Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, 245 days ago, I stood right here on the Senate floor to raise the alarm of rising anti-Semitism in America and the need to condemn anti-Semitism whenever we see it. This week, Squirrel Hill, the site of the Tree of Life synagogue massacre of 2018, was targeted once again with anti-Semitic vandalism and attacks. These attacks are vile. They are hurtful. They poison our society with division, fear, grief. And for the Squirrel Hill community, which has already suffered unimaginable tragedy, this is particularly horrific. It pains me to say that anti-Semitism like this is unfortunately not unusual today. In our community and in our politics, anti-Semitism is ascending. This week, none other than Donald Trump, once again, added to the division. Yesterday, during a radio interview with WABC in New York City, Donald Trump agreed with his interviewer that the Nation's Second Gentleman, a Jewish American, is ``a crappy Jew.'' Why? Presumably because he is a Democrat. On air, Donald Trump then repeated the sick idea that if you are a Jew and you happen to support Democrats, you should ``have your head examined'' and that you are a bunch of ``fools.'' Sadly, we have been here before. But it must be said again: Donald Trump's comments were reprehensible, dangerous, and proof that he is disturbingly at ease with anti-Semitic rhetoric. It might be tempting to listen to what Donald Trump said on the radio and tune it out just as another Trump insult. But that would be a mistake. Calling Jews ``fools'' and suggesting they are bad or disloyal because of their political beliefs is not just some juvenile insult. It is an old anti-Semitic trope that goes back centuries, one of dual loyalty. It has been used for a very long time to drive Jews out of their homes, to paint them as untrustworthy, to deny their basic dignity. So when Donald Trump goes on air and attacks Jews for the way they vote, he knows precisely what he is doing. He is sowing the seeds of division. He is propagating naked anti-Semitism. Donald Trump will always try to drag this Nation down with insults, intolerance, fear, and smear. But we are better than that, as the American people will make very clear in the months to come.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceedings.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. On the Vacca nomination, today, the Senate will confirm another exceptional judicial nominee from New York whom I recommended to President Biden, Meredith Vacca, to serve as district judge for the Western District of New York, the Buffalo and Rochester areas of our State. Judge Vacca's confirmation will be a historic moment for Western New York. A proud Korean American, Judge Vacca will be the first Asian American and first woman of color ever to serve in the Western District of New York. I am proud to say Judge Vacca is a Western New Yorker through and through, a Buffalo Law School graduate, longtime resident of the Rochester area, raised in the suburban town of Greece. Judge Vacca will bring great talent, experience, and respect for the law to the Western District of New York. The Western District, as I mentioned, stretches to Buffalo and Rochester and many other counties in Western New York. These are places that have benefited immensely from New York's great Asian-American community. As the senior Senator from New York and as majority leader, I have always worked to make New York's Federal bench reflect better the communities it serves. And I know the Presiding Officer and I have worked hand in hand on that noble goal. Judge Vacca's nomination will mark another major step toward that goal. Judge Vacca has every quality you could want in a jurist: compassionate, tough, legally astute, with a genuine love for her community. She spent over 15 years as an attorney, prosecutor, and judge fighting for vulnerable New Yorkers. She has developed a rare institutional knowledge of our State and our country's laws and will bring tremendous legal expertise and experience to the Western District bench. And notably, once confirmed, Judge Vacca will make the all-male Western District bench 50 percent female, making it one of the few country's 50 percent female benches. One day, I hope this is the norm across the country. So I am proud to support Judge Vacca's nomination, and I look forward to voting to confirm her later today. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Tomorrow, Senators will have a chance to take up a bill that in one fell swoop will deliver significant tax relief for America's families, for America's businesses, and for Americans suffering from natural disasters. All we have to do is come together-- both parties, bipartisan--and vote yes to advance the bipartisan tax package. Democrats are ready to get this package done. It already passed the House under the leadership of a Republican chair of Ways and Means, Congressman Smith of Missouri, with an incredible margin of 357 to 70. A majority of both parties voted strongly for this bill. Frankly, it is hard to imagine a vote more lopsided than that in this Congress. If we get this bill done, it will go right to the President's desk. It will become law. That means families and businesses and parents will see more money coming back to them during this tax season. More Americans will have a little more money in their pocket. Half a million kids will be lifted out of poverty by expanding the child tax credit. Sixteen million kids will also see these benefits, and most of those kids are working class, poorer kids. And now that the Senate Democrats and House Democrats and House Republicans are all onboard--Senate Democrats, House Democrats, House Republicans all onboard--we are very close to getting this bill done. The only ones standing in the way of enacting tax relief right now are Senate Republicans. Everyone else--even House Republicans, hardly known for their moderation--support this tax bill. Respectfully, to my Republican colleagues here in the Senate, it is never a good sign to be more obstructionist than House Republicans on any issue. But that is precisely where our Senate Republican colleagues find themselves in right now. That is where they are. At yesterday's Republican weekly lunch, one Senator was passing around pamphlets telling his colleagues to oppose this bill, to oppose even having a debate. They are repeating a whole bunch of false talking points about undocumented immigrants and about discouraging work. They are trying very hard to justify voting no. But let's be honest. There is no great mystery behind Senate Republicans opposing a tax bill many of them helped write. Senate Republicans are looking at the calendar, and they have decided they care more about the results of the election than in passing a law. They hope that, if things go their way, they can get a more conservative package sometime in the future, and they are willing to walk away from expanding programs like the child tax credit along the way. Don't take it from me. Listen to what my colleague, the senior Senator from Missouri, said yesterday about Republican leadership: They're not interested in passing anything, clearly. ``They're not interested in passing anything, clearly''--what a shame, what a shame. Senate Republicans love to say they care about families. Yet it seems like most of them will block a bill that expands the child tax credit, lifts half a million kids out of poverty, expands benefits to 16 million children. Senate Republicans also say they are champions of business. Yet it seems like most of them will block a bill that rewards businesses that invest in R&D, helps pay for new equipment which will promote new jobs, new job growth, and innovation. I certainly hope I am wrong, Madam President. I hope Republicans seize this opportunity and send a tax bill package to the President's desk--a bipartisan tax relief bill passed by a majority of House Democrats and House Republicans. If the American people see that the only reason this tax relief bill fails was because Senate Republicans stood in the way, they are not likely to forget it very soon.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, in a few minutes, Senator Klobuchar, chair of the Rules Committee, will ask for a unanimous consent request on two bills: the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act and the AI Transparency in Elections Act. I want to thank Senator Klobuchar for her leadership on these bills and for her committee's bipartisan work to protect our elections from the potential harms of AI. Both of these bills, the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act and the AI Transparency in Elections Act, have bipartisan support, so the Senate should support them and pass them without delay. Madam President, we are less than 100 days out from the first national elections ever held in the age of AI. We all know AI has many incredible benefits, but alongside those benefits come great risks; and the risks of AI for our elections could be severe. If we are not careful, if we fail to install proper guardrails, AI could jaundice and even totally discredit our entire election system as we know it. Misinformation is already a serious problem in our elections, but AI makes it easier than ever to generate and spread it. It is easier than ever to create deepfakes of candidates. AI already has been used in robocalls to impersonate President Biden for the purposes of misleading voters during the primary. Once that information is out, it is hard-- often impossible--to put the genie back in the bottle. Well, we have a chance today to pass precisely the kind of guardrails that would protect our elections from the risks of AI. We have a chance today to make sure that our democracy is not atrophied or harmed, discredited, because of these kinds of misleading ads. These bipartisan bills would ban the use of materially misleading AI-generated deepfakes that depict Federal candidates and require disclaimers any time political ads use AI in a substantial way. Most Americans, I think, would overwhelmingly agree that these are reasonable guardrails and they give voters peace of mind that AI isn't being used against them during election season without their knowledge. These bills have broad support. Democrats support these bills. Republicans support these bills. Over 40 current and former election officials and national security experts support these bills. Everyone recognizes the need to get something done. We are in a new world with AI. It can do a lot of good things, but it can cause some harms; and our job is to maximize the benefits but decrease the harms. One of the harms could be these deepfakes in elections, and we must do something about it. A few months ago, I worked with the Senate's bipartisan AI working group, which I created a year ago with Senators Heinrich and Young and Rounds to publish the first ever roadmap for AI policy. Our roadmap detailed a swath of proposals the Senate should consider to fortify our democracy in the age of AI. I am very glad to see that some of the good ideas we called for in our AI policy roadmap are reflected in these two bills. So I, again, greatly thank Senator Klobuchar for championing these bills, for coming to our AI forums and hearing what had to be said and then beginning to take action to make sure the abuses don't occur. I look forward to working further with Senator Klobuchar, the Rules Committee, other chairs in committees to regulate AI before it is too late. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I am proud to say, today, the Senate keeps its promise to every parent who has lost a child because of the risks of social media. Today, after a lot of hard work and a lot of twists and turns, we will pass KOSA and COPPA. KOSA and COPPA will be perhaps the most important updates to Federal laws protecting kids on the internet in decades, and it is a very good first step. This was truly a bipartisan effort from the start here in the Senate. I am proud of the way both sides of the aisle came together on an issue affecting so many kids and so many families across America. The House should take note and follow the Senate's example by passing KOSA and COPPA when they return. After the Senate passes KOSA and COPPA today with a strong bipartisan vote, the House should do the same when they return in September. These bills have real bipartisan momentum. So we should seize the opportunity to send them to the President's desk. As we all know, social media has many benefits, but we also know about the many risks social media can pose, especially to our kids. Too many kids experience relentless promotion of suicide or substance abuse material. Too many kids have their personal data collected and then used nefariously. With studies showing that kids today spend more time on social media than ever before, now is the moment to pass KOSA, pass COPPA, and instill guardrails that protect kids from these risks. We have heard from so many parents whose kids, sadly, took their own lives--their own lives--because of what happened to them on social media. To their everlasting credit, these parents, instead of cursing the darkness, lit a candle. They turned their grief into grace--an amazing thing--and worked doggedly to help get this bill over the finish line so that what happened to their kids--their kids will never come back--but so that what happened to their kids doesn't happen to any others. I thank these brave parents and families for sharing their heart-wrenching stories. And I thank my colleagues Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn, Markey and Cassidy, Durbin and Klobuchar, Chair Cantwell, and so many others for championing these bills.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, well, today is a momentous day. The Senate keeps its promise to every parent who has lost a child because of the risks of social media. Today, after a lot of hard work, twists and turns, the Senate is passing two vital pieces of legislation with a strong bipartisan vote: the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, and the Children and Teens' Online Prevention Act, or COPPA. By passing KOSA and COPPA, we are one step closer to the most important update in decades to Federal laws protecting kids on the internet. Once we act, the House should pass these bills as soon as they can. This is such an important piece of legislation, and I say to my colleagues who have worked hard--Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn, Markey and Cassidy, Durbin, Klobuchar, Chair Cantwell, and others-- thank you. But thank you, above all, to the parents who advocated so tirelessly for these bills. I have sat with them. I have heard the terrible stories--children, teenagers, perfectly normal. Some algorithm captures them online by accident, and they end up committing suicide shortly thereafter. I have heard those stories. Can you imagine being a parent and living with that? So we have to do something. And these parents have turned their grief into grace. These parents are the reason that we succeeded today. Today the Senate tells the parents: We hear you. We are taking action. I am so glad that we have a broad bipartisan vote here. It shows the Chamber can work on something important; that no one let partisanship get in the way of passing this important legislation. But this is a historic moment. This is a moment when the Senate has said: There have been horrible abuses. We must end them, and we will. I yield the floor. I ask unanimous consent that the scheduled vote occur immediately.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

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 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. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. SCHUMER. I now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I have eight 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 ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 31; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that following the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Vacca nomination; further, that the cloture motions filed during yesterday's session ripen at 11:30 a.m.; that if cloture is invoked on the Vacca nomination, all time be considered expired at 2:30 p.m. and that if cloture is invoked on the Saporito nomination, all time be considered expired at 5:30 p.m.; further, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of Senator Sanders.

Mr. SCHUMER. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions: S. Res. 780, S. Res. 781, S. Res. 782, and S. Res. 783.

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to; the preambles, where applicable, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCHUMER

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