back in, we will keep going to reward the trust the American people have placed in us.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 6; that 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 upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Jefferson nomination postcloture; further, that at 11:30 a.m., all postcloture time be considered expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination; that the Senate recess following the cloture vote on the Wilcox nomination until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings; and that if cloture has been invoked, at 2:15 p.m., the Senate vote on the confirmation of the Wilcox nomination; further, that if cloture is invoked on the Cook nomination, at 5:15 p.m. all postcloture time be considered expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.

Mr. SCHUMER. For the information of the Senate, there will be two votes at 11:30 a.m., two votes at 2:15 p.m., and two votes at 5:15 p.m.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, today the Senate will continue to process the National Defense Authorization Act, the NDAA. I believe we have had a really good process so far, and I hope this bipartisan work can get us through to the finish as soon as possible. We made good progress on amendments last night. It took a while, but we have voted on 19 amendments to the NDAA and have at least 8 more amendment votes lined up for today. We have a lot of votes to get through, so I urge Senators--I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle--to be cooperative, to remain in the Senate Chamber as the series of votes progresses through the afternoon so we can keep the process moving. Last night, we ran a hotline that includes a few additional votes and a managers' package of 48 amendments--23 from Democrats, 23 from Republicans, and 2 bipartisan. Each side of the aisle has amendments they really want in that managers' package and a good number of them were bipartisan. We have had an open and constructive amendment process for the NDAA, with both sides--both sides--working together in good faith. This is exactly how the process for the NDAA should look: bipartisan, cooperative. I want to thank all of my colleagues, particularly Senators Reed and Wicker, for their good work. I am also proud of our first managers' package that had 51 amendments--21 from Republicans, 21 from Democrats, and 9 bipartisan. And some of the biggest accomplishments in this bill, I am proud to say, are broadly bipartisan, like progress on our efforts to outcompete the Chinese Government. As I have been saying for weeks, passing the NDAA is a chance to show the American people how the Senate can productively work. Another really important thing that is in this bill is the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which will help give the administration tools it needs, including emergency powers, to stop the precursor drugs from flowing out of China--the Chinese Government has done virtually nothing to help us thus far--going to Mexico, being made into fentanyl, and then being shipped to the United States to kill our children. Over 100,000 people have died of fentanyl last year. So as I have been saying for weeks, the NDAA is a chance to show the American people the Senate can work productively on significant things they care about as well as on national security matters, which they care about as well. What is happening in the Senate is a stark contrast to the partisan race to the bottom we saw in the House, where House Republicans are pushing partisan legislation that has zero chance of passing. House Republicans should look to the Senate to see how things get done. We are passing important bipartisan legislation. They are throwing on the floor partisan legislation that has no chance of passing. The contrast is glaring. If House Republicans would look to how we are working here in the Senate and emulate us a little more, they could be far more productive. We have every reason today to believe that we can finish the NDAA as soon as possible, and I am hopeful we can get it done. Appropriations Mr. President, off the floor, our appropriators continue to make good progress on the appropriations bill. This morning, the Appropriations Committee is marking up the remaining four appropriations bills. It is just like the NDAA. Both sides--Democrats, Republicans--have been working really well together. This is never an easy process. But I really want to thank Chair Murray and Vice Chair Collins. They have worked together in a really supremely bipartisan, almost exquisite, way for shepherding these bills through committee with bipartisan support. It ain't easy in this time when the country is so divided. This is a model for how appropriations processes should always work: both sides coming together, finding common ground, and advancing bills that invest in American families, keep communities safe, drive down our costs, and keep our government open. It is this type of bipartisanship that has prevented any government shutdowns last Congress when Democrats had majorities in the House and Senate. And the American people certainly don't want to see a shutdown now. So there is a lot of work left to do, but I am pleased that our appropriators are making progress on these markups, and I thank them again. You look at the NDAA bill and you look at the appropriations bill, you compare the House to the Senate, the contrast, as I said, is glaring. And House Republicans should look to the Senate for how to really get things done and help the American people instead of just shouting partisan screeds. Artificial Intelligence Mr. President, on the AI briefing, yesterday, we held our third all- Senate briefing on AI. This was our final briefing, in a three-part series on AI, and it focused on U.S. investment and innovation and American leadership in AI technology that will continue to shape our world over the next decade and beyond. The presentation was informative. Our briefers did a superb job highlighting just how quickly AI technology is developing. I want to thank our briefers: Rick Stevens from the Department of Energy; Dr. Geri Richmond from the Department of Energy; Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, nicknamed affectionately ``Panch,'' head of the National Science Foundation; Dr. Kathleen Fisher from DARPA; and our moderator, Dr. Jose-Marie Giffiths. We had great attendance on all three of our AI briefings. Both Democrats and Republicans were engaged and asked a lot of really good questions. It shows there is real bipartisan interest in AI, which will be necessary if we want to make progress on what really is imperative for this country: putting together AI legislation that encourages innovation but has safeguards to prevent the liabilities that AI could present. Later this fall, we will continue our work on AI by convening the first ever AI Insight Forums. These forums will bring the top AI developers, executives, and experts together to lay the foundation for action on AI. And, again, I want to thank my colleagues who attended our briefings, including, of course, Senators Heinrich, Rounds, and Young, part of our little group that helped to organize them. Remembering Tony Bennett Mr. President, finally, on a great, great American icon, Anthony Dominick Benedetto, more affectionately and widely known as Tony Bennett. We lost an American icon last week, a son of Astoria, Queens, and one of the most beloved singers of our time--the incomparable, wonderful, caring Tony Bennett. On Tuesday, I introduced a resolution declaring Tony Bennett's birthday, August 3, as ``Tony Bennett Day.'' It didn't matter if you were young, old, or in the middle, if you were a close friend or a new fan, everyone just loved Tony. Just to hear him sing a few bars, you knew he cared about you and he really cared about the words of the song. He wasn't just getting up there to make some money. He really wanted to show his love for music and for people. Tony Bennett leaves behind a tremendous legacy that will inspire generations of artists to come, and I look forward to passing this resolution honoring him today a little bit later. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.