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. Madam President, this week, the Senate has worked towards passing the largest expansion of healthcare benefits for our veterans in a very long time. Millions of veterans today face the flabbergasting indignity. They served our country valiantly, were exposed to toxic chemicals in the line of duty but cannot get the healthcare benefits they need because of outdated rules at the VA. This needs to change, and the PACT Act would provide the fix. Many on both sides want to get this bill done as soon as we can. We cannot have dilatory or destructive amendments to the PACT Act because it is too important for our veterans' well-being. To that end, Democrats have spent the day working with Republicans on a list of amendments, and these negotiations are ongoing. But while we work on an agreement and to keep the process moving, I will be filing cloture so we can take the next step towards passing the PACT Act next week. We hope to get an agreement--and we are making good progress there--so we hope to get an agreement before that, but the legislative process must move forward. So for the sake of our veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice serving our Nation and defending our freedom, there is no reason we can't pass the PACT Act ASAP. Our discussions continue with our Republican colleagues in an effort to get that done, and I am hopeful that we will succeed. Amendment No. 5076

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I have an amendment to the underlying bill at the desk.

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

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

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, Thursday, June 9, be waived.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the filing deadline for first-degree amendments to substitute amendment No. 5051 and the underlying bill, H.R. 3967, be at 4 p.m., Monday, June 13.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 849, 850, 851, 853, 854; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and that the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m. on Monday, June 13; and 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 resume consideration of Calendar No. 388, H.R. 3967; further, that the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, today, the House oversight and reform committee heard from a witness who, by all means, should never ever have had to come before the Congress, Miah Cerrillo, an 11-year-old girl who survived the shooting in Uvalde, TX. Our House colleagues will also hear from Felix and Kimberly Rubio, the parents of 10-year-old Lexi, who was killed in the shooting. You can just imagine their broken hearts. They will also hear from the only pediatrician in Uvalde available to treat the victims on that awful, awful, awful day. I hope every single Member of the House and Senate pays attention to these proceedings. God knows, many in Congress need to listen to what these witnesses have to say. We need to listen, and Congress needs to act, because across every neighborhood, every school, every city, every town--urban, suburban, rural--Americans are wondering the same thing: When is Congress going to act to stop the violence? Now, that is precisely what we are working on right now in the Senate. It will be hard to believe, after hearing what these witnesses have to say, that the Senate cannot find a way to come together and act on gun violence. Over the past week and a half, my Democratic colleagues, led by the efforts of Senators Murphy, Sinema, Blumenthal, Manchin, Coons, Heinrich, and others, have been holding good faith talks with Republicans to see if we can arrive at an agreement on gun violence legislation. As I have said, these bipartisan talks deserve the space they need to produce meaningful results, and so I hope my colleagues continue to make progress toward an effective agreement--hopefully, by the end of the week. The overwhelming consensus of our caucus, among the gun safety violence prevention advocates and among the American people, is that even if we can't get everything done, that getting something real done is worth pursuing. Let me repeat that. It is an overwhelming consensus in this caucus, among the broad panoply of gun groups, gun safety groups, and among the American people: Get something done. Get something real done, even if it is not everything that many of us would wish for. Given the other side's long-held refusal to do anything meaningful on gun violence, we know how difficult this is. But that is all the more reason for us to explore every realistic opportunity to getting something real done. We know we won't get everything we want. The debate for gun safety will continue after this moment, but we have a moral obligation right now to try and get something meaningful--something meaningful--done for the American people in the name of those who have died. This is not a partisan issue. Gun safety is overwhelmingly backed by a large majority of Americans, a majority of Democrats, Republicans, Independents. It is bipartisan because all Americans know the same thing: We stand alone in the developed world in the number of mass shootings that take place every year. We stand alone among the developed nations in the world in that on any given day, another school, another grocery store, another hospital, another concert, another neighborhood can suddenly become a site of unimaginable tragedy. Americans, many for the first time, are thinking: I am going to be shot, whether they are in a supermarket, their kids are in a school, or anywhere else. And we stand alone in that year after year, the plague of mass shootings in this country has been met by inaction. When other countries have faced these mass shootings, they have acted, and they have acted well. Why aren't we? The American people are tired and angry of the same thing happening again and again. They are tired of nothing getting done. They are tired of the greatest country in the world being paralyzed and not acting in a right way, mainly because people on the other side of the aisle haven't joined us. But I urge my colleagues now, let's get something done. The sooner we act, the greater chance we have of preventing another senseless mass shooting in America. Let's break this cycle of gun violence, and let's end the days when parents, doctors, and children have to come to the U.S. Capitol in order to beg their elected representatives to take action.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 5065.

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

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, finally, on the PACT Act, today, the Senate is going to adopt a motion to proceed to Honoring our PACT Act, and my colleague from Montana, chair of our Veterans' Committee, who has worked so hard on this, will speak about that shortly, in a moment. The PACT Act is one of the most important veteran healthcare bills this Chamber has considered in decades. Yesterday, the Senate invoked cloture on the motion to proceed by a whopping 86 votes. Three and a half million veterans--three and a half million--have been likely exposed to toxic chemicals in the line of duty since 2001. Over the years, these toxic exposures have led to terrible healthcare complications that have cut too many lives short and burdened far too many of our Nation's heroes. Tragically, many of our Nation's veterans have been unable to access the care they need because of outdated VA rules that dictate eligibility for benefits. The PACT Act would fix that for some of the biggest reforms to the VA ever. It is a no-brainer to move forward on a bill to take care of veterans who have been exposed to toxins in the line of duty. We cannot let dilatory or destructive amendments stand in the way of the need of our veterans' dire and crucial needs. Again, last night's vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan. There is no reason for us not to pass this important, vital, sensible bill A-S-A-P. Every one of us in this Chamber has heard from a military servicemember who is struggling to afford quality healthcare, and this is one of the best steps the Senate can take to improve the lives of those who have given their all for our country. Veterans service organizations across the country are urging the Senate to act, so let's get this bill passed with the same bipartisan good will that has characterized the negotiations to date. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now, on FOX News and January 6. Tomorrow evening, the House Select Committee will hold its first public hearings on the insurrection of January 6. It will be a watershed moment for what has now been a 10-month investigation to uncover the truth of what happened on that terrible, terrible day in our Nation's history. The American people need to see January 6 for what it was--a deliberate, organized, and violent attempt to reverse a free and fair election. It was a profane and grotesque assault upon American democracy. Worst of all, it was part of a larger effort from the hard right to erode our constitutional order from within. Just a couple of days ago, someone was arrested who said he was within 20 feet of me and was trying to get me as we left this Chamber. These hearings will be essential viewing. They are a direct look into the dark soul of the hard right, and every single American needs to know the truth of what happened that day. Every major broadcast and cable network will cover these proceedings live--every network except one, that is: FOX News. In one of the most cowardly journalistic decisions in modern memory, FOX News, one of main amplifiers of the Big Lie about January 6 and about the election, has stated they will not broadcast Thursday's hearing. After giving the likes of Tucker Carlson a blank check to spread conspiracy theories and White supremacist views night after night, it is beyond repugnant that FOX News refuses to cover the investigation into the deadliest attack on our democracy in modern history. It is a disgusting and treacherous decision, one that will gravely harm our democracy, one that deliberately will conceal the truth from a large portion of the viewing public. Let me say it once again. FOX's decision not to air live proceedings on January 6 is cowardly and is tantamount to hiding the truth from the American people. FOX News has an obligation to report the facts of the January 6 investigation so their viewers can learn the truth, especially after FOX News was one of the main propagators of so many of the Big Lies. Are they a real news station? They don't seem to be. I hope they reverse this awful decision.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I enter a motion to reconsider.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, another criminal trial arising out of the events of January 6, 2021, is scheduled to begin on June 13, 2022, in Federal district court in the District of Columbia. The two defendants in this case, Kevin and Hunter Seefried, are charged with five counts: obstructing the counting by Congress of the electoral ballots for President and Vice President; entering and remaining in a restricted area within the United States Capitol grounds; unlawful parading, demonstrating, and picketing; and two counts of engaging in disorderly and disruptive conduct. Hunter Seefried is additionally charged with destruction of government property and two counts of engaging in physical violence. The prosecution has requested trial testimony from Daniel Schwager, formerly counsel to the Secretary of the Senate, related to the obstruction count, including his knowledge and observations of the process and constitutional and legal bases for Congress' counting of the Electoral College votes. The prosecution is also seeking testimony at trial, if necessary, from Nate Russell and Diego Torres, custodians of records in the Senate Recording Studio, which operates under the authority of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate, to authenticate Senate video of the proceeding that day. Senate Secretary Berry and Senate Sergeant at Arms Gibson would like to cooperate with these requests by providing relevant testimony in this