Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, September 19, be waived.

Mr. SCHUMER. I return the floor to the Senator from Maryland for his outstanding, excellent, perspicacious remarks.

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 457, H.R. 1555.

Mr. SCHUMER. 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, yesterday afternoon, to the surprise of virtually no one, Speaker Johnson's deeply flawed and highly partisan CR failed by a vote of 202 to 220. The ``no'' votes included Democrats, Republicans, fiscal hawks, conservative ideologues, and people in between. In other words, there was broad opposition to the Speaker's partisan maneuver. It is time the Speaker moves on. Sadly, time is not a luxury that Congress has right now. Today is September 19. The government shutdown is September 30. That is 11 days away. And instead of doing the bipartisan work everyone knows is required for avoiding a shutdown, the House Republican leadership has wasted 2 weeks--2 weeks--listening to Donald Trump's ridiculous claims on the campaign trail. Now that their efforts have failed, House Republicans don't seem to have any plan for actually keeping the government open. So the Senate will step in. Later today, I will file cloture on a legislative vehicle that will enable us to prevent a Trump shutdown in the event that Speaker Johnson does not work with us in a bipartisan, bicameral manner. Both sides are going to spend the next few days trying to figure out the best path remaining for keeping the government open. By filing today, I am giving the Senate maximum flexibility for preventing a shutdown. Democrats and Americans don't want a Trump shutdown. I dare say most Republicans, at least in this Chamber, don't want to see a Trump shutdown. And the American people certainly don't want their elected representatives in Washington creating a shutdown for the sake of Donald Trump's ridiculous claims, when it is clear he doesn't even know how the legislative process works. Senators are ready to work this process the right way: Democrats talking to Republicans, both sides at the negotiating table, finding a way to keep the government open without partisan hoopla. The Speaker must choose: Either keep paying blind obeisance to Donald Trump and his ridiculous claims or work with both parties to spare the American people from a Republican shutdown. And just a parenthetical note: How does anyone expect Donald Trump to be a President when he has such little understanding of the legislative process? He is daring the Congress to shut down. I remember he did that with Leader Pelosi and I in his office a while back. It didn't work out too well for him. Our Republican colleagues should not blindly follow Donald Trump. He doesn't know what he is doing. He doesn't have a plan, and, frankly, he doesn't know what he is talking about.

Mr. SCHUMER

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 resume legislative session and proceed to the consideration of H.R. 9468, which was received from the House and is at the desk; further, that the only amendment in order to the bill be the Paul amendment No. 3289, which is at the desk; that the time until 11:30 a.m. be for debate only on the amendment and that at 11:30 a.m. the Senate vote on the amendment, with 60 affirmative votes required for adoption; further, that upon disposition of the amendment, the bill, as amended, if amended, be considered read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended, all without further intervening action or debate.

