Senate
Page S4165 · Official textThe Senate met at 10 a.m. and was called to order by the President pro tempore (Mr. Grassley).
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Vol. 172, No. 119 · 119th Congress, 2nd session
Prayer
Page S4165 · Official textThe Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following prayer: Let us pray. Almighty God, all power and authority belong to You. You even rule the raging of the sea. Guide our lawmakers as they strive to serve Your purposes for their lives in this generation. May they acknowledge You as the source of their strength, finding their security and the wisdom and love of Your unfolding providence. Make our Senators shining examples of trustworthy and responsible stewardship. Lord, use them to strengthen the moral fiber of our Nation and world. And, Lord, during this season of wars and rumors of wars, use us all as instruments of Your peace. We pray in Your powerful Name. Amen.
Pledge of Allegiance
Page S4165 · Official textThe President pro tempore led the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows:
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I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Reservation of Leader Time
Page S4165 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Armstrong)
Under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved.
Conclusion of Morning Business
Page S4165 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
Morning business is closed. ______ EXECUTIVE SESSION
Executive Calendar
Page S4165 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
Under the previous order, the Senate will proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report.
The senior assistant bill clerk read the nomination of Benjamin M. Flowers, of Ohio, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Iowa.
Appropriations (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4165–S4166 · Official textMr. President, it is the responsibility of Congress every year to pass appropriations bills to fund the government. Failure to enact the 12 annual appropriations bills by the end of the fiscal year of September 30 has, with increasing frequency, resulted in major government shutdowns.
Last year, Senator Collins, as chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked with strong bipartisan support to report funding bills to the floor.
Unfortunately, that is where the minority party's cooperation ended. They refused to work with the majority party to get these appropriations bills across the finishing line, even refusing to pass a short-term, clean continuing resolution to keep government open while funding negotiations continued.
Rather than prioritizing ordinary Americans, the other side of the aisle decided to hold government funding hostage to support and score political points with their activist base. The end result was the famous 43-day government shutdown, which was the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Only then did the minority party agree to enact a short-term, clean continuing resolution. Eventually, Congress passed 11 of 12 appropriations bills in their entirety. However, the minority mischief was far from over.
For 36 days, the Department of Homeland Security was shuttered due to their refusal to fund Federal law enforcement and border security. Ultimately, the majority had to take matters into their own hands.
So through the reconciliation process, the bill called the Secure America Act funded Federal law enforcement officers, border security, and protecting American communities from violent criminals, illicit drugs, and contraband.
Obviously, it was a choice from the other side of the aisle to not fund these critical priorities. You would think that the minority would have learned that government shutdowns never accomplished anything. After all, they achieved none of their policy objectives, although their costly government shutdown compromised our Nation's security and, at the same time, inflicted pain on the American public. Yet, this year, the minority party is refusing to work in a bipartisan manner and cooperate even to get the appropriations process started in the U.S. Senate.
The Appropriations Committee has not been able to report a single appropriations bill to the Senate floor. Now we are less than 3 months from a new fiscal year and, once again, the minority party is prioritizing a government shutdown over cooperation. They want to play politics at the expense of the American family and our Nation's welfare.
Lurching from one deadline to the next is the wrong way to run Washington and ought to be avoided. The majority, led by Senator Collins, is working and willing to do the hard work of passing 12 annual appropriations bills on time.
It is time for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with us and get the job done to avoid a government shutdown or, better yet, follow the advice of Senator Lankford of Oklahoma, who has been working on a continuing resolution bill that automatically carries from September 30 into the new fiscal year without having to shut down government. We would never have to go through that again.
Iowa Farm Income (Executive Calendar)
Page S4166 · Official textMr. President, I don't see another Member coming to the floor. I want to read into the Record, but I want to tell the staff on both the Republican and Democrat side that if a Member comes over here to speak before I am done reading this, I would be glad to yield the floor immediately. This is from the Des Moines Register, written by Donnelle Eller yesterday. "Iowa farm income fell 53 percent over 3 years, new ISU report says."
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Iowa farm income tumbled 53% from 2022 to 2024, squeezed by record-high import costs, depressed corn and soybean prices and continued trade uncertainty, a new report shows.