proceeding from Messrs. Schwager, Russell, and Torres, respectively . In keeping with the rules and practices of the Senate, this resolution would authorize the production of relevant testimony from Messrs. Schwager, Russell, and Torres, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, another criminal trial arising out of the events of January 6, 2021, is scheduled to begin on June 27, 2022, in Federal district court in the District of Columbia. The Federal indictment charges the defendant with five counts: obstructing the counting by Congress of the electoral ballots for President and Vice President; entering and remaining in a restricted area within the United States Capitol grounds; unlawful parading, demonstrating, and picketing; and two counts of engaging in disorderly and disruptive conduct. The government has requested trial testimony from Daniel Schwager, formerly counsel to the Secretary of the Senate, related to the obstruction count, including his knowledge and observations of the process and constitutional and legal bases for Congress' counting of the Electoral College votes. Senate Secretary Berry would like to cooperate with this request by providing relevant testimony in this proceeding 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, as the Senate's June work period begins, the American people have one question front of mind: After years and decades of gridlock, will the Senate do something about our Nation's gun violence epidemic? Democrats are ready to take action, and soon every single Member of this Chamber is going to have to answer that question. Today is June 7, 2022. It is the 158th day of the year. Already-- already--this year, we have had over 250 mass shootings--over 250. That is more than one a day. Two weeks ago, we saw the worst school shooting in America since the tragedy at Sandy Hook. An 18-year-old boy bought two assault rifles for his birthday and gunned down 19 children in Uvalde, TX--9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds. You see the pictures of kids with their sweatshirts, with their awards, with their trophies. Every parent has seen pictures of children that age, and to know that they are no longer--that they were wiped out, that they were brutally murdered-- breaks your heart. It just sends shivers down your spine. A few hours later, after it happened, the parents realized and were told they would never see their children again. Ten days before that, eleven more people were gunned down while grocery shopping in Buffalo, simply because of the color of their skin. I still can't get out of my mind the 3-year-old I met, when I visited Buffalo, who lost his dad because his dad made a quick stop to the Tops Supermarket to get his son a birthday cake. It was his son's birthday. He will never see his dad again and will live with that his whole life--knowing that his dad was killed in order to get him a birthday cake. And for every tragedy that traumatizes the Nation's collective psyche, there are countless others that take place outside the national spotlight. They happen every single day in homes and communities in every part of this country. Across every neighborhood, every school, every small town, every large city, Americans of all persuasions are wondering the same thing: When is it going to be enough? When will Congress find the will to act? One party has that will and soon will determine whether the other side on the aisle will join. That is the challenge that faces this Chamber as we begin this work period. Before Memorial Day, I made clear that the Senate will vote on gun safety legislation in the near future. To that end, a handful of my Democratic colleagues, led by Senator Murphy, including the great work of Senators Blumenthal, Sinema, Manchin, Coons, Heinrich, and others, have been holding extended and substantive talks with Republicans to see what we can pass in this Chamber that will meaningfully address our Nation's gunfire epidemic. I am encouraging my Democratic colleagues to keep talking to see if Republicans will work with us to come up with something that will make a meaningful change in the lives of the American people and help stop gun violence. There is virtual unanimity among Senate Democrats that getting something passed through this Chamber is worth pursuing if it will make a tangible difference in preventing gun violence. We know we are not going to get everything we want. We know the push for even more meaningful gun safety will continue after this debate, but making real progress is very important. Senator Murphy has asked for some space to have these bipartisan talks continue, and I have given him that space. I look forward to discussing the status of those talks with my colleagues today. We owe it to American parents. We owe it to American kids. We owe it to every single neighborhood, every single community, every single household that has been ripped apart by gun violence. This is a tough fight. Nevertheless, we have a moral obligation to do everything conceivable to break the cycle of violence. In the wake of the tragedies in Uvalde and Buffalo, we have a chance to tell the American people that, this time, their anguish will not fall on deaf ears. We have a chance to tell them we hear them; that we, too, are angry and we will do everything we can to make real progress in the Senate, difficult as that is. But it is only going to happen if both sides keep working. Only with that will hope for a compromise translate into real, concrete legislation. We know it is a difficult hurdle to overcome; but, nevertheless, we must do everything we can to try and succeed.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 388, H.R. 3967.

