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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session, and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 360, S.J. Res. 39, with the time until 4:45 p.m. equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, and that at 4:45 p.m., the joint resolution be read a third time, and that the Senate vote on passage of the joint resolution, with no intervening action or debate. Further, that upon disposition of the joint resolution, the Senate resume executive session.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3182 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I have 12 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a) of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that 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. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 4; 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; and that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

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 want to begin by responding to a particularly disgusting comment made over the weekend by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. As the Russian Army continues slaughtering civilians, Foreign Minister Lavrov did what many others who now reside in the dustbin of history have done before him--resort to anti-Semitism to defend his nation's action. As the highest ranking, Jewish elected official in the United States, I take particular umbrage at what Mr. Lavrov said. Asked on Italian television yesterday to defend his nation's invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Lavrov repeated the deranged conspiracy that Ukraine is dominated by Neo-Nazis and dismissed President Zelenskyy's own Jewish heritage by saying: I believe Hitler also had Jewish origins. He also added: We have been hearing the wise Jewish people say that the biggest anti-Semites are the Jews themselves. I have only one word for this: ``sickening.'' It is sickening. Mr. Lavrov's comments are just sickening and deserve to be condemned by all who oppose the dangers of anti-Semitism. They tap into the very old and very poisonous notion that the Jewish people themselves were the architects of the worst human atrocities in modern history even when they were aimed at Jews themselves. Mr. Foreign Minister, you are fooling no one. The war crimes committed by Russia are as plain as day for the world to see. And to justify Russia's violence with appeals to anti-Semitism is sickening; it is dangerous. It is chilling to see Russia's top diplomat--he should not be called a diplomat after saying that. It is chilling to see Russia's top foreign policy person so casually spread disinformation about the history of the Holocaust in order to advance Mr. Putin's political and military agenda. I condemn Mr. Lavrov's comments in the strongest possible terms, and every individual who wishes to guard against the poisons of anti- Semitism should do the same. Now, Madam President, over the weekend, Speaker Pelosi led a delegation of House Members to Ukraine and met with President Zelenskyy to pledge our country's support for the Ukrainian people. We have the obligation to demonstrate that support by approving another round of Ukrainian emergency funding. Now that President Biden has made a formal request for $33 billion, our appropriators are hard at work turning the request into legislation. It is my hope that a bipartisan agreement can be reached very soon and that the Senate can begin processing this aid package on the floor as early as next week. Quickly approving this emergency funding for Ukraine is essential to helping the people of Ukraine in their fight against Russia. Again, I expect both sides to work quickly, decisively, and with bipartisan cooperation to get this aid out the door and onto the President's desk, just as we did for the first round of aid back in March. I will also work to include a provision that arms the Federal Government with the tools needed to liquidate assets the United States seized from Russian oligarchs, such as yachts, mansions, private jets, art collections, and the like. Specifically, the Senate should expand existing forfeiture laws that will turn up the heat on these corrupt individuals who made their own ill-gotten gains from the vicious, evil, dictatorial Vladimir Putin. We need to go after these crooked oligarchs. They have gotten rich off Putin's regime. Their ill-gotten gains should have no safe refuge within the United States, and it would be great if the proceeds from these assets would be used to support the Ukrainian people. I think that is the right way to go, and I will work to see that the Senate acts in this space. Two months into the war, it is clear that support from the United States and our allies has been essential in helping Ukraine resist Russia's invasion. But the bloodshed is very likely far from over, and the cost borne by the Ukrainian people has been immense. According to the U.N., at least 3,000 civilians have been killed since the start of the war, and the true number is unfortunately, sadly, far higher than that in all likelihood. The United States thus has a moral obligation to give the Ukrainian people the tools they need for as long as they need them, more money for Javelins, Stingers, howitzers, Switchblade unmanned aerial munitions, and much more. And make no mistake, the Senate will move swiftly to get an emergency funding package passed and sent to the President's desk.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, it has been a good week in the Senate because two important things happened. First, we finally confirmed every single U.S. attorney that had been blocked by Republicans, making the country safer. And today, the Senate is taking the next big step toward enacting major legislation to create jobs, bring back American manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, and unleash another generation of American innovation. Later today, we will vote to enter into a conference committee with the House on the competition and innovation legislation, and we will work with the House to finalize this jobs competitiveness bill. We will also vote next Tuesday and Wednesday on 28 motions to instruct--8 from Democrats, 20 from Republicans. There is still a lot of work to do before we send this competitive jobs bill to the President's desk. Not everyone is going to get what they want, but even so, this bill is going to be just what the doctor ordered to boost our economy, bring back manufacturing jobs, and lower costs for American families. Let me say it again. Today, the Senate is moving forward on legislation that is awash with good news for American jobs, American families, American innovation. It is great news for American families who want to see lower costs on daily essentials. It is great news for workers who want to see good-paying manufacturing jobs brought back from overseas. It is great news for our businesses, especially our chip manufacturers that need help strengthening supply chains. And it is great news for our innovators, scientists, workers at universities, and creators who will help us create new technologies and generate the next wave of good-paying jobs in this century. Now, we Democrats have bent over backward to get this bill done. We allowed a very long list of motions to instruct. In fact, it is the most votes on motions to instruct of any bill in decades. And it is a sign of both the immense good will we have shown to our Republican colleagues and the fact that many Members on both sides of the aisle have a stake in seeing the bill finalized. Frankly, it shouldn't have taken us so long to get to this point of forming a conference on the USICA legislation, but, once again, it is good news that the bill is moving forward. I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle who worked in good faith to help us reach this point. I give a particular shout-out to Chairman Cantwell, as well as Senator Young, my cosponsor on this legislation. Confirmations and Nominations Mr. President, as I also mentioned, we got more good news yesterday after the Senate confirmed every single U.S. attorney who had been blocked by a handful of Republican obstructionists. It was about time that Republicans finally relented on their dangerous and indefensible blockade on Federal prosecutors. I don't think it has ever happened before. These U.S. attorneys are vital to keeping Americans safe. They are not political positions; they are entirely dedicated to preserving public safety and protecting our communities. It was totally reckless for a very small band of Republicans, who claim to care about public safety, to have halted these Federal prosecutors for so long just to score political points. Still, after months of unnecessary delay, Americans in Georgia and Michigan and Ohio and Nevada and Minnesota and New Hampshire and other States can breathe a sigh of relief that the Republican blockade on Federal prosecutors has broken. Now, there are many other very important and uncontroversial nominees who are still being blocked by a handful of Senate Republicans. Many of them deal with national security. Many of them would help our country find ways to lower costs. Republicans should drop their holds on these uncontroversial nominees at once or else we are going to have to keep Members here in the Chamber for late night and weekend sessions to get them through. Finally, I want to say it was egregious for Republicans to similarly prevent the nomination of Lisa Cook to go through this week. Make no mistake, we are going to get her confirmed through the Senate as soon as we can. Lisa Cook is a historic and highly qualified nominee. She will be the first Black woman ever to sit on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Her family, literally, fought segregation growing up in rural Georgia. And despite personally facing immense discrimination, she is now professor of economics at Michigan State, a former adviser to President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, and is on the Chicago Fed Board's academic advisory board. A historic Federal Reserve nominee who accomplished as much as Lisa Cook deserves far, far better treatment than what Republicans have shown. But, nevertheless, the Senate will vote on her confirmation as soon as we can. Federal Funding Mr. President, on Ukraine and COVID, this morning, President Biden has sent Congress his request for $33 billion in emergency funding to support the Ukrainian people. This is a big but critically necessary package. I will make sure the Senate prioritizes this important funding package so we can get help to the Ukrainian people fast--ASAP. It was also good to see the President call for legislation to get tough on Russian oligarchs. This must be done. I will ask the Senate to arm the Federal Government with the tools necessary to put further pressure on Russian oligarchs and Putin's cronies. I will expect we will include authorities that expand existing forfeiture laws to achieve that end. We need to go after these crooked oligarchs who have gotten rich off Putin's regime. The war in Ukraine is on their hands, and the Federal Government should be fully empowered to make sure their moment of reckoning comes. Two months into the war, Putin's hopes for a quick takeover of Ukraine have all but extinguished, thanks to the bravery of the Ukrainian people and in addition to the aid that the United States has provided in the forms of Javelins, Stingers, armed carriers, tanks, and so many other critical weapons. This is a fight against democracy--this is a fight of democracy against authoritarianism. So every penny we approve for Ukraine is money well spent. And the fight is far from over. We can't stop now. We must make sure that the Ukrainian people will continue to have the help they need for as long as they need it. The Senate must also work in a bipartisan way to pass another round of time-sensitive COVID funding. On both Ukraine funding and COVID funding, Republican obstruction will not serve the American people. The administration has made clear it needs more COVID money right now in order to secure the next round of vaccine doses, testing, and the new lifesaving therapeutics, which are so good that if you get a positive test and you take the therapeutic, the likelihood of getting any kind of COVID, particularly the more severe kind, is virtually--is minimal. These are amazing drugs. But what is happening? Since we don't have the money to purchase them, other countries are going to the companies--American companies, American innovation that has made them. And God forbid there is another variant. We may not have them--all because of delay and political games on the other side stopping the COVID legislation. The administration has made clear they need this money right now, and, as I said, if we wait, other nations are going to beat us to the punch, and America might be left waiting for months before more supplies are made. This is a risk. It may be a few months away but very real. It is a risk that the American people simply can't afford. Of course, there is a very simple way we can prevent another closure of schools and churches and businesses. Republicans should work with Democrats to pass another COVID funding bill ASAP. No political games. No poison pills. No dithering about. In short, we must get both Ukrainian emergency relief and COVID funding relief done quickly. Oil Companies Mr. President, finally, on gas prices and the FTC, earlier this morning, I joined with Senator Cantwell, Speaker Pelosi, and Chairman Pallone to detail some of the ways Democrats are helping Americans ease the pain they are feeling at the pump. We are focused like a laser on developing and passing legislation to lower costs and improve Americans' daily lives. Nowhere else are Americans feeling the hurt as viscerally and as repeatedly as they are when they fill up their tank at the gas station. We are thus working on legislation to fight bad actors who may be using COVID and Ukraine to jack up prices on consumers to pad their profits, and I intend to put that legislation on the floor. Oil is basically an oligopoly. A few small companies dominate it. And that means supply and demand doesn't work. That means, for instance, that the biggest 25 energy giants in America reported a breathtaking $205 billion in profits in 2021. If there were real competition, they would fight to get the price lower to get some market share, but with very little competition, they just keep the price up, and the consumer is strangled. One executive even bragged to shareholders about the benefits of ``capturing value from high prices.'' What are the oil companies doing with all this cash? They are helping their CEOs and their biggest, wealthiest shareholders. The amount of buybacks is skyrocketing. Buybacks do no good. They don't help the worker. They don't help the consumer. They don't even produce more oil, for those who believe that is the way to go. They simply line the pockets of the CEOs and the biggest shareholders, and then they can go back and say: I got the stock price up--but not the way you are supposed to in capitalism by making your company sell more, be more productive, but, rather, by this horrible buyback, which has become endemic in corporate America and is very harmful to America. Yet we are seeing it in oil more than anywhere else right now. So it is high time--we need somebody to look under the hood, see what the problem is, and give them the tools to fix it. That somebody is the FTC. It is high time for the FTC to roll up their sleeves and drill down on what is going on at the big oil companies. Very soon, the Senate will confirm Alvaro Bedoya and return the FTC to full strength. But Congress needs to do more to beef up the FTC's ability to crack down on potential gas price manipulation and price gouging, so we will work on legislation to that end, among other proposals to lower gas prices. Once again, as we reach the end of this week, let me say that I intend to put legislation that eases the pain of gas prices on the floor for a vote when it is ready. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I would note Maryland is in the House. Unanimous Consent Agreement--H.R. 4521

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motions to instruct at the desk, which may be made with respect to the message to accompany H.R. 4251, be printed in the Record for the information of the Senate.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 546.

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I have three requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, April 28, be waived.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: 507, 778, 803, and 842; that the Senate proceed to vote on the nominations in the order listed, without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to the nominations; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations: Calendar Nos. 242, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 879, 880, 881, 882, 883, and 884; and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 674.