The pain is likely to continue through 2027, even with Federal Government assistance--about $30 billion to U.S. farmers last year and $45 billion this year--helping farmers stay afloat, according to the report from Iowa State University, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and the Iowa Bankers Association.
The farm bureau released the report at a daylong economic summit in Ankeny on Friday, July 17. Former U.S. Trade Representative Bob Lighthizer and Greg Doud, CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation and former chief agricultural negotiator in the U.S. Trade Representative Office, were among the speakers.
"This isn't the 1980 Farm Crisis, but the pressure is mounting . . . and the effect will be felt across the broader Iowa economy," said Christopher Pudenz, the farm bureau's economist, who presented the report along with [Iowa State University] economists Chad Hart and John Crespi.
In June, President Donald Trump told Congress that U.S. farmers will need an additional $11 billion to help them survive market and trade losses despite a $13 billion aid allocated earlier this year. The $11 billion is not included in the study's tally of $45 billion in farm assistance this year, which includes direct aid, crop insurance supports and conservation payments.
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Brent Johnson, the Iowa Farm Bureau board president, said the proposed bailout doesn't solve the problems farmers face. It will "lengthen the financial runway, but it's not a good, long-term solution," Johnson said in an interview.
Iowa and U.S. farmers need increased domestic and global demand, he said.
Trump's ongoing trade war has slashed farm exports, most significantly to China, the world's largest soybean buyer. Iowa is the nation's largest corn, pork and egg producer, and the second-largest producer of soybeans.
Johnson, who farms in northwest Iowa's Calhoun County, said farmers have been willing to endure some pain for trade gains. "But our ability to sustain pain is strongly diminished because of the length of this," he said, adding, "We need a win."
Here's what to know about the ISU-Farm Bureau study.
The report showed 19% of mid-size and large Iowa farms were considered financially vulnerable in December 2025, more than double the 7.7% identified in 2022, the authors said.
So far, though, the proportion of vulnerable farms remains lower than [it was in] 2015 to 2019, the last long-term farm downturn.
Last year, U.S. farm bankruptcies spiked 46% to 315, and in Iowa, they more than doubled to 18.
A University of Missouri estimate shows Iowa farm income climbed 60 percent last year, boosted by government payments and strong returns on livestock, but "this is followed by forecasted consecutive decreases in 2026 and 2027". . . . `'Farmers are weathering the downturn for now, but should the current situation persist or worsen, the negative economic effects will be felt throughout [the] rural communities and Iowa's broader economy."
"This is eerily reminiscent of what we went through 10 years ago" in the 2015 [to] 2019 downturn, Hart said. "The question is: How long does it take for us to get farm income back up again?"
Hart said Iowa farmers should work hard to cut production costs that have spiked 37% since 2021 for corn producers and 36% for soybean growers. The largest increases were tied to machinery expenses and seed, chemicals and fertilizer, the report said.
"There are a lot of antitrust issues out there," said Johnson, the Iowa Farm Bureau president. "Our costs are artificially high."
The report said the 53% farm income decline "has not triggered a collapse on the scale of the 1980s farm crisis, but the steady tightening is straining Iowa farm businesses and the industries and world communities tied to them."
Farming in Iowa, along with industries tied to ag, contributed on average $51.5 billion annually--or 19% of the state's economy--from 2020 to 2024, the report stated.
"On average, one job in Iowa's agricultural-related industries supported a total of 1.65 jobs" in the state's broader economy, the report said.
Steady farmland values have bolstered the ag economy, including supporting farmers' ability to borrow money for their operations, though last year, Iowa farmland values inched up less than 1% to an average of $11,549 per acre, [the Iowa State University] reported in its annual farmland survey.
Forty percent of the participants in the ISU survey said they expect values to decline over the next year, while 82% see values climbing over five years.
"If land values further soften, farm operations with a lot of debt or farms relying on land equity to support operating credit could face greater financial pressure," the group said.
I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Majority Leader (Executive Calendar)
Page S4166 · Official textThe majority leader is recognized.
Working Families Tax Cut Act (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4166–S4167 · Official textMr. President, every parent wants to give their kids a better life than they had. So parents spend a lot of time making sure their kids are ready when opportunity comes their way. In many cases, that involves putting money aside for their future.
Opportunity is one of the pillars of Republicans' Working Families Tax Cut. That means both creating opportunity and helping more Americans to seize those opportunities to get ahead. And one of the ways this bill does that is by helping parents to save and invest in their children's futures. That starts with lower tax bills so parents can keep more of their hard-earned money.
And on top of that, we made it easier for parents to support their kids' dreams with things like the bill's new Trump Accounts. These new tax-advantaged investment accounts can be a powerful tool for parents and other family members to give the next generation a brighter future because Trump Accounts can be used for a broad array of expenses.
Money from a Trump account can go toward education expenses, buying a first home, starting a business, or buying the family farm or ranch when the time comes. Kids can even opt to use the accounts as retirement savings when they reach adulthood, a financial priority for every American. Trump Accounts will help bring big dreams closer within reach.
Parents of children born between 2025 and 2028 can opt in to receive an initial $1,000 balance in their Trump Account from the government. On top of that, numerous companies have already made pledges to contribute to the Trump Accounts for their employees' children, and some philanthropists have made similar commitments.
Plus, as I indicated earlier, any member of the family can contribute to a Trump Account. So an aunt or an uncle, grandma or grandpa can add money to a Trump Account as a birthday gift or Christmas gift, further boosting the amount a child will have available when he or she reaches young adulthood. Even $20 per month can build to a substantial sum of money by the time a baby born this year turns 18.
And the Trump Accounts app even includes modules and other resources for parents and children to learn about investing and grow their financial literacy, which will help them throughout their lives.
Trump Accounts are a significant tool for parents and their kids. But it is far from the only thing that we did in this bill to help the next generation get a headstart on their American dream.
The Working Families Tax Cut also made some significant improvements to the traditional 529 education savings plan, allowing those savings to be used for a greater variety of education expenses: tutoring, home-school materials, and vocational and continuing education. Plus, we doubled the withdrawal limit for 529s to $20,000 per year.
Mr. President, I am also proud of how the Working Families Tax Cut strengthens pathways to meaningful career options for the next generation.
On the higher education side, we implemented accountability and reforms to put downward pressure on the cost of college degrees. We also made permanent a policy I authored that allows employers to pay off a portion of their employees' student loans without the employee having to pay taxes on the repayment amount.
For Americans who are interested in learning a skilled trade, this bill is transformative. As I mentioned, it allows 529 savings to go toward vocational education.
It also created the Workforce Pell Program, which will provide financial assistance to Americans in shorter term skills and career-training programs--whether they are just starting out or looking to switch careers or develop new skills in their current field.
States are just beginning the process of identifying programs that will qualify for Workforce Pell, and it is already generating excitement. One community college president in New York said of Workforce Pell: "The potential is absolutely huge."
Another community college administrator in Oregon hailed how Workforce Pell will provide assistance for the college's truckdriving certificate program, a popular program that leads to high-paying jobs but for which financial aid is hard to come by. Workforce Pell will change that.
And Workforce Pell will also be a game changer for midcareer professionals. As Colette Atkins, who works at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, said, "we have students that are working already, and they can't step away for 2 years, but can they step away to do that 8 to 15 weeks to get that training? They sure can. And now there's financial support to help them do that."
Suffice it to say, Workforce Pell will open new pathways and create a lot of opportunities for a lot of Americans, and it is getting started thanks to the Working Families Tax Cut.
Putting more money in Americans' pockets, helping them seize opportunities to get ahead, and creating new pathways to success--that is the Working Families Tax Cut at work.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Minority Leader (Executive Calendar)
Page S4167 · Official textThe Democratic leader is recognized.
Iran (Executive Calendar)
Page S4167 · Official textIt is an absolute disgrace that Pete Hegseth has withheld casualty numbers in the Iran war from the American public. One of the biggest questions Pete Hegseth has to answer today is why he was out marketing testosterone supplements for our troops last week while withholding casualty numbers from the Iran war to the American people.
We learned yesterday that the Pentagon failed to disclose that our troops have sustained nearly 100 injuries in the past few weeks of the Iran war.
Sending our troops in harm's way is the most serious thing we can do as a nation, but Hegseth, Trump, and Rubio certainly don't treat it that way.
Hegseth is hiding more than he is sharing these days--whether it is the number of wounded, the damage to our bases overseas, or the immense ballooning cost of this Iran war blunder.
We need answers, but Hegseth wants to give some to the GOP alone. Hegseth is reportedly attending a House Republican meeting today to brief their Members on the war without providing Democrats the same access.