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, today, the Senate will have a chance to act on a pernicious issue that has recently become an increasingly prevalent component in America's gun violence epidemic: the evil spread of White supremacy and domestic terrorism. In the past 2 weeks, the United States has endured two of the most traumatic mass shootings that we have seen in recent history. In my home State of New York, in the beloved city of Buffalo, 10 Black Americans were gunned down in broad daylight by a White supremacist armed with an AR-15 and whose mind was poisoned by online conspiracies--White supremacist conspiracies. And 2 days ago, 19 children--19 children: 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, kids on the verge of beginning summer, kids with their entire lives ahead of them; we saw them holding up their trophies and proudly in their T- shirts, and a few hours later they were gone--slaughtered in the predominantly Latino town of Uvalde, TX. Two teachers, including a mother of four, were killed alongside them. Many more were injured and remain in critical condition. It was the worst school shooting in America since Sandy Hook. Last night, I looked at the pictures of each of those kids online, and I wept--taken from us, taken from their families through senseless gun violence. I can't stop thinking about the parents, too, who lost their kids. I can't stop imagining the paralyzing horror of being one of the parents showing up to the school after the shooting, wondering where their kid was--the anxiety that will live with these parents forever-- forced to wait hours before a DNA test--a DNA test--confirmed that their son or daughter was gone. I cannot imagine a hell--a hell--worse than that. And these families, my colleagues, don't want thoughts and prayers. They want their elected leaders to respond to their suffering. They don't want to be lifted up. They don't want good intentions. They want something to change. They want results. Yet the MAGA Republicans don't want to get results. They are ossified in their opposition to any action on gun safety. No matter the cause of violence and no matter the cost on families, nothing seems to move them. Yesterday, after Beto O'Rourke confronted Texas Governor Abbott's press conference, the MAGA Governor gave some empty platitudes about healing and hope. He asked people to put their agendas aside and think about someone other than themselves. My God, how dare he. What an absolute fraud the Governor of Texas is. And this is the same Governor Abbott who tomorrow--tomorrow--will go speak at the NRA convention in Houston. Governor Abbott, will you ask your MAGA buddies and your NRA pals to put aside their agendas and think of someone other than themselves like you asked the families to do? Will you ask the gun manufacturing reps who swarm over the NRA convention to put aside their agendas and think about someone other than themselves? Of course not. The Governor--Governor Abbott--is more likely to outline some new plans to further loosen gun restrictions. No amount of bloodshed seems to be enough for MAGA Republicans. This Nation is enraged as well as being exhausted. It has been through this over and over and over again over the last two decades. People are sick of mourning again and again while listening to the same string of hollow words from the MAGA Republicans that never lead to action. So in a few moments, the Senate will have a chance to vote on one important cause of gun violence. The legislation before the Senate today is the Domestic Terrorism Protection Act, which I scheduled for a vote earlier this week before what happened in Uvalde occurred. It was done to respond to the massacre in the supermarket in Buffalo. The bill is so important because the mass shooting in Buffalo was an act of domestic terrorism. We need to call it what it is: domestic terrorism. It was terrorism that fed off the poison of conspiracy theories like ``White replacement theory''; terrorism that left 10 people dead, a community forever torn asunder. This bill will give the government the tools to monitor, find, and arrest these evil actors before they have a chance to inflict violence on their communities. I thank my colleague Senator Durbin for championing this bill. I have been going to bed every night thinking about the families I met in Buffalo in the aftermath of the shooting. I think about this little 3-year-old boy. He lost his dad who went to that Tops grocery store to buy him a birthday cake--a birthday cake for his son. That little boy is going to live with that the rest of his life--the rest of his life. I think about all the families impacted by other racially motivated shootings over the year. Buffalo, certainly, unfortunately, wasn't the first--Charleston, El Paso, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and so many others; the shooting of Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, gay Americans, Jewish Americans, as well as Black Americans all because of this horrible ``White replacement theory.'' So today is the day we can begin to debate on how to make these shootings less likely. And there is an additional benefit to moving forward today. It is a chance