Chuck Schumer

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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, first, on Respect for Marriage, the 117th Congress will go down, I believe, as one of the most successful Congresses we have seen in decades. We are all so proud of that fact. Over the last 2 years, this Chamber has passed historic and bipartisan bills that have covered everything from infrastructure to gun safety, to CHIPS and Science, to veterans' aid, and more. Again, a common theme for many of these bills was bipartisanship. Very soon, the Senate can add to our accomplishments when we vote to proceed on the Respect for Marriage Act. For the information of all Senators, we will hold our first procedural vote on this bill tomorrow, and after that, I hope both sides can work quickly together to move this bill through the Senate and on to the President's desk. I firmly believe that passing bipartisan marriage protections would be one of the more significant accomplishments in what has already been a significantly productive Congress. It will do so much good for so many people who want nothing more than to live their lives without the fear of discrimination. And make no mistake that passing the Respect for Marriage Act is as personal as it gets for many of us in this Chamber--myself included--so we want to get this done as soon as we can. A mere decade ago, marriage discrimination was legal in many places across the country. And just a few months ago, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe, Justice Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion that Obergefell, which recognized the constitutional right to same-sex marriage, could similarly be overturned. I hope that never happens, but the Senate can eliminate the risk of LGBTQ Americans having their rights curtailed if we act now to codify marriage protections into law. The Respect for Marriage Act is precisely the kind of bill that Democrats and Republicans can rally around together and which Americans across the country want to see us work on. It already passed the House earlier this year with significant--47--Republican votes, and I am optimistic we can achieve a similar result in this Chamber. Senators Baldwin, Sinema, and a number of my Republican colleagues, including Senators Collins and Portman and Tillis, have done excellent work building support for this bill, and I want to recognize all their efforts here on this floor. I hope that, at minimum, 10 Republicans will be ready to throw their support behind this sound, commonsense bill. Millions of people will be better off if we are able to work together on this important and highly personal issue, and so I urge all of us to vote yes when the time comes to move forward tomorrow.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Mr. President, on the midterm elections and MAGA Republicanism, over the past week, there has been a lot of discussion here in Washington and across the media about how the results of these midterms defied history and defied conventional wisdom. I remember back in April and May: No way Democrats are going to keep the majority. They are going to lose a whole bunch of seats. People are asking what happened. Well, I think the answer, however, is rather simple. This year, Democrats ran strong candidates. We compiled an extremely strong legislative record, which the candidates could run on. And Republicans, on the other hand, ran with flawed candidates who spent more time talking about MAGA extremism than the things that truly mattered to the American people. After the failures--Republican failures--in elections in 2018 and 2020 and now in 2022, I hope the message is sinking in. If Republicans continue to embrace MAGA radicalism, they are going to keep losing. So for their own sake, but more importantly for the sake of the country, I hope that very soon the GOP rejects the MAGA wing and makes a commitment to work with Democrats in the next Congress. The worst thing Republicans can do right now is to double down on the MAGA platform and embrace gridlock. But, sadly, it seems that is the path that some on the other side still want to take. In fact, Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who notoriously led the unsuccessful Republican Senate campaign efforts, recently suggested that one of the reasons Republicans lost on election day was because they actually worked too much with Democrats to pass bipartisan legislation; that they weren't MAGA enough. That defies all logic. If Republicans want to follow Rick Scott's lead, make our day. Following Senator Scott is like following a blind man right over the cliff. Remember, it was Senator Scott who released a platform calling for tax hikes on working and middle Americans, which our candidates reminded people of in the election over and over again. It was Senator Scott who threatened to put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block, which, again, was one of the most powerful arguments for why Republicans were wrong for the country. And it was Senator Scott who embraced Trump and believed that the MAGA wing was the road to success; that denying the elections and spreading the Big Lie, encouraging the MAGA extreme wing was the right thing to do. The American people knew better. American voters ran in the opposite direction and voted for Democrats, including many Republicans, who said: I may be a Reagan Republican, I may be a Bush Republican, but this Republican Party ain't one for me. After three failed elections--three in a row--it should be obvious that embracing MAGA is a total loser for the Republican Party. If anyone thinks otherwise, just look at what happened last night in purple Arizona. Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for Governor, was declared the winner in her race against Kari Lake. Everyone thought Kari Lake would win because of her communication skills, but even she lost--proof positive that MAGA just doesn't work. I earnestly hope that in the next couple of months, Republicans will realize it is better for the country--and even better for their party-- to focus instead on working with Democrats over the next 2 years to get things done for the American people. Now, I know this is not going to happen overnight or in the next week or two. Our immediate focus, of course, is the lameduck, where there is a lot of work to be done. But when the dust settles come January and Republicans have, hopefully, resolved some of their own internal fights, we hope that at least some of them will realize that the scorched-earth MAGA policy is a failure not only for America but for them. The usual pundits and skeptics and critics are saying: Oh, this won't happen. But look at the major bills we did this summer, five of them major bills, bipartisan, and before that, the BIF bill, the Postal bill, all done bipartisan--significant legislation. We Democrats are going to work hard to replicate that effort. Americans are tired of the chaos. They are tired of the MAGA insanity. They are tired of the MAGA attack on the very roots of our democracy. They want leaders who will take their problems seriously. Most Americans know that Donald Trump is out for himself and only himself, even if it hurts democracy, even if it hurts the Republican Party. Republicans should learn that lesson or risk even more failure in the future.