Mr. SCHUMER. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, yesterday was a sad day in the Senate, as Republicans for the second time this year blocked legislation to protect families' access to IVF. By voting against IVF, Republicans confirmed many Americans' worst fear: Project 2025 is alive and well when it comes to reproductive rights. Senate Republicans have spent months tying themselves into knots, claiming that of course they are in favor of protecting IVF, but when it mattered most, when it actually came time to vote, Republicans showed their true colors and voted no. What made yesterday's vote even worse was that was the second time they blocked IVF protections even though it is increasingly clear many Americans are worried about access. Both times, without hesitation, Senate Republicans caved to the extremists on their right flank. Look, blocking IVF could have horrible consequences. The hard right has been transparent that now that they have overturned Roe, they are moving on to other targets, like IVF. Just look at what happened earlier this year in Alabama. Senate Republicans who like to pretend that IVF is not under threat should have a word with the likes of the Heritage Foundation and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. These organizations are some of the most influential conservative groups, and they are clear about their hostility about any Federal protections for IVF. SBA called our bill ``irredeemable'' a few months ago and called IVF a ``free-for-all.'' These groups use language very similar to that of their opposition to abortion. So no matter how much Republicans claim IVF is not in danger, extremists on their side say otherwise, and Republicans seem to listen. By voting against protections for IVF, Senate Republicans confirmed yet again that 2025 is increasingly steering the GOP.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, there is perhaps no more personal a decision one can make than the decision of whether or not to start a family. For many people, starting a family is the greatest joy there is. It makes everything else secondary. Yet for millions and millions of people, infertility can be a nightmare and a source of pain. Thankfully, we live in a time when, thanks to treatments like IVF, infertility is not the end of the story. Sadly, accesses to IVF can no longer be taken for granted. From the moment the MAGA Supreme Court eliminated Roe, the hard right made clear that they would keep going. As we saw earlier this year in Alabama, IVF has become the next target of ultraconservatives, and access to this incredible treatment is more vulnerable than ever. Today, the Senate will hold a simple and pivotal vote on whether or not to take up, once again, the Right to IVF Act. I thank Senator Duckworth, as well as Senators Murray and Booker and all the others, who have championed this bill for months. They are great leaders on this issue. If the Senate votes no today and strikes IVF protections down yet again, it will be further proof that Project 2025 is alive and well. Remember: Donald Trump's Project 2025 is tied to the Heritage Foundation, one of the most important and extreme conservative think tanks in the country. And, earlier this year, they came out fiercely against today's bill protecting IVF. They were even against the fig- leaf fake IVF bill pushed by Senators Cruz and Britt. That is how extreme they are. If people want to see how strong Project 2025's grip is on the GOP, the outcome of today's IVF vote will be very, very revealing. And yet, by all accounts, there is every reason in the world for Senators to vote yes today. Today's vote is simply a motion to reconsider. We are merely asking whether or not this bill is worth debating. Democrats certainly think it is. We certainly think that if any issue is worth discussing in this Chamber, it is protecting Americans' reproductive freedoms. And we Democrats extend an open invitation to our Republican colleagues to join us. Republicans regularly claim that they are the party that stands up for families. Well, today's bill is about as pro-family as it gets. It helps create families--IVF does. It says that access to IVF should be a basic right for all. And it will make sure insurance companies cover IVF treatments in their plans. The last point is key. Expanding insurance coverage for IVF is something the vast majority of Americans support. A survey from Pew Research from last month showed that even a majority of Republicans surveyed support it--even a majority of Republicans. Nevertheless, 3 months ago, nearly every Senate Republican voted against protecting IVF in this Chamber. It was astounding to watch them. With a straight face, our Republican colleagues claimed