to have a larger debate in considering amendments for gun safety legislation in general, not just for those motivated by racism, as vital as it is to do that. I know that many Members on the other side hold views that are different than the views on this side of the aisle. So let us move on this bill. Let us proceed and then they can bring them to the floor. Senator Johnson brought a bill to the floor yesterday about school security practices. I didn't agree with the bill, and I don't think it is the answer to mass shootings. We don't need more guns in the schools. There were security guards at the supermarket in Buffalo, police and security at the school in Uvalde, but we can debate it. The same with Senator Cruz's plan to limit schools to only one door. Fire marshals and tactical experts totally and vehemently disagree. Let's debate it. And there are other Senators with other proposals--proposals that come from our side of the aisle--background checks, red flag laws, the Charleston loophole, assault weapons, and other ideas. Look, I know the chances of getting 10 votes on this bill are small, unfortunately, given the influence of MAGA Republicans. Many Republicans have made their opposition clear. Again, there are a lot of MAGA Republicans for whom no amount of gun violence--whether it is domestic terrorism, a school shooting, a neighborhood shooting, or something else--will ever--ever--convince them to take any action. If Republicans obstruct debate today, we are prepared to have an honest and realistic discussion, conversation, negotiation for a little more time to see what they can come to the table with. We are under no illusions that this will be easy. We have been burned in the past when Republicans promised to debate only for them to break their promise. But even with long odds, the issue is so important, so raw to the American people, so personal to countless families who are missing children, that we must pursue that opportunity. We also know that the American people--as many as 80 percent or 90 percent--support gun safety legislation. We have an obligation to pursue every path and explore every realistic option to break the cycle of suffering and inaction. Not trying everything is not acceptable to the families who have lost their loved ones to our Nation's gun epidemic. To those beautiful children we see pictures of in the newspaper and their families, we have to try everything. We must not leave a single stone unturned. Senator Murphy, who has been such a strong and valiant leader within our caucus on gun safety legislation and who has seen the suffering firsthand of the families at Sandy Hook whom he has become very close to, has asked for space to see what progress can be done with Senate Republicans. Neither he nor I is under an illusion that this will be easy; it will not. But his view, my view, and the overwhelming view of our caucus is that we need to give it a short amount of time to try. There are others, too, in this caucus reaching out to our Republican colleagues as we speak--Senator Blumenthal, Senator Coons, Senator Heinrich, Senator Manchin, and others. We have also been in talks with our allies across gun advocacy groups, and we all have a strong and burning desire to see something real, something tangible come across, come together here in the Senate. Again, none of us are under any illusions that it will be easy. None of us want to let this drag out. We know all too well the vice grip that the NRA and MAGA wing hold over the GOP, and we have been burned in the past. America has been burned in the past. After the shootings in El Paso and Dayton 3 years ago, the Republican leader promised red flag laws and background checks would be front and center in the Senate debate. He didn't put them on the floor, and Republicans did nothing. But that is not an excuse for Democrats not to try. Too many families have suffered, too many kids have been lost, too many communities have been destroyed. This is too important not to explore every option. I want to be clear. This is not an invite to negotiating indefinitely. Make no mistake about it, if these negotiations do not bear fruit in a short period of time, the Senate will vote on gun safety legislation. Let me repeat. If these negotiations do not bear any fruit, the Senate will vote on gun safety legislation when we return. But our hope, even amidst our deep skepticism, is, during this week, Democrats and Republicans, at long last, will come to agree on something meaningful that will reduce gun violence in a real way in America. Senator Murphy and some of our colleagues believe that it is worth a chance, and we will give it that chance. Unfortunately, though, Republicans haven't come forward in too long a time. There hasn't been this debate in too long a time. But even though it hasn't happened in too long a time, we feel an obligation to give it a chance. I yield the floor. Recognition of the Minority Leader

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now let me explain. I entered my ``no'' vote so we can bring this up again and gain more support. So I enter a motion to reconsider the failed cloture vote.

Mr. SCHUMER

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