There is no room for this administration's partisan pettiness when our servicemembers' lives are at stake. But that seems to be a trademark for both Hegseth and Trump.
I am calling on Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump to tell the entire Congress everything they are telling the Republicans about the Iran war--both Chambers, both parties.
Everything they tell Republicans behind closed doors needs to be shared in public during today's testimony. But I don't need to hear from Hegseth to know just how poorly this war is going.
If we truly care about our servicemembers' well-being, we ought to be focused on getting them out of harm's way, not on their testosterone levels. We will be forcing another vote this week on our War Powers Resolution to bring our troops home and end this war.
Senate Republicans, don't let Trump off the hook. The Iran war isn't a game. It is not some trifle Trump, Hegseth, and Rubio can brush under the rug. Trump's reckless war is an absolute catastrophe. It must end, and Republicans should join us in making sure that happens. So far, crickets from them.
Corruption (Executive Calendar)
Page S4167 · Official textMr. President, every single day, we see a new example of Trump's rampant corruption. Senate Democrats are putting all of Trump's scams under the magnifying glass in the coming weeks, and Trump's new Truth API stands out as one of his most corrupt grifts yet. Every day, there is a new example of these kinds of grifts that Trump gets involved in. Instead of draining the swamp like he promised, Trump has filled it to the brim. Now look at this: Trump is charging admission. For the low price of $100,000 a month, an investor can turn a profit off early access to Trump's market-moving posts. Trump imposes new tariffs? Subscribers can short their stocks before anyone else. Trump announces a new contract? Subscribers know where to invest. Trump shakes up the Fed? Subscribers get to reposition before the rest of the market blinks. Meanwhile, Trump rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars in subscription fees. Truth API is the exact definition of "insider trading." It is textbook pay-to-play. And this is what Donald Trump spends his time doing. And remember, traders need only a millisecond headstart to make a fortune. Just 1 millisecond and they can make a lot of money, the way trading works these days. As always, Trump's corruption benefits the rich at the expense of working families. How many American families do you think can afford $100,000 a month to get a leg up in the market? Trump is doing what he always does: selling out America, American interests, and the American people to the highest bidder. Republicans ought to be up in arms about Truth API and the latest news about Trump's foreign jet. Trump's $400 million Qatari jet is the biggest single bribe an American President has ever accepted in our history. Let me repeat that. Trump's $400 million Qatari jet is the single biggest bribe an American President has ever accepted in history. I have been warning about this for months. And somehow, the American people still get an invoice. It will reportedly cost the taxpayer as much as $1 billion to retrofit Trump's plane for Presidential use. We just learned that his luxury jet is grounded until it can be "maxed out" to meet the same standards as the old Air Force One. Give me a break. Commercial airline ticket costs are up 27 percent over last year, and Trump wants the American people to pay to get his airborne palace off the ground? Trump ought to rename the plane "Air Farce One." It is not Air Force One; it is "Air Farce One."
Nomination of Benjamin M. Flowers (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4167–S4168 · Official textNow, Mr. President, on the Benjamin Flowers nomination, the nomination of Benjamin Flowers ought to concern every Member of this body. Flowers checks virtually every box the MAGA right expects from its judges. America, this is who Trump is putting on the bench--people far away from what you believe. Flowers has fought against birthright citizenship, against abortion rights, and against the result of the 2020 election. What Flowers has fought for is also disturbing. In 2021, in Ohio, Flowers tried to defend a $250,000 cap on damages for a child sex abuse survivor--a cap the Ohio Supreme Court deemed "arbitrary and unreasonable." Flowers is also on record as saying that a President can simply ignore a court's reasoning when he disagrees with it. Election denial, attacks on reproductive freedom, siding with abusers over survivors and the President over the Constitution--is this the kind of person Republicans want on one of the highest courts in the land? I urge my colleagues to oppose this nomination. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Government Funding (Executive Calendar)
Page S4168 · Official textMr. President, the American people deserve a government that is fully funded.
Last week, the minority leader claimed on this floor that he wants to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. It is time for him to prove it. His record shows just the opposite.
The appropriations bills have historically passed with bipartisan votes. Yet when Senator Schumer was majority leader during the Biden years, he blocked every single appropriations bill from coming to this floor. Eleven bipartisan appropriations bills that passed out of the committees died in that wastebasket there under the desk of Senator Schumer. When Democrats were in the majority, they literally shut down the entire appropriations process.
After the Democrats lost the elections in 2024, they revolted, and they shut down the government twice. The two Schumer shutdowns broke records. First, in October 2025, Democrats shut down the entire Federal Government. It lasted 43 days--the longest shutdown in the history of our Nation.
During the shutdown, Senator Schumer infamously said:
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Every day gets better for us.
Every day didn't get better for the American people all across the country. Federal workers missed paychecks, and there was a huge shutdown of TSA. People missed flights. There were long lines waiting to get to the airports and to get to the flights. Screening lines lasted hours and hours.
Then, in February of this year, Democrats did it again. They shut down the Department of Homeland Security, and that shutdown lasted 75 days.
The shutdown of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol lasted even longer. Democrats voted to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and they voted to defund our Border Patrol. They want wide-open borders.
Democrats vote to protect illegal immigrant criminals but don't seem to care about protecting law-abiding American citizens. Democrats have proven their own willingness to disrupt travel, to delay paychecks, and to endanger our national security, and they will do it when they think it is to their political advantage, not to the advantage of the people of our country.
Senator Schumer may have said on the floor that he wants to avoid a shutdown, but his actions signal that Democrats are getting ready to do it again.
Just last month, Senator Schumer said shutdowns are, in his words, "strategic decisions"--"strategic decisions." Democrats have already shut down the government twice. A third shutdown would be just as painful for the American people and maybe worse. Democrat shutdowns make life less affordable, and they make our communities less safe. The American people deserve better.
Senator Susan Collins, who is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is working very hard to fix what Senator Schumer has broken. She is working to put bipartisan bills on this floor and is working to keep the government open. This is how the appropriations process was designed to work.
House Republicans are soon going to vote on a bill that funds the government until after the elections in November.
Here in the Senate, Senator Collins continues to lead with integrity and with intelligence and by working in bipartisanship. She has a long and respected record of working on both sides of the aisle. She has presented good-faith offers to Democrats. Democrats continue to reject them. They demand more spending on things like these fraud-ridden programs that we have read about. They are threatening to stonewall every single appropriations bill again this year.
Democrats are trying to avoid a shutdown--so they say. But they are not trying to avoid a shutdown; they are preparing for another one.
Here is what another Democrat shutdown would mean to the American people: A Democrat shutdown means longer lines at the airport. A Democrat shutdown means our troops miss paychecks. A Democrat shutdown mean TSA agents miss paychecks. A Democrat shutdown undermines national security. A Democrat shutdown hurts our veterans, and it hurts our seniors.
Senator Schumer says he wants to avoid one. Well, time is going to tell.
Republicans are focused on funding the government in a serious, timely, and bipartisan way. That is what we are intending to do. We will see if the Democrats are willing to meet us along the way.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sheehy)
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Nomination of Kara Marie Westercamp (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4168–S4169 · Official textMr. President, those seeking to recoup losses from President Trump's disastrous tariff policies will appear before what is called the Court of International Trade.
As is the case with many of President Trump's judicial nominees in his second term, his choice to fill a vacancy on this Court Kara Westercamp was tapped because of her obvious loyalty to the President who nominated her instead of her loyalty to the law.
Her offensive, inflammatory, juvenile social media posts demonstrate she lacks the independence and the maturity and the temperament to be a judge.
Ms. Westercamp tried to delete her old tweets so we wouldn't see them on the committee. She failed. Our staff was able to recover them.
In these tweets, Ms. Westercamp spread conspiracy theories about the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol and attacked Republicans and Democrats alike for being insufficiently loyal to President Trump.
She elevated claims that the January 6 attack was "orchestrated by Members of the Senate, and members of the [Capitol] police."
Let me repeat that. In her tweets, she claimed that the January 6 attack on the Capitol, which we all saw the news of, was "orchestrated by Members of the Senate, and members of the [Capitol] police.
So much for the judgment of this would-be judge.
I was in this Chamber during the counting of electoral votes for the 2020 election. Vice President Pence was sitting where the Presiding Officer sits today.
Members of Congress watched as Secret Service evacuated the Vice President. Within minutes, we were told to leave as well because a violent mob of armed insurrectionists intended to prevent the certification of the 2020 Presidential election results, which Donald Trump had lost by 7 million popular votes.
But Ms. Westercamp dismissed this event entirely. She retweeted a post that read--and I quote:
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We're all supposed to be sending thoughts and prayers to traumatized Members of Congress whose workday was interrupted for a couple of hours.
Mr. President, did you see the video? Did you see the mob? Did you see the damage they did to this U.S. Capitol Building?
Yes, we left for our lives. The Vice President was spirited out of here by the Secret Service to protect his life.
Ms. Westercamp has also repeatedly attacked Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky for supposedly "betraying President Trump." She even called Senator McConnell "a modern-day Benedict Arnold," and she repeatedly called him "Cocaine Mitch"--an inflammatory nickname used by MAGA critics of Senator McConnell, the Republican Senator and former leader from Kentucky.
I am not going to be able to repeat some of the things that she wrote in her tweets. They are just too much. But of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, she wrote:
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True to NO ONE but [his] own self-preservation.
She crudely called him a name that I can't repeat in the Record for not toeing the MAGA line. There is much, much more that she had to say about Senator Graham.
Ms. Westercamp accused Senator Collins of Maine of prioritizing her "own personal political power" over loyalty to President Trump and called for her removal, as well as the removal of Senators Murkowski and Cassidy following their vote on the second impeachment effort against the President.
Ms. Westercamp even posted a sexually explicit image and joke about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi--a post that Ms. Westercamp herself later described as "not safe for work."
Notably, it appears some of her inflammatory, overtly political posts were made while Ms. Westercamp was on duty, actually, as an attorney at the Department of Justice; she was tweeting away. That would violate Federal law.
Last week, Leader Thune filed cloture so that we could move more quickly to Ms. Westercamp's nomination. After you have heard about her background, what do you think as a Senator?
Despite her disrespectful and inflammatory comments, she is a priority for the other side. It is a disgrace that Senate Republicans are moving forward on this nomination while Senator McConnell is still in the hospital and so soon after Senator Graham's passing.
Judges are chosen for judgment, for character, for maturity, for competence, for independence, and most especially, for their temperament. Ms. Westercamp does not meet that standard. I urge my colleagues to oppose her nomination.
Nomination of Todd Blanche (Executive Calendar)
Page S4169 · Official textMr. President, on a separate topic, last week the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing that I will never forget. On the second day of Todd Blanche's nomination hearing to be Attorney General of the United States, the committee convened an outside panel of witnesses to discuss his fitness to serve in that office. I invited one of the witnesses. Her name was Dani Bensky, a young woman who is a dance teacher and a mother. She was a victim of Jeffrey Epstein. She was sexually abused by him when she was 17 years old. A group of about a dozen Epstein survivors and their loved ones sat behind Dani when she testified. They were urging that the predators responsible for these horrific crimes be held accountable. Their stories are heartbreaking. Instead of helping them, the Trump Justice Department has retraumatized these survivors with its careless and cavalier attitude. When this administration finally released information pertaining to Epstein's trafficking ring after missing the Epstein Files Transparency Act deadline, many of the survivors' personal identifying information became publicly available. These survivors already suffering unspeakable abuse were forced to relive their trauma as one of the most painful moments of their lives became public for anyone, including their friends, family, and coworkers to see. There was a time when the Department of Justice turned 1,000 attorneys loose on the Epstein files to find any references to the President. They were so careful, they went through it page by page for millions of pages. And yet, when it came time to finally release the files, they were so slipshod and haphazard that they released the identities, the addresses, the telephone numbers, and even photographs of the Epstein victims. The victims of Epstein's abuse attended both days of the hearing to demand accountability from the man who oversaw that botched release of files that put private information online--Todd Blanche. They wanted the opportunity to speak with him to tell him their stories and to push him to hold the predators responsible for their abuse accountable. When I asked Mr. Blanche on Wednesday if he would meet with these brave individuals, he responded with babble about lawyers and regulations. He wouldn't just say: I will meet with the victims. It was fortunate that he did do the right thing. It took the threat of one Republican Senator who said he would not support Blanche's nomination for Attorney General unless he met with the survivors. Then, reluctantly, he did. You would think Mr. Blanche would go out of his way to meet with them to apologize for the harm he caused victims, for the information that they disclosed, and to present them with a plan for changes going