that, of course, they cared about supporting families; of course, they supported IVF--just not enough to actually vote to protect it. That makes no sense--no sense. Republicans can't just talk their way past an issue as personal as IVF. What ultimately matters is how they vote on the issue. So to my Republican colleagues today, you get a second chance: Either stand with families struggling with infertility or stand with Project 2025, which aims to make reproductive freedoms extinct. If the Republicans truly care about helping families, they should vote yes to protect IVF. If the Republicans truly reject the insanity and cruelty--cruelty--of Project 2025 and its extreme conservative agenda, they should vote yes to protect IVF. On the other hand, if Senate Republicans vote no today and strike IVF protections down again, it is further proof that Project 2025 is alive and well. So, again, we hope Republicans join us to do the right thing. We ask Republicans to join us because women's reproductive freedoms are in a time of crisis, and we need to push back. It has been 2 years since the MAGA Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Today, 22 States have passed abortion restrictions--14 of them essentially full bans. Over one in three American women have lost access to reproductive care. Many of them have to drive hundreds of miles out of State to get the care they need, and that still often comes with long wait times. Doctors fear they will be jailed if they offer treatments. Women in need are at risk of being turned down at hospitals, and it can become a matter of life and death. This week, America tragically learned of the first confirmed case of a woman dying because abortion bans prevented her from getting the care she needed. She was a young woman from Georgia, a 28-year-old and the mother of a 6-year-old. She had to travel out of State to get reproductive care, and when she needed emergency surgery after a rare complication, doctors in Georgia delayed giving her the care she needed because of the new restrictions on the books. By the time she went into surgery, unfortunately, it was too late. She tragically passed away. The State declared that her death was preventable had she only gotten care sooner. Worst of all, there are, undoubtedly, more cases like hers. These are the terrible and deadly consequences of restricting reproductive freedom. The tragedy that happened in Georgia, of a preventable death because of abortion bans, is why Project 2025 is so dangerous: deadly restrictions to reproductive care; monitoring women's pregnancies; banning mifepristone; laying the groundwork for a national abortion ban; putting IVF at risk. To my Republican colleagues, the choice is yours. Americans are watching; families back home are watching; and couples who want to become parents are watching too. Republicans cannot say they are pro- family but vote against protecting IVF. They cannot say they reject Project 2025 but vote against protecting IVF. That is what is at stake today. I urge everyone to vote yes.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which cloture was not invoked on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 413, S. 4445.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, by all accounts, a vote to protect something as basic and as popular as IVF shouldn't be necessary, but sadly it is very necessary thanks to attacks against reproductive care by Donald Trump and his Project 2025. From the moment Donald Trump's MAGA Supreme Court reversed Roe, the hard right made clear that they would keep going. As we saw earlier this year in Alabama, IVF has become one of the hard right's next targets. Today, Senate Republicans must answer a simple question: Do they support American families' access to IVF or not? If they support it, the only option is to vote yes on the Right to IVF Act, but if Senate Republicans vote no today and block IVF protections yet again, it will be further proof they stand against the well-being of families. If Senate Republicans vote no today, it will be further proof that Project 2025 is alive and well when it comes to women's rights and reproductive rights as well. Republicans cannot claim to care about supporting families while voting against IVF protections, but that is precisely what they did 3 months ago. Today, Republicans get a second chance: Either stand with families struggling with infertility or stand against families and with Project 2025. Kudos and great thanks to Senators Duckworth and Murray and Booker and to everyone who has championed this bill. Thank you to all of my colleagues who have raised their voices on this most personal of issues. I urge everyone to vote yes. Motion to Proceed to the Motion to Reconsider

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to the motion to reconsider the vote by which cloture failed on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 413, S. 4445.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceeding.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 706.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, yesterday afternoon, I spoke with Secret Service Acting Director Rowe after an armed suspect was arrested after fleeing from former President Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, FL. I will say what I have said many times before: There is no place in America for political violence of any kind. I am glad the former President is safe, and I applaud the Secret Service and all first responders for acting quickly before anyone got hurt. As for the perpetrator, he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We all must do our part to ensure an incident like this does not happen again. This means that Congress has a responsibility to ensure the Secret Service and all law enforcement have the resources they need to do their jobs. So as we continue the appropriations process, if the Secret Service is in need of more resources, we are prepared to provide it for them, possibly in the upcoming funding agreement.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, now on IVF, 2 years ago, Donald Trump and the MAGA Supreme Court succeeded in overturning Roe and ripping away the right to choose from millions of Americans. This year, as we have seen in States like Alabama, the hard right has its sights on a new target, IVF. So, tomorrow, the Senate will take up Senator Duckworth's--your bill, Madam President--Senator Duckworth's bill, the Right to IVF Act, to establish a nationwide right to IVF and make it easier for people to access this vital treatment. This is the very same legislation that almost every single Senate Republican voted against earlier this summer. This past weekend, in New York, I stood with some amazing families--some amazing parents and their beautiful baby, a miracle of IVF--to say that we Democrats will do everything we can to protect access to IVF, and I hope that in this Chamber we will be joined by our Republican colleagues when we vote tomorrow, because tomorrow we will take up Senator Duckworth's Right to IVF Act. The vast majority of Americans support requiring insurance plans to cover IVF treatments, and I bet every one of us knows someone who has struggled with infertility at one point or another. In my own family, IVF was the answer to our prayers. I have a beautiful grandchild thanks to the miracle of IVF, and I could not bear to imagine the pain we would feel if we were told: Sorry, you are out of luck. If Republicans truly stand on the side of families, as they regularly claim, then they should leap at the opportunity to protect people's right to access IVF. They should stand ready to pass a bill that makes this treatment available on insurance plans. They should vote yes tomorrow. Of course, we are already beginning to hear the same tired, predictable, and unconvincing excuses from our Republican colleagues looking for a way to vote against IVF protections. To my Republican colleagues: If you truly support IVF, then vote for a bill that actually protects IVF through the letter of the law. Republicans cannot claim to be pro-family on the one hand, while then voting against IVF protection bills on the other. Americans are much smarter than that. Republicans had a chance to back up their rhetoric with action when we voted earlier this year, and nearly all of them failed. I hope tomorrow will bring a different result. The American people will be watching.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, now on judges, finally, after today, the Senate will reach another great milestone in our effort to confirm more strong judges. With today's vote on Kevin Ritz to serve as a circuit court judge for the Sixth Circuit, the Senate will reach 210 judges confirmed under President Biden. Mr. Ritz would be an excellent addition to the Federal bench. He is rated ``well qualified'' by the ABA and has spent his entire career with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Seventy-five percent of all the cases he has worked on have been criminal proceedings. In trial, he has won convictions on everything from carjackings, to firearm offenses, to robbery. On the merits, he deserves confirmation. I thank Chairman Durbin, members of the Judiciary Committee, and all my colleagues who have helped us reach 210 judges. Many have been bipartisan, I am glad to say. And once we finish with Mr. Ritz, we will keep going. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, now on the CR, legislators now have roughly 2 weeks to reach an agreement to keep the government open beyond the September 30 deadline. It is not really much time at all. In order to avoid a shutdown, the worst thing our colleagues in the House can do right now is waste time on proposals that don't have broad, bipartisan support. But that is what the Speaker and his Republican colleagues have been doing all month long, and it is already September 16. Mr. Speaker Johnson, you know as well as everyone else that your plan is a no-go as currently written. A 6-month CR with poison pills is not going to fly in a narrowly divided government. CRs are always meant to be a short-term extension funding to give appropriators more time to do their work. They are not meant to be a substitute for Congress doing its job. And if the hard right thinks that we will willingly give them leverage to ram Project 2025 down the American people's throats early next year by agreeing to a 6-month CR, they are dreaming. MAGA radicals are hoping they can use the threat of a shutdown next spring to pass the very worst of Project 2025. They want to cut the Department of Education. They want to eliminate Head Start. They want to privatize Fannie and Freddie, raising mortgage rates, making it harder to buy a home. They want to monitor women's pregnancies--monitor them--and potentially cut VA funding and more. We cannot--we will not--let that happen. But even before we get to all of that, pushing for a CR that lasts 6 months, as the Speaker wants, would also mean that a slew of critical programs would still be shortchanged. It would be awful for our military. You simply cannot run the military with a 6-month stopgap-- little surprise that even many House Republicans recognize the Speaker's current approach is the wrong one. The answer to the Speaker's problem is not very complicated. The Speaker should drop his current proposal and work with both parties on an extension that prioritizes keeping the government open--open without pushing poison pills. We are happy to work with him. Now, despite all its flaws, there are some bits of good news in the Speaker's proposal that I hope we can build on. I am very heartened that the Speaker's current proposal preserves the essence of the Schumer-Johnson agreement from early this year, the one that set top- line funding levels for fiscal year 2024. This is a good sign because, last September, Speaker McCarthy wasted precious time trying to pass a CR that curried favor with the hard right through very deep, brutal funding cuts. In the end, that approach didn't work, and Speaker McCarthy was removed from the speakership anyway because of the radicals on his right flank. For now, Speaker Johnson seems to be taking a different approach, and it is not pushing for across-the-board cuts as part of his CR. That is good news. It is a sign Speaker Johnson may be accepting the reality that any deal we reach will have to include the spending levels we agreed to earlier this year. To be clear, there are still far too many omissions in his current proposal, and a 6-month timeline is not acceptable, but I hope we have a foundation on which to build upon. Make no mistake about it--the clock is ticking. We have until September 30 before the government shuts down. If the government shuts down, it will be average Americans who suffer most. A government shutdown means seniors who rely on Social Security could be thrown into chaos as the Social Security Administration limits certain services, like benefit verifications or fixing errors in payments. Our veterans could see regional VA offices shut down and support services put on halt. Some of our military servicemembers could be forced to work without pay. Families who benefit from WIC and other nutrition programs could see benefits halted. And a shutdown would shake the confidence of our economic recovery--something we can't possibly afford at a time like this. If a shutdown happens because of Republican poison pills, the American people are going to hold them responsible. We don't need to go down this road. We still have a little time to reach a bipartisan agreement. So I hope the Speaker drops his current plan.

Mr. SCHUMER

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