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Now, let me finish, Mr. President, on a truly bittersweet note. Over the many years I have had the honor of serving in public service, I have learned that there are a handful of genuinely irrefutable truths, and one of them that certainly applied for me my whole career is that no Senator can hope to succeed without the help of an amazing team of staffers who get you through the day, sometimes merely get you through the hour. Another truth I have learned is that there is never an easy way to say goodbye. Today, both of those truths come together as I say goodbye to one of my most trusted staffers, my amazing communications director, Justin Goodman. It is hard to remember the days before Justin was a part of my team. Like so many on my staff, he first joined the office as an intern back in the summer of 2009, where he quickly demonstrated his talent, his dedication, and his knack for communications, which was obviously totally an alien concept for me, shy as I might be. A couple of years later, Justin returned to work at the DPCC as a full-time member of my staff, and I am sure even he had no idea what kind of roller coaster he was in for in the years to come. Indeed, when he first joined my team as a full-time staffer, Congress was in the midst of a brutal government shutdown, and he had to wait 3 whole weeks before being able to come to the office or get paid. What a way to start. Well, that was his introduction to the Schumer operation. And every day since then has been an absolute joy--for me at least, maybe not always for him. Over the years that Justin worked on my team, from his years leading the DPCC to working as my national press secretary, to serving as my communications director, he has become one of the people I lean on most to get through the day. To call him indispensable would be an understatement. One of the things I am going to miss is dialing 55 on my cell phone about 50 times a day. To describe Justin as one of the most decent people I know doesn't even begin to touch it. So let the record show that Justin began his time on my team in the midst of a shutdown and now departs as we finish one of the most successful sessions in recent memory. It is a pretty great record, if you ask me. So, Justin--I don't want to look at you because I will get a little weepy. So, Justin, thank you so much for your work over the many years. My best to you. My very best to your loved ones and your new little ones. And I don't think I need to tell you that you will always, always, always be part of the family here in ``Schumerland.'' I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 449, H.R. 8404.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, let me say a few words about the cloture motion we will file. In a few moments, I am going to set up the first procedural vote on legislation that will codify marriage equality into law. Members should expect the first vote on Wednesday. The Respect for Marriage Act, which my colleagues Senators Baldwin, Sinema, Collins, and others have done a great job working on, is an extremely important and much needed bill. No American should ever, ever be discriminated against because of whom they love, and passing this bill would secure these much needed safeguards into Federal law. I want to make clear that passing this bill is not a theoretical exercise, but it is as real as it gets. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe, Justice Thomas argued that other rights, like the right to marriage equality enshrined in Obergefell, could come next. Now, the Senate had a chance to bring marriage protection to the floor for a vote back in September, but at the urging of colleagues from both sides of the aisle, I agreed to wait because we were given an assurance that enough votes would materialize after the election. Because my top priority is to get things done in a bipartisan way whenever we can, we determined that this legislation was too important to risk failure, so we waited to give bipartisanship a chance. I hope, for the sake of tens of millions of Americans, that at least 10 Republicans will vote with us to protect marriage equality into law soon. The rights and dignity of millions of Americans depend on it. Cloture Motion

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call for the cloture motion filed today, November 14, be waived.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, before I begin the substance of my remarks, today the people of Buffalo, NY, observe a somber remembrance: 6 months ago to the day that 10 New Yorkers were killed in a terrible shooting at the Tops Supermarket on Jefferson Avenue. A few moments ago, the city of Buffalo held a moment of silence to honor those killed and those wounded, and we joined with them in prayer and remembrance. And today, because gun violence is still all too much with us, we hold in our hearts everyone at the University of Virginia where, last night, three students were tragically killed in a shooting on campus. Our condolences go out to the families of those lost, as well as to everyone in Charlottesville who is grieving today.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, in three criminal cases 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 Senate witnesses. In the ongoing trial of Stewart Rhodes, the alleged founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, and four codefendants, the prosecution has requested testimony from Virginia Brown, formerly a Senate Chamber assistant, operating under the authority of the then-Secretary for the Minority of the Senate and the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate. In that role, Ms. Brown was a witness to the charged events. Then-Secretary for the Minority Myrick and Senate Sergeant at Arms Gibson would like to cooperate with this request by providing relevant testimony in this trial from Ms. Brown. In two other cases arising out of the events of January of 6, 2021, against Jeremy Groseclose and Melody Steele-Smith, in which trials are scheduled to begin on November 14, 2022, 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 basis for Congress' counting of the electoral college votes. The prosecution has also sought testimony, if necessary, from Nate Russell and Diego Torres, custodians of records in the Senate Recording Studio, which operates under the authority of the Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper, to authenticate Senate Recording Studio video of that day. Senate Secretary Berry and Senate Sergeant at Arms Gibson would like to cooperate with these requests by providing relevant testimony in these trials from Messrs. Schwager, Russell, and Torres, respectively. In keeping with the rules and practices of the Senate, these resolutions would authorize the production of relevant testimony from Ms. Brown in the Rhodes case, and from Messrs. Schwager, Russell, and Torres in the Groseclose and Steele-Smith cases, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to the motion to reconsider the vote on confirmation by which Executive Calendar No. 670, the nomination of Lisa M. Gomez, of New Jersey, to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor, was not confirmed.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote by which Executive Calendar No. 670 was not confirmed.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 45, which was submitted earlier today and is at the desk.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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 upon the conclusion of morning business on Tuesday, October 11, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 467, H.R. 7900.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, 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. I now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.