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 ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 4791, which is at the desk.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed 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 Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 462, S. 3662.

Mr. SCHUMER. I further ask unanimous consent that the committee- reported substitute be 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, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 7; 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 Lee nomination, postcloture; further, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings and that at 2:15 p.m. all postcloture time on the Lee nomination be considered expired; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday'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. 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 Senator Portman.

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 441, S. 958.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment 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.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, well, first, I want to thank my dear friend and our great leader and chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for her positive words on this bill and her reminder to all of us that our work is not done and particularly for her work on one of the most urgent issues facing American families: childcare. I don't know of a single Member of this Senate, Democrat or Republican, who has done more to push the issue of childcare and get it done than the senior Senator from the great State of Washington, and I thank her for that. I want to thank my colleagues Senator Kaine and Senator Blumenthal, who have also been such strong leaders on this issue. I am here to say that what they are saying--Senator Murray, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Kaine--is right. We need to do something in this country to lower childcare costs and increase its availability. I pledge to my colleagues and to the American people that I will keep working with Senator Murray until we get something done to increase access to high-quality childcare for working families. We all know that, today, families pay more for childcare than at any point in American history. Amazingly, sometimes families have to pay more for childcare than they would pay for a mortgage. It is out of reach. Some people forget how the world has changed. When I was a kid, my dad had this little junky exterminating business. My mom was what was then called a housewife. I got home from school every day at 3 o'clock, and there was Mom with milk and cookies, asking me what homework I had--oh, I don't have any homework, Mom--and telling me what time I had to come back home from going out and playing in the schoolyard for dinner. That doesn't happen anymore. The vast majority of families in America are either single parent or two parents, both working. The percentage that have two parents, only one working, is minimal. So childcare is now a necessity. It is a necessity for families. The anguish people go through to try to find childcare, and then when it is not available or something happens, what are they going to do? They are both working and scrambling. Who is going to watch the kids? It is agony. It is not this kind of agony that comes, you know, God forbid, once in a lifetime when you get a serious illness, but it is real agony and anxiety. We have to do something. There is another reason we have to do something: our economy. You read all of the economic experts. We are short of labor. We are short of labor. You go to any business--small, medium, big--they are short of labor. Probably the No. 1 or No. 2 reason in the whole country we are short of labor is we don't have adequate childcare. Moms or dads don't want to go to work because they don't know who is going to take care of the kids. Moms or dads stay home or retire or whatever. So our economy desperately needs this. When parents can't enter the workforce-- particularly women--our country suffers as an economy, and productivity is greatly diminished. Of course, there are other issues to deal with in this economy as well that are related. Home- and community-based services. People need a roof over their heads. We need to support families through paid leave. We need to make sure that every child in this country has a chance to grow and reach their potential, not in poverty. All of these issues are important. Childcare is so important--so important. So I want to first thank again Senator Murray for her words. I want to thank my colleagues. Two of our leaders on this issue, Senators Kaine and Blumenthal, are here today. We want to pledge to the American people that we are going to keep working until we get something done in childcare, and we will keep fighting for all these issues to expand opportunity for all Americans. It is so, so vital to the future of our country and to the well-being of families across the Nation. 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 call up amendment No. 5194, as modified, with the changes at the desk, and I ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 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 move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 985.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, we approach the culmination of one of the most productive stretches in recent Senate memory. It began almost 2 months ago when, in the wake of unimaginable bloodshed in Buffalo and Uvalde, the Senate came together and passed the first gun safety law in nearly 30 years. A few weeks later, in the face of the damaging semiconductor shortage, the Senate approved the largest investment in American manufacturing and scientific research in decades. This week, we finally told American veterans with cancer, lung disease, and other terrible ailments that their wait for their benefits was over by passing the PACT Act. And a few days ago, as Russian aggression toward Ukraine continues, we swiftly approved the accession of Sweden and Finland to the NATO alliance, greatly strengthening that alliance in the face of Russian aggression. Gun safety, chips, veterans, NATO--all of this we got done in under 6 weeks. And, now, we have one more groundbreaking item left, the most important of them all: the Inflation Reduction Act. Passing any one of these bills in a summer would be significant. Yet we are on the verge of getting all of them done before the August State work period. In a few hours, we will formally begin the process of passing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 by voting on the motion to proceed. Our meetings with the Parliamentarian have now largely concluded, and we thank her and her staff for their hard work and diligence on such a large bill in such a short period of time. And now that our meetings with the Parliamentarian have largely concluded, we have a bill before us that can win the support of all 50 Democrats. I am happy to report to my colleagues that the bill we presented to the Parliamentarian remains largely intact. The bill, when passed, will meet all of our goals: fighting climate change, lowering healthcare costs, closing tax loopholes abused by the wealthy, and reducing the deficit. This is a major win for the American people and a sad commentary on the Republican Party as they actively fight provisions that lower costs for the American family. As the Inflation Reduction Act works its way through the floor, the American people are going to learn an unmistakable truth about this proposal: It was written, first and foremost, with the American people in mind. It reduces inflation, it lowers their costs, and it fights climate change. For seniors who have faced the indignity of rationing medications or skipping them altogether, the Inflation Reduction Act will lower prescription drug costs and finally cap out-of-pocket expenses. For families that have fallen behind on the electric bill while trying to stay cool through a heat wave, this bill will lower energy costs and provide the largest investment in clean energy ever in American history. For every child deprived of clean air and a neighborhood where they can play safely outside, away from smog and exhaust fumes, this bill will help reverse air pollution and help clean up communities that have endured the shadow of congested highways and industrial sites. And, as the most significant action of climate change ever, it will help deliver our children and grandchildren the planet they deserve. The Inflation Reduction Act was written with the American people in mind: families struggling to pay the bills, kids who struggle with asthma and pollution, seniors who can't afford lifesaving medications. This bill is for them. For many years, many in Washington promised to address some of the biggest challenges facing our Nation, only to fall short. Many have talked about the need to act on climate change, the need to hold drug companies accountable, the need to make the Tax Code fairer. But where previous efforts have fallen short, this Senate majority is on the verge of succeeding. After years of trying, we will finally empower Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drug costs. After years of trying, we will finally cap out-of-pocket expenses and make vaccines free for our seniors. After years of trying, after years of Americans calling for action-- particularly our young people--Congress will pass the largest clean energy package ever. We will cut emissions by 40 percent by 2030, helping us avert the worst consequences of a warming planet. That is a huge goal, and we are going to meet it. We will prevent nearly 4,000 deaths and 100,000 asthma attacks each year by reducing air pollution. We will save Americans money on their utility bill by making it easier for them to tap into clean energy and expand incentives for utility companies to explore cleaner ways to generate power. We will make it easier to finally usher in the era of greater solar and wind power, battery storage, and EVs and bring manufacturing of this technology back to America. We will restore coastlines, regenerate our forests, shield communities everywhere from the danger of droughts and sweltering heat waves. Through it all, we will create more than 9 million jobs over the next decade--good-paying union jobs--an average of nearly a million a year. So many of those jobs, as I said, will be good-paying union jobs. From the moment Democrats announced the Inflation Reduction Act, Senate Republicans have fruitlessly tried every approach under the sun to lay a glove on our bill. First, they said our bill will make inflation worse, only to give up on that once everyone from Larry Summers to Hank Paulson, to seven Nobel laureates said it would do the opposite. Then they tried calling our bill a bill of tax hikes on the middle class before changing their minds and actually admitting that the bill contains no tax rate increases at all for the middle class. At every turn, they have resorted to the decades-old talking point of calling our bill nothing but wasteful spending, conveniently ignoring that our bill, in fact, lowers the deficit and is completely paid for. I will grant my Republican colleagues that their task is not easy. By one measure, over 65 percent of Americans support the policies in the Inflation Reduction Act, and other polls reflect the same. Republicans haven't been able to get around the fact that Americans like that we are letting Medicare negotiate the price of prescription drugs. They like that we will close tax loopholes that allow billion-dollar companies to pay zero in taxes. Voices across the country, from Nobel- winning economists to former Treasury Secretaries, to even Republican movie star ex-Governors, have all praised the Inflation Reduction Act as an inflation-fighting, climate-saving, job-creating piece of legislation. At a time of seemingly impenetrable gridlock, the Inflation Reduction Act will show the American people that when the moment demands it, Congress is still capable of taking big steps to solve big challenges. We will show the American people that, yes, we are capable of passing a historic climate package and rein in drug companies and make our Tax Code fairer. We are able to make big promises and work hard at keeping them as well. We know that Republicans will continue their mightiest to try to smear our work before the bill is passed. This isn't our first time going through the reconciliation process, and no one is going to be surprised when the other side comes up with wild, misleading, and wholly partisan amendments that have nothing--nothing--to do with our bill. These efforts will not deter us. No matter how long it takes, the Senate is going to stay in session to finish this bill. In short, this is one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching pieces of legislation that has come before the Congress in decades. It will help just about every citizen in this country and make America a much better place. We are not leaving until the job is done. The American people deserve nothing less. So let's get to work today.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, as in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 4785, which was introduced earlier today.

