Tina Smith

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. 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.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 2899 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, 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.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senators Tuberville, Marshall, and Hoeven.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, October 21, the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Lin, Parker, and Perez nominations, in that order; and that if cloture is invoked on any of the nominations, all postcloture time will be considered expired at 1:45 p.m.; further, that if cloture is invoked on the Lin nomination, the confirmation vote occur at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday; finally, that if cloture is invoked on either the Parker or Perez nominations, the confirmation votes begin at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, October 25.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Thursday, October 21; 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 the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Lin nomination, as provided under the previous order; further, that if the Lin nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Ms. SMITH. For the information of Senators, the first rollcall vote of the day will be at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I yield back our remaining time. Vote on Motion to Discharge

Ms. SMITH. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Madam President, I am just delighted to be here today on the floor of the U.S. Senate with my colleague Senator Klobuchar to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Sunisa Lee of St. Paul, MN, who won Olympic Gold in the individual all-around event in women's gymnastics in Tokyo this week. Suni gave a historic performance while under immense personal pressure and under the difficult circumstances that have defined the 2021 Olympic Games. But she stepped up, and she gave an astounding performance to bring home gold, continuing the American tradition of excellence in women's gymnastics. Her routine on the uneven bars, as Senator Klobuchar said, one of the most difficult ever attempted in women's gymnastics, was just stunning. On her way to Olympic Gold, Suni faced really tremendous obstacles. After beginning her gymnastics training at age 6, Suni showed incredible dedication, focus, and drive to reach the elite levels of her sport despite injuries and personal challenges. In 2019, her father was paralyzed in an accident but continued supporting his daughter's gymnastics career. And while continuing her training during the coronavirus pandemic, Suni suffered a broken foot, an Achilles tendon injury, and the tragic loss of her aunt and uncle to coronavirus. While pandemic precautions meant there were no spectators to cheer her on in Tokyo, Suni's family, friends, community members, and gymnastics fans all over the country got together to cheer her on from afar with watch parties held in her honor. The videos of these gatherings show the incredible shared joy and pride in her incredible accomplishment, and I am sure that she could feel all that love and support as she competed in Tokyo. Not only is Suni the youngest member of the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team, but she is also the first Hmong American on the U.S. Olympic team and now is the first Asian American to be the Olympic women's all-around champion. Her leadership and sportsmanship are an inspiration, and Minnesota is so proud to call her one of our own. In fact, Minnesota's Governor, Tim Walz, and St. Paul's mayor, Melvin Carter, have announced that today, Friday, July 30, 2021, is ``Sunisa Lee Day.'' It is too bad that Ms. Klobuchar and I can't be there to help them celebrate in St. Paul. I also wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate those who contributed to Suni's victory: her parents, John Lee and Yeev Thoj, and her coach, Jess Graba. After Suni won her gold, she reminded us all that no one achieves success alone as she said, ``This is my family's medal, my medal. My coach's medal.'' Madam President, in this moment, I also would like to take an opportunity to acknowledge the awe-inspiring leadership of Simone Biles. Her choice to withdraw from the all-around event in order to protect her health and safety was courageous and is an important reminder that mental health is an essential part of our overall well- being. In addition to being the greatest of all time, Simone's powerful advocacy and her unwavering support for Suni and the rest of her team show that she is also a great team player and an activist. Every Olympic medal represents untold hours of hard work and struggle and resilience, and Suni Lee's all-around gold is no exception. So congratulations to Suni. We are all so proud of you. Thank you for your courage, your dedication, and your inspiration to all of us everywhere in this country. I yield the floor.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 311, S. Res. 312, and S. Res. 313.

Ms. SMITH. I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Ms. SMITH

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

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. 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.

Ms. SMITH

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

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 83, S. 89.

Ms. SMITH. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 84, S. 189.

Ms. SMITH. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; that the committee-reported amendment to the title be agreed to; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 85, S. 894.

Ms. SMITH. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Ms. SMITH

Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 139.