Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, Putin absolutely must be held accountable for the detestable, detestable, despicable war crimes he is committing against Ukraine. The images we have seen coming out of that country, especially out of the town of Bucha, are just pure evil--it reminds us of the worst moments in human history--caused by the evil man, Putin: hundreds of civilians murdered in cold blood--men, women, children, the elderly, the defenseless; people with hands tied behind their backs and left dead on the streets; civilians shot in the back of the head--all for one reason: They are Ukrainians. It is one despicable reason. This is genocide when you murder, wantonly, innocent civilians because of who they are. Whether it be their religion, their race, or their nationality, that is genocide, and Mr. Putin is guilty of it. Formally revoking normal trade relations with Russia is precisely the right thing for the Senate to do because it will land another huge blow to Putin's economy. It is a key part of any strategy for holding Putin accountable for his savage attacks on innocent civilians. Again, I thank all of my colleagues for their good work and look forward to passing PNTR in the Senate tomorrow morning.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Mr. President, in a few moments, I will lock in an agreement on a number of important votes tomorrow. First and foremost, we have reached an agreement for the Senate to conclude the confirmation process of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson tomorrow. We will hold a cloture vote tomorrow morning at approximately 11 a.m., and the final vote for her confirmation is on track to take place at around 1:45 tomorrow afternoon, depending on how many Members wish to speak. It will be a joyous day--joyous for the Senate, joyous for the Supreme Court, joyous for America--but we still have a long way to go. America, tomorrow, will take a giant step to becoming a more perfect nation. I will have more to say on this historic occasion tomorrow, but, for now, I wish to thank my Senate colleagues for working together to advance and finalize this historic nomination to the Supreme Court. Second, I will also lock in an agreement to hold a series of votes on PNTR and the oil ban tomorrow. After many rounds of negotiations with Republicans, we have reached an important and crucial breakthrough. This agreement clears the path to finally approve legislation that will strip Russia of permanent normal trade relations with the United States. It will also allow the Senate to take separate action on an oil ban proposal as we originally sought. These proposals both have the support of the White House, and it is a big, big deal that we are finally getting them done. I wish this could have happened sooner, but after weeks of talks with the other side, it is important that we have found a path forward to getting PNTR done on a bipartisan basis. I want to sincerely thank Senator Crapo, who worked in good faith with us, together, and we wouldn't have reached an outcome--this outcome--without his diligence and good faith.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, first, I want to thank my friend and colleague, the senior Senator from Illinois, not only for his wonderful remarks here today but for his passion on this issue. He was one of the first to blow the whistle on these colleges. When you hear about this, it just boils your blood--boils your blood. These kids did nothing wrong. It is one of the reasons we believe student debt should be forgiven. The Federal Government gave them the loans--that was required by law--but they were taken advantage of through no fault of their own. I wonder if this Mr. Modany has been prosecuted for any of these things. He does not deserve to have, probably, the millions he has on the backs of all of these students. But I thank the Senator from the bottom of my heart. This boils our blood, what they did to these kids. That is one of the reasons we believe that the White House ought to forgive up to $50,000 of student debt. OK. Let's go to another subject.

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 want there to be no mistake about what just happened here on the Senate floor. Republicans blocked a bipartisan bill that would provide vaccines, testing, and therapeutics for the American people. Yesterday, a group of Democrats and Republicans announced we had reached a bipartisan agreement for COVID relief funding, but today, a majority of Senate Republicans have blocked this critical and much- needed funding from going forward. Vaccines, therapeutics, and testing were negotiated in good faith. And it should not--they should not be held hostage to extraneous, unrelated issues. This is too important for the health of the American people. But that seems precisely what some Republicans want to do. This is a potentially devastating vote for every single American who is worried about the possibility of a new variant rearing its nasty head within a few months. It is devastating for any American who, in the future, looks for a vaccine or a booster shot, only to be told supplies have run out. It is devastating for anyone looking down the line to get tested because they feel sick or want their families safe and discover no tests are available. It is devastating for anyone who--God forbid-- falls seriously ill but can't access lifesaving therapeutics because the Federal Government can't purchase new supplies because of the vote our colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle just took. Too many Republicans seem to want to play politics at a time when we need to work together to pass legislation our country desperately needs. Republicans voted no on vaccines for kids. Republicans voted no on tests for new COVID variants. Republicans voted no on therapies to save lives and make us less sick. Have we learned nothing from the last 2 years of living with this horrible disease? Have Republicans learned nothing about how lack of preparation could damage our economy? This money--the money that they rejected today--will go a long way to keeping our schools, our businesses, our churches, our communities running as normally as possible. If we want to stay at normal, we need these dollars. Without these dollars, the risk of schools closing, of businesses closing, of public transportation closing is too large. Should a future variant rear its nasty head--should a future variant rear its nasty head--Americans will know who voted against more funding. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This was a $10 billion agreement that was fully paid for. If there is another surge, it costs us 10 times that if we are behind the curve again. I hope Republicans will get serious about this. It should not be so difficult for them to do something so good and important for our country. There is still some time. I hope my Republican colleagues change their tune quickly. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. For the purposes of reconsideration, I change my vote to no.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 4373, under the previous order.

Mr. SCHUMER. I enter a motion to reconsider.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 860.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now on COVID, yesterday afternoon I announced that Senator Romney and I had reached an agreement for a $10 billion COVID supplemental appropriations package. It took many rounds of bipartisan talks, many days and nights and weekends of negotiations, but we have shaken hands on a compromise that the Senate can and should move forward very soon. I thank the Senators on both sides of the aisle who participated in this, and Senators Burr, Blunt, and Graham were involved with Senator Romney. Senator Coons gets a special shout-out because of his fierce determination to work on international, on getting an international thing done. Senator Murray, as well, was very helpful in our negotiations. The deal we announced yesterday has the support of Speaker Pelosi and President Biden, who urged Congress to work quickly to get a bill to his desk. We are going to work hard to get that done, and I hope my Republican colleagues will join us to move forward on this legislation. There is no reason why we shouldn't be able to get this funding passed. The administration needs it right now, and we all know that our country is in great need of replenishing our COVID health response funding. Putting in the work, today, to keep our Nation prepared against new variants will make it less likely that we get caught off guard by a new variant down the line. So this is really essential to America's well-being. It is essential to getting back to normal. All those who decried that we didn't get to normal quickly enough should be supportive of this legislation, because the longer we wait, the more difficult it will be when the next variant hits. This $10 billion COVID package will give the Federal Government and our citizens the tools we need--we depend on--to continue our economic recovery, to keep our schools open, to keep American families safe. The package we agreed to will provide billions more for vaccines, more testing capacity, and--essential--$5 billion for more lifesaving therapeutics, arguably the greatest need right now for the country. These therapeutics are great drugs, but if we don't have them at the ready when the new variant hits, it will let the variant get its tentacles deeper into our society. But this money will go a long way at keeping our schools, our businesses, our churches, our communities running as normally as possible, should a future variant rear its nasty head. Approving this package is simply the sensible, responsible, and necessary thing to do. Republicans and Democrats alike should now work together to make sure we can move this package through the Chamber. Now, while this funding is absolutely necessary, it is far from perfect. I am deeply disappointed that some of our Republican friends could not agree to include $5 billion for global response efforts. I pushed them hard to include this international funding, as, of course, did Senator Coons and Senators Graham and Romney because fighting COVID abroad is intrinsically connected to keeping Americans healthy at home. It is not just the right thing to do to help struggling nations, though we certainly have an obligation to help. It is also good for our country. So it is putting money overseas to prevent COVID from spreading here, because, remember, every variant--all three variants-- that hit us started overseas and then came here. So that is not only humanitarian and the moral and right thing to do, but it is in our own self-interest. I know it sometimes sounds anomalous--sending money overseas is in our interest--but with COVID, where it germinates and starts the new variants, inevitably overseas, and then comes to hurt us is the right thing to do in our own self-interest, even if you had no humanitarian interest in doing it, which, of course, many of us do have a great deal of humanitarian interest. If we don't help the developing nations of the world with vaccines and treatment, we leave ourselves seriously at risk for potential new variants. Omicron, after all, started, in all likelihood, in South Africa, where today less than a third of the population is vaccinated-- fully vaccinated. It is thus my intention for the Senate to consider a bipartisan international appropriations package that will include funding to address COVID-19, as well as other urgent priorities, like aid for Ukraine and funding for global food insecurity. I know that many on both sides--I mentioned the names earlier--are serious about reaching an agreement on this issue. Nevertheless, this week's agreement is carefully negotiated. We bent over backward when our Republican colleagues did not want to accept certain kinds of pay- fors which we thought were appropriate and have always been used, but we thought it was so important to get this done that we did that. It is a very important step to keeping the country healthy and keeping life as close to normal in the future as we can. I want to thank, again, Senator Romney for leading the negotiations for the Senate Republicans and working in good faith to reach agreement. I also want to thank, as I mentioned, Coons, Murray, Burr, Blunt, and Graham for their help and support to reach this bipartisan agreement, and Chairman Leahy and his staff for their assistance in putting the legislation together. Finally, I want to thank the staff of the CBO, the Congressional Budget Office. They worked around the clock with us to score this legislation. So we have taken a massive step closer to getting this important funding done, and I thank everyone for their good work to reach this point.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. And I ask unanimous consent to resume executive session.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, pursuant to S. Res. 27, the Judiciary Committee being tied on the question of reporting, I move to discharge the Judiciary Committee from further consideration of Ketanji Brown Jackson, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, in a few moments, the Senate will begin to make history this week by voting to discharge the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson out of the Judiciary Committee so we can confirm her as the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. This procedural step should be entirely unnecessary. There is no question--no question--that Judge Jackson deserves a strong bipartisan vote in committee, but sadly, despite the judge's qualifications, not a single Republican on the committee voted to report her out of committee. So we shouldn't have to be taking this step, but we are moving forward all the same without delay. Despite Republicans opposing her in committee and despite this procedural vote tonight, the end result will remain unchanged: Judge Jackson ultimately has enough support to get confirmed on a bipartisan basis, and the Senate is going to keep working until this nomination is complete. In closing, I want to emphasize something I said earlier today. This is a joyous and history-making moment for the Senate--a historic one. One hundred fifteen individuals have come before this Chamber for consideration to the highest Court in the land, but none--none--were like Judge Jackson. Like many before her, Judge Jackson is brilliant. She is esteemed. She is highly accomplished. But never, never has the Supreme Court had a Black woman bear the title of ``Justice.'' Imagine the impact this will have on our democracy. Imagine what it will mean for young people across the country to look at our courts and see them better reflect our Nation's makeup. Judge Jackson's brilliant record will surely light a fire of inspiration for others to follow in her footsteps, and our country will be all the better for it. So let us move forward with this brilliant, this resoundingly qualified, this historic nominee to the highest Court in the land, and let us work together to finish the job of confirming the judge by the end of this week. Vote on Motion to Discharge Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all time remaining be yielded back, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, pursuant to S. Res. 27, the Banking Committee being tied on the question of reporting, I move to discharge the Banking Committee from further consideration of Julia Ruth Gordon, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Republican leader, that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 783, James C. O'Brien, of Nebraska, to be Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination, with the rank of Ambassador; that there be 30 minutes for debate equally divided in the usual form on the nomination; and that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote without intervening action or debate on the nomination.

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. I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized at 5 p.m.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, this week, the U.S. Senate will commence the final stage--the final stage--of confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. It is a joyous and history-making moment for the Senate as 115 individuals have come before this Chamber for consideration to the highest Court in the land, but none--none--were like Judge Jackson. Like many before her, she is brilliant; she is esteemed and highly accomplished, but never--never before--has the Supreme Court had a Black woman bear the title of ``Justice,'' and she will pave the way for others to follow in her example. Not long from now, the Senate Judiciary Committee will conclude their markup of Judge Jackson's nomination by voting to report her out of committee. Chairman Durbin has adjusted the schedule to make sure all members are able to vote, but the process is moving forward. There is no question--no question--that Judge Jackson deserves a strong bipartisan vote in committee; but, sadly, despite the judge's qualifications, the Republicans on the committee have made clear that not one of them will vote to report her out of committee. If the Judiciary Committee does reach a deadlocked vote later today, I will move as soon as I can to have the Senate hold a discharge vote so that her nomination can be considered by the full Senate. It is obvious, in listening to Republicans, that their objections are entirely unserious. Many who label Judge Jackson as ``radical'' and ``far left'' today conveniently ignore that she received bipartisan support not once, not twice, but three times in this Chamber, including by voice vote. They also fail to mention that Judge Jackson commands strong support from across the political spectrum, from conservative judges to the Nation's largest police unions to a long list of former colleagues who say she is nothing short of the best of the best. Republicans in committee have ignored, in other words, the plain facts of Judge Jackson's record, and that is deeply disappointing. Judge Jackson is a brilliant and historic nominee, and her elevation as the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court should bring the Senate together. Let's be clear: Despite Republican opposition, Judge Jackson has enough votes to get confirmed to the Supreme Court on a bipartisan basis. The Senate is going to keep working until she is confirmed. Once Judge Jackson is out of committee, I will file cloture on her nomination as quickly as possible and, in doing so, set in motion a process that will set up a final confirmation vote by the end of this week. I hope both sides can work together to advance her all-but- certain confirmation through the Senate without delay. Once again, I want to finish by commending Judge Jackson for conducting herself brilliantly and unassailably during the entire confirmation process. It is not easy to be thrown suddenly and abruptly into the national spotlight and have every detail of your life scrutinized. It is even harder to then engage in marathon sitdowns with nearly every Senator in this body in just a few weeks, and it is nothing short of herculean to endure 3 days of lengthy and, at times, deeply unfair and mendacious questioning before the Judiciary Committee--with the eyes of the Nation upon you. But 6 weeks after her nomination was announced, Judge Jackson has proven that she is up to the task before her. She has shown that she merits the title of ``Justice,'' and from this moment on, the Senate will not stop working until we finish the work of confirming Judge Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. Business Before the Senate Now, Mr. President, on other Senate business, this week, the confirmation of Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court remains the highest Senate priority by far, but Senate Democrats will continue our work to lower costs for the American people. Last week--little noticed but quite important--the Senate passed bipartisan ocean shipping reform, spearheaded by Senators Klobuchar and Thune and Cantwell. This is very significant and much-needed legislation that will reduce costs for the American people by unclogging our ports from Los Angeles to New York to Savannah to Seattle. These backlogs have caused not only great harm for American exporters trying to send their products out in the world; it has also skyrocketed the price of goods coming into the country, and, ultimately, American consumers pay that price. I commend my colleagues for getting this important bill done. This week, the Senate is also close to entering a conference committee with the House to finalize our jobs and competitiveness act; and tomorrow, Chair Cantwell will turn the focus of the Commerce Committee to an urgent matter for the American people: ensuring transparency in petroleum markets. We all know that big oil companies are dramatically expanding corporate stock buybacks and reporting record profits while Americans struggle with higher gas prices. Just today--this is so confounding, so upsetting--ExxonMobil indicated that its profits this quarter will be its highest since 2008. And what are they going to do with this surplus cash? They announced, in the coming months, they will spend $10 billion on corporate stock buybacks. According to Bloomberg, oil and gas companies' stock buybacks were up 2,000 percent in the fourth quarter of last year. Using that to enhance worker productivity? Nope. Using that to do something some people might object to, increasing exploration for oil and gas? Nope. Lining the pockets of their shareholders and their corporate executives in stock buybacks, which do nothing--absolutely nothing--to advance the American economy or to deal with the oil prices. Maybe they should think instead of giving the money to shareholders, they should give money to their customers, give it back, by lowering the price. It is the latest reminder of a disturbing trend with the oil and gas companies. As the price of gas goes up and as Americans are struggling more and more to keep up, the Nation's largest oil companies are up to their eyeballs in massive profits and then use that money for unproductive stock buybacks, which, if anything, increase income inequality at a time when the country needs to decrease it. There is something deeply incongruous and wrong about seeing the largest oil companies and gas companies in the world drench top executives and wealthy shareholders in cash while Americans are struggling at the pump. I thank Chair Cantwell for holding tomorrow's hearing so we can provide accountability, transparency, and relief, hopefully, for the American people. Coronavirus Mr. President, finally, on COVID. Very briefly, over the last few days, my Democratic colleagues and I continue talks with Senator Romney and Republicans, working all hours of the night and into the weekend. I will have more to say on this matter shortly. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, 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 Senator Portman.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Finally, Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 5; 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 conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the motion to discharge the Gordon nomination; that at 10:30 a.m., the Senate vote on the motion to discharge and that, following the vote, the Senate resume legislative session; further, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Tuesday's session of the Senate, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.