Mr. SCHUMER. I further ask that the bill be considered read three times and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, in a moment, I will move to proceed to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The time has come for the Senate to begin debate on this historic piece of legislation. The Inflation Reduction Act is a groundbreaking bill for the American people--for families struggling to pay the bills, for seniors struggling to pay for medication, for kids struggling with asthma. This bill is for them. I thank all of my colleagues who have dedicated their blood, sweat, and tears toward shaping this outstanding legislation. This is one of the most comprehensive and impactful bills Congress has seen in decades. It will reduce inflation, it will lower prescription drug costs, it will fight climate change, it will close tax loopholes, and it will reduce--reduce--the deficit. It will help every citizen in this country and make America a much better place. The time is now to move forward with a big, bold package for the American people; to fight inflation and make it easier for people to afford everything from trips to the doctor's office to trips to the pharmacy; to hold drug companies accountable and empower Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs; to help families pay their utilities with the boldest clean energy package in American history; to make sure that nurses and teachers and firefighters and middle-class families don't pay more in taxes than billion-dollar corporations; to reduce pollution, restore our coastlines, protect our forests, and deliver to our children and grandchildren the planet they deserve. Again, the time is now to move forward with a big, bold package for the American people. Again, this historic bill--this historic bill--will reduce inflation, lower costs, and fight climate change. It is time to move this Nation forward. Senate Democrats began this majority by promising to tackle the biggest challenges facing our country. The Inflation Reduction Act will make good on that promise and serve as the capstone to one of the most productive stretches the Senate has seen in a very long time. And in the end, it will be the American people who benefit from the work we do here and now. Motion to Proceed So I move to proceed to Calendar No. 464, H.R. 5376.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 736.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I know of no further amendments to the substitute.