Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call for the cloture motion filed today, June 17, be waived.

Mr. SCHUMER. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), and the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema) are necessarily absent.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 413, S. 4445.

Mr. SCHUMER. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, today, Senators face a very simple question: Do you agree Americans should have access to IVF; yes or no? If ``yes,'' the only correct answer is to vote yes on the Right to IVF Act. Protecting IVF should be the easiest ``yes'' vote Senators have taken all year. All this bill does is establish a nationwide right to IVF and eliminate barriers for millions of Americans who seek IVF to have kids. It is personal to me. I have a beautiful 1-year-old grandson because of the miracle of IVF. And so, in a perfect world, a bill like this would not be necessary, but after the fiasco of the Alabama Supreme Court decision and the generally MAGA views of some on the Supreme Court, Americans are genuinely worried that IVF is the next target of anti-choice extremists. To my Republican colleagues who say they are pro-family, today's bill protecting IVF is as pro-family as it gets, and we should vote yes today. It is a contradiction to claim you are pro-family but then turn around and vote to block protections for IVF. The contrast today is glaring. Here in the Senate, Democrats are talking about protecting women and IVF, and a couple of blocks away, Trump and our Republican colleagues are talking about protecting tax cuts for the very wealthy. So the American people are watching how we vote today on basic freedom. Parents back home are watching how we vote. Couples who want to become parents are watching how we vote. It is very simple: If you support access to IVF then vote to protect access to IVF today. Thank you to Senators Duckworth, Murray, Booker, and so many others leading on this legislation. I urge a ``yes'' vote. Cloture Motion

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, for everyone's awareness, I am changing my vote on this bill, from yes to no, in order to have the option of returning to this legislation later. We hope some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will see the light and change their minds. Motion to Reconsider Madam President, I enter a motion to reconsider the failed cloture vote with respect to the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 413, S. 4445.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the notice of proposed rulemaking from the Office Of Congressional Workplace Rights be printed in the Record.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, mifepristone is a safe and reliable drug that has been widely available for decades. Though I am relieved by today's decision made by the Court, no one should be celebrating this decision. This decision should have been an obvious one. And let us not forget: This decision was based not on the merits but on a lack of standing. We are not yet out of the woods. This shouldn't be a decision women are forced to fear year after year, case after case. These healthcare decisions must be between women, families, and their doctors, not judges nor lawmakers.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider with respect to the Rosner, See, and Chang nominations be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 510.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 464.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, June 13, be waived.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I have six 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: committee on armed services The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet in closed session during the session of the Senate on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. committee on commerce, science, and transportation The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. committee on energy and natural resources The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing. committee on finance The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet in executive session during the session of the Senate on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 9:45 a.m. committee on foreign relations The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations. committee on the judiciary The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 10 a.m., to conduct an executive business meeting.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I have some very good news. Today, we reached an agreement to move forward on bipartisan legislation to support our firefighters. Our firefighters--paid and volunteer--are brave. They risk their lives for us. And they run toward danger, not away from it. In that sense, they are like our domestic soldiers. Passing this bipartisan legislation would be the best way to support our firefighters and ensure they have the equipment and personnel they need to do their jobs. I have long supported this legislation. I was involved in putting it together originally, way back when, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to bring this legislation to the floor for a vote as soon as possible. We need to help our firefighters. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Republican leader, it be in order for the Chair to lay before the Senate the House message to accompany S. 870, and the leader or his designee be recognized to make a motion to concur in the House amendments; further, that there be up to 2 hours of debate equally divided, and upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on the motion to concur with the House amendments without further intervening action or debate; finally, if the motion is agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable--unimaginable, even--that access to a safe and widely used reproductive service like IVF would be put at risk. But, sadly, after frightening decisions like the one from Alabama, not even IVF is safe in the aftermath of Roe. Today, women and families across America are rightfully worried that this basic service could be jeopardized, leaving them without an avenue to start a family. So, this week, the Senate will act to put these worries to rest and to protect the reproductive freedoms of Americans through legislation. Tomorrow, the Senate will vote on the Right to IVF Act, led by Senators Duckworth, Murray, and Booker. This legislation is simple. It establishes a nationwide right to IVF and eliminates barriers for the millions of families looking to use IVF to start and grow a family. Protecting IVF should be the definition of an easy vote for Senators on both sides of the aisle. Nearly everyone knows someone who used IVF to start a family. I have seen it with my own family. One of my grandkids was conceived with the help of IVF, and we are grateful we have had access to this service to grow our family. My family's story is not unique at all. Millions and millions of Americans across the country have the joy of children, thanks to IVF. I will be meeting today with a few families and advocates from New York who have benefited from IVF. That is why the vast majority of Americans--86 percent--support IVF, and only 14 percent oppose it. So despite some claims from my colleagues on the other side, protecting IVF is not a show vote at all; it is a ``show us who you are'' vote. This will be a chance for Senators on both sides to show their support for strengthening treatments for people to start families. Surely--surely--the opportunity to start a family is something that all Senators can and should agree on.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask consent to speak for 3 minutes.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I come to the floor this morning sick to my stomach and profoundly disturbed by pictures that were shared with me this morning of yet another anti- Semitic act in New York. A few hours ago, the director of the Brooklyn Museum and several members of the board of directors had their homes vandalized with revolting anti-Semitic images, with images of fake blood, symbolism used by Hamas. I have a picture of some of the vandalism right here outside the home of one of the directors. This is not New York. This is not America. And we must confront this bigotry and vicious intolerance with courage, with perseverance. Every single American needs to see this. This is the home of a woman on the board of directors. It has her name. It says ``Brooklyn Museum,'' and then it says ``White Supremacist Zionist.'' And her home is smeared with blood. Every single American needs to see these pictures. This is the face of hatred--Jewish Americans made to feel unsafe in their own home just because they are Jewish. This is not even close to free speech. It is intimidation. It is scapegoating. It is dehumanization--invasive attacks loaded with the threat of looming violence. It is vile. It is nasty. It is un-American. And, sadly, this kind of evil is something every Jew on Earth can recognize in an instant. Images like this remind us of evils our families endured for generations, evils that paved the way for unimaginable violence. I cannot believe we are seeing this here in America, here in New York. Targeting someone for simply being Jewish, smearing their front door with fake blood, and calling them White supremacist is beyond the pale. Vandalism like this is a crime and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And it sickens me that, of all the targets these anti-Semites could have chosen, it was the leadership of the Brooklyn Museum. The Brooklyn Museum is deeply concerned with issues of social justice--I would say, more than most museums. Its doors are always open to all. I have visited the Brooklyn Museum many times with my children and my grandchildren. I have spoken at their great ``First Saturday'' events. I have even voted there. The best antidote for the poison of ignorance is, of course, knowledge, and that is precisely what we find in our museums-- knowledge. These images break my heart. They fill me with both deep grief and profound anger. I condemn the actions of those who smeared these hateful images of the leadership of the Brooklyn Museum. The perpetrators must be held accountable for this hateful vandalism. These hateful actions--make no mistake about it--do nothing, nothing at all, to advance the cause these individuals profess to care about. Again, this is not New York. This is not America. And we must confront this intolerance and bigotry with courage, with perseverance, and with common cause with all those who wish to promote tolerance and acceptance here in America. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I have 16 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: