Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 1734, which was received from the House.

Mr. SCHUMER. I further ask that the Cruz-Cantwell 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. I know of no further debate on the resolutions en bloc.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 247 and the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions: S. Res. 247, S. Res. 277, S. Res. 278, and S. Res. 279.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, in this criminal case pending in Federal district court in the District of Columbia and arising out of the events of January 6, 2021, the prosecution has requested testimony from a Senate witness. In this case, brought against Alan Hostetter, trial is expected to commence on July 6, 2023, and the prosecution has requested testimony from Daniel Schwager, formerly counsel to the Secretary of the Senate, concerning his knowledge and observations of the process and constitutional and legal bases for Congress's counting of the Electoral College votes. Senate Secretary Berry would like to cooperate with this request by providing relevant testimony in this trial from Mr. Schwager. In keeping with the rules and practices of the Senate, this resolution would authorize the production of relevant testimony from Mr. Schwager, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the junior Senator from Virginia and the junior Senator from Hawaii be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions from June 22, 2023, through July 10, 2023.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc: Calendar No. 36, S. 264; Calendar No. 37, S. 829; Calendar No. 38, S. 349; Calendar No. 44, S. 206; Calendar No. 72, S. 111; and Calendar No. 94, S. 1549.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendments, where applicable, be considered and agreed to; that the bills, as amended, if amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, and the majority and minority leaders be authorized to make appointments to commissions, committees, boards, conferences, or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses, or by order of the Senate.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, 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: Monday, June 26, at 2 p.m.; Thursday, June 29, at 10 a.m.; Monday, July 3, at 10 a.m.; and Thursday, July 6, at 10 a.m.; further, that when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, July 6, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. on Monday, July 10; 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 Small nomination; further, that the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to dispense with further reading of the amendment.

Mr. SCHUMER. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 136.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, first, on housekeeping, I ask unanimous consent that the filing deadline for first-degree amendments to treaty document No. 112-8 be at 5 p.m. today.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, a remarkable change is taking hold in our country and around the world due to artificial intelligence. The public is now more conscious of this technology than ever before. And thanks to recent advancements in machine learning and neural networks, AI's impact in the coming years will be world-altering. Tomorrow morning, I will speak at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on how Congress can begin acting on AI in earnest. I will share my ideas about a comprehensive framework Congress can use to supercharge AI innovation in a safe and responsible way. Because AI is moving so fast, it is so complex, and so outside Congress's expertise, I will talk about some steps we must take to stay ahead of AI's rapid development. Many of AI's impacts are truly exciting. It will reshape how we fight disease, tackle hunger, manage our lives, enrich our minds, and ensure peace. But we cannot ignore AI's many dangers: AI will dramatically disrupt our workforce, could lead to massive and sophisticated misinformation and weapons, could jaundice our elections and democratic system, and there is the danger that we may prove incapable of managing this technology at all. Congress cannot behave like ostriches in the sand when it comes to AI. Some might think it is better to ignore this issue or hope someone else figures it out because it is so complex, but ignoring AI is untenable for Congress. In the 21st century, elected representatives must treat AI with the same level of seriousness as national security, job creation, and our civil liberties, because AI will touch on these issues and many, many more. I want to thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle who are already putting AI front and center, including our little team of Senators Heinrich, Young, and Rounds, as well as Chairman Cantwell, Peters, Klobuchar, Warner, and Durbin, as well as their ranking Republican Members. I want to commend colleagues from both sides of the aisle who have spoken out on AI's challenges, including Senators Bennet, Thune, Blumenthal, and many others. We must prepare for the age of AI together--both parties working with goodwill bipartisan cooperation. That is the only way our efforts will succeed in the ways it should.

Mr. SCHUMER

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. President, first, a little housekeeping. I understand there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, 6 months into the 118th Congress, the tale of two parties continues. This week, House Republicans advanced a massive tax package, showing precisely where their loyalties lie--in helping large, multibillion- dollar corporations, Big Oil polluters, and those at the very, very top. Today, the President is reminding the American people where Democrats' loyalties lie--with ordinary families who want to lower costs and who have had it with junk fees that nickel and dime people every single day. President Biden used his State of the Union Address to call out companies that exploit consumers through surprise fees on everything from credit cards, bank overdrafts, hotel resort purchases, and air travel. Today, he is holding a roundtable discussion with companies at the White House on the progress they have made in eliminating surprise fees. I cannot tell you how many times people have come up to me in New York, exasperated by junk fees, oftentimes at the last minute. Many times, they know nothing about them until they are asked to pay them. It is precisely the kind of abuse that frustrates Americans to no end and which the Federal Government can address. It is why, in the House, I authored legislation to protect Americans from surprise expenses on their credit card bills by requiring credit card companies to clearly break down all fees and interest rates. They call it the ``Schumer Box''--a nickname I am proud has stuck. And junk fees are everywhere. You want to switch your cell phone company? A termination fee can cost you $250 or something exorbitant like that. Many people think the phone companies ask for it so you don't switch even if you are dissatisfied with their service. You want to book a hotel room listed at $300? Good luck. You will get the bill and discover the real price is much higher. More than a third of hotel guests have reported paying some kind of hidden fee. The kind of abusive behavior from some large companies is exactly what Americans want to focus on, and it is the major difference between the two parties. Republicans think it is best to spend time on cutting taxes for the very largest, billion-dollar corporations--that often don't pay their fair share--and on stoking the fires of the culture wars. But Democrats want to focus on things ordinary families have to deal with every single day. We can all relate to the frustration of hidden fees. We can all relate to driving to work on dilapidated roads and crumbling bridges. We can all look out the window and see that wildfires, flooding, and extreme weather events are getting worse and harming our communities. These are the issues Democrats have legislated on over the past few years, and we are going to keep going.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Mr. President, on nominations, well, it has been a busy week for nominations here on the floor. This morning, the Senate will confirm Nusrat Choudhury, whom I was proud to recommend to President Biden to serve as district judge for New York's Eastern District. When President Biden listened to my recommendation and nominated Ms. Choudhury, she made history as the first Bangladeshi American ever to be nominated to the Federal bench, and, today, Ms. Choudhury will make history as the first Bangladeshi American ever to be confirmed to the Federal bench. Ms. Choudhury will also be the first Muslim American woman and only the second Muslim American ever to serve as a Federal judge. It shows she is a history maker in more ways than one. Ms. Choudhury is also a shining example of the American dream: the daughter of immigrant parents, a graduate of Columbia, Princeton, and Yale Law School. Ms. Choudhury has dedicated her career to making sure all people can have their voices heard in court. It is a great day for our country. Our courts are at their strongest when they mirror the diversity and dynamism of our democracy. We have a vibrant Bangladeshi community in New York and in the United States. I am confident Ms. Choudhury will make an excellent judge. Yesterday, the Senate also confirmed another excellent judge, Dale Ho, whom I was proud to recommend to be district judge for the Southern District of New York. As voting rights continue to come under attack, it is only fitting that we elevated one of the country's top voting rights experts to the bench to safeguard our democracy and preserve our most fundamental right as citizens. With Mr. Ho and Ms. Choudhury, we will have confirmed 21 Asian Americans to the bench. Let me say that again. With these two new nominations, we will have confirmed 21 Asian Americans to the bench, a demographic that has been historically underrepresented in the judiciary. I am proud of this majority's record of increasing both the demographic and professional diversity on the bench. This is how we strengthen the public's trust in our judiciary. And our work will continue. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 30.