Chuck Schumer

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, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, September 20; that following the prayer and 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 morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Pan nomination, postcloture; further, all postcloture time on the Pan nomination be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. and, following the disposition of the Pan nomination, the Senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings; further, at 2:30 p.m., the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the resolution of ratification with respect to Treaty document No. 117-1; finally, if any nominations are confirmed during Tuesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

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 Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I thank my colleagues from Oklahoma and Nebraska for letting us go forward. In a few moments, I will file cloture on a measure that will get the Senate to approve the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. This important amendment, which already has been agreed to by 120 countries, will affirm our Nation's commitment to curb the use of dangerous hydrofluorocarbons, HFCs. These hypertoxic chemicals are regularly found, unfortunately, in everyday appliances from air conditioners to refrigerators. In December of 2020, we passed the AIM Act, which took a drastic step to limit HFCs and was one of the most significant climate accomplishments ever, of course, until we passed the Inflation Reduction Act a month ago. HFCs need to be dealt with as soon as possible because they are thousands--thousands--of times more damaging to our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. So this is a very important opportunity for the Senate to make official America's intention to phase these dangerous chemicals out of use. Approving this amendment will require two-thirds of the Senate. Reducing our country's use of HFCs has been a bipartisan priority in the past, so both parties should work together to accelerate passage of this measure. Also, I will file on the nomination of Judge Florence Pan to serve as a circuit court judge for the D.C. Circuit, one of the most important judicial appointments we can make. After the Supreme Court, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is the most important Federal court in the country with jurisdiction over cases involving Congress and the entire executive branch. The judges who preside on the D.C. Circuit must be individuals of high character, unassailable qualifications. A few months ago, we elevated someone who meets these standards when confirming Michelle Childs to the bench, and we intend to do it again with Judge Pan's nomination. Looking ahead, confirming even more of the President's judicial nominees will be a priority for the Senate.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration, and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 755.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed immediately to consideration of S. Res. 767, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. SCHUMER. I further ask 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. SCHUMER. Madam President, last night, as most Americans were in bed asleep, freight rail companies and unions representing tens of thousands of workers secured a tentative agreement that will keep the trains running on time and keep our economy moving. And the best part is that union leadership representing tens of thousands of railway workers, who have worked themselves to the bone over the course of the pandemic, seem to have secured the higher pay and better working conditions for their members. Railway workers have earned that pay and those benefits through blood, sweat, and tears, and I hope it will make it easier for other workers in future negotiations to secure stronger benefits. This is exactly the sort of outcome that will keep our economy going, our supply chains running, and, most importantly, our workers well- taken care of. The episode is a reminder of an evergreen truth that people underappreciate even now: Workers are what make the wheels of our economy turn--in this case, literally. I want to thank President Biden and Secretary Walsh, who was steadfast and dedicated, and in a word that we have used for our Senate caucus, he persisted and persisted and persisted. I want to thank every single union representative and railworker who negotiated in good faith to reach this outcome.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 1067.

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 legislative session.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 1066, 1141, 1142, 1143, 1144; all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Foreign Service; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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. Madam 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 15, be waived.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the filing deadline for first-degree amendments to Calendar No. 2, Treaty Document No. 117-1 be at 4 p.m. on Monday, September 9.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the Secretary of the Senate be authorized to request the House of Representatives to return the papers on S. 1198; further, upon receipt of the bill from the House, the Senate's actions on September 8, 2022, with respect to S. 1198, be vitiated; that the Senate then proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1198; that the committee-reported substitute be withdrawn, the Tester substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all without intervening action or debate.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. And, finally--I thank again my colleagues from Oklahoma and Nebraska--I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m. on Monday, September 19, and 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 morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Pan nomination; further, that the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m.; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Monday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. 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 Senators Lankford and Sasse.

Mr. SCHUMER. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 768, submitted earlier today.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, yesterday, was truly a tale of two parties. While one party--the Democrats--gathered at the White House to celebrate the passage of our job-creating agenda, the other party--the MAGA Republicans--spent their day introducing a nationwide ban on abortions. If the American people want to know what the difference is between the two parties, look no further. One party is focused on jobs--that is us; the other is focused on nationwide abortion bans--that is the extreme MAGA Republicans. One party wants to lower inflation and help families make ends meet, to tackle the generational challenges we face and has passed major legislation to that effect, now law. The other party, apparently, wants to eliminate women's autonomy over their own bodies. Here is how you know Republicans are dangerously out of touch. Months after women had their freedom of choice taken away by the MAGA Supreme Court, a nationwide abortion ban was actually their attempt to seem more mainstream. Can you believe it? To seem more mainstream? Heaven help us. Heaven help us. It shows just how extreme they are. The core problem is that far from being mainstream, a large portion of the Republican Party harbors truly extreme views on a woman's right to choose. In the few months since the Dobbs decision, Republican State legislatures in places like Indiana, South Carolina, and others have either introduced or enacted new abortion restrictions, with alarmingly few exceptions of rape or incest. In this Chamber, Senate Republicans spent years confirming judges hostile to freedom of choice, including three sitting Supreme Court Justices who joined with the majority in overturning Roe. And the then- majority leader, now minority leader, Leader McConnell, has repeatedly said his greatest accomplishment is putting these judges on the Court. His greatest accomplishment is putting judges on the Court who overturned Roe v. Wade. Do the American people want that? I don't think so. And for all the hemming and hawing we heard yesterday from Republicans about where they really stand on the issue, they cannot run away from their record. Setting aside yesterday's proposal, the fact is that 45 Senate Republicans--including Leader McConnell--remain cosponsors of another nationwide abortion ban previously introduced by the Senator from South Carolina. Leader McConnell himself told USA Today earlier this year that without Roe, proposals for a nationwide ban on abortions were now ``possible,''--his words--``possible'' if Republicans controlled the Senate. Do the American people want that? Do they want McConnell, Leader Mitch McConnell, to be majority leader and work to impose a nationwide ban on abortions? I don't think so. Now, they are sort of running away from what their real beliefs are, but they are like the dog who caught the bus. For years they pushed to make this happen, unfortunately, to the detriment of over 100 million American women. It happened, and now they don't know quite what to do. They are not backing off their horrible MAGA principles, but they want to hide from it at the same time because they know how unpopular it is. And to show you just where the party is at, almost immediately after the Court overturned Roe, Mike Pence, former Republican Vice President, now running for President possibly in 2024 said Republicans ``must not rest'' until abortion is illegal everywhere. That means a nationwide ban. That doesn't leave it up to the States. In fact, he doubled down on just this last night, saying a national abortion ban ``is profoundly more important'' than Republicans' short- term interests. That is one of the leaders of the Republican Party, which has moved so far to the right that even someone like Pence, who doesn't always go along with Trump, feels compelled to take that extreme position. And lest we forget, folks, nearly every Senate Republican--nearly every Senate Republican--already voted to push national abortion bans in 2020, in 2018, and 2015. During one of these votes, the Senator from South Carolina, who introduced the nationwide ban again yesterday, said: These pieces of legislation will continue to be advanced until they pass. How do we know that Republicans will put a national abortion ban on the floor if they control the Senate? Not only has Senator Graham committed to doing it, they have done it before, three times. And they will do it again if they get the majority. America, beware. America, beware. So the truth is not hard to grasp. Republicans do not care about leaving abortion in the hands of the States. No way. They do not care that a majority of Americans supported Roe and support abortion rights. What MAGA Republicans care about deep down is eliminating freedom of choice across America, period. And they are already at work right now on legislation, as we heard yesterday, that will take us down that terrible, terrible path. Well, it is my view that the American people aren't going to be fooled by Republicans' desperate attempts to seem mainstream. You can't fake your way through an issue so personal and so important as a woman's right to make her own healthcare choices. They are not going to be able to run and duck and bob and weave and tie themselves in pretzel knots. Everyone knows where they are at. Lindsey Graham made it clear again yesterday. And people will know the Republican view: abolish abortion everywhere. That is not going to change no matter what some on the other side might think.