forward to protect victims while pursuing perpetrators. Instead, he arrived at the meeting ready to deny any blame for himself, with little or no concern for the survivors according to their reports. Those in the room described him as dismissive. They said that speaking with Mr. Blanche was like "beating your head against the wall." The impression that the victims had upon leaving the meeting was that Mr. Blanche was only there to check the box for his promotion; nothing was going to change. Is this the man we want to confirm to be head of the premium law enforcement Agency in America? With Mr. Blanche, it is clear that justice is secondary to loyalty to the President. Under Blanche, hundreds of FBI personnel were directed to troll through those Epstein files to find any mention of the President but could not exercise the same level of care to ensure victims' information remain protected. When pressed in an interview why more Epstein accomplices had not been charged, Blanche insisted "it isn't a crime to party with Mr. Epstein." Survivors deserve more than that type of flip comment. They deserve a DOJ committed to ensuring that it will never happen again. They deserve an Attorney General who treats them with respect and compassion. Mr. Blanche's behavior surrounding the Epstein investigation is just one of the many reasons he should not lead the Department of Justice. I urge my colleagues to oppose his nomination. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Stop Insider Trading Act (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4169–S4170 · Official textMr. President, people generally in this country--and Nebraskans in particular--expect when they send their elected officials to Washington, DC, that they are going to serve the communities. Sadly, that belief that we are coming here is undermined by some of our policies that we have.
For example, 80 percent of Americans believe that Congress does not do a good job of keeping the inside information that we have separate from our finances. Consequently, the approval rating of Congress is about 17 percent.
And it is not just the polling that shows that we have got a problem; so does history. We can look on social media and see that regularly, publishing the trades of Members of this body is something people try to profit off of.
In fact, the former Speaker's trades were published quite regularly. And as crazy as it sounds, that became a legitimate investment strategy because it was making people money.
We also had a former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee who sold about $1.5 million in stock in 2020 that occurred right before the market tanked because of the COVID pandemic.
Even the appearance of impropriety undermines the credibility of the House and the Senate, that it gives the--even if we give the perception that we are using inside information to benefit financially, it undermines the public's trust in our democracy and may depress people from wanting to vote, keep them home, and it certainly undermines the faith they have in our institutions.
I have a solution. My Stop Insider Trading Act. My Stop Insider Trading Act would go beyond our current disclosure laws. What it would say is that if you become elected to the Congress--either the House or the Senate--that you would not be allowed to buy any more stocks.
Now, if you owned it already, you would be allowed to keep those. But if you wanted to sell those, you would have to give 7 to 14 days' notice so that the public would be able to see what you intended to do and be able to take appropriate action well ahead of what you would be able to do.
So you would not be able to take advantage of any inside information ahead of what the public had. You would not be able to sell until the public knew well in advance, and, of course, you would be prohibited from buying stocks as well.
My bill also has real teeth in it, a minimum of a $2,000 fine or 10 percent of the cost of the proceeds.
So, for example, if you went and sold a stock after getting elected, without giving the proper notice, and say it was a million-dollar transaction, you would have to pay a $100,000 fine. In addition, you would have to forfeit all of the profits. The Stop Insider Trading Act has real teeth in it to back up the policy.
By making sure that Members of Congress cannot buy stock on inside information and would have to notify the public if they wish to sell any stock well in advance of their actually being able to do that, we can help restore the faith of the American people that we are keeping separate the inside information that we get for very good reasons from our finances.
Let's be clear, no Member of the House or Senate should benefit from inside information. They should not be allowed to profit from it. This is supposed to be a public service, and we need to take steps to restore the credibility with the American people.
The Stop Insider Trading Act is the solution to be able to help restore that credibility, to let the American people know that we are not financially benefiting from inside information. It would apply to not only Members of the House and Senate but their spouses and their dependent children as well.
The President has called on us to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act. The Vice President just last week, in addressing House Republicans, said we need to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act. It is time for Congress to act on this important piece of legislation that will help restore people's faith in their institutions.
I call on my colleagues to support this bill and send it to the President's desk.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Armstrong)
Without objection, it is so ordered.
SAVE America Act (Executive Calendar)
Page S4170 · Official textMr. President, I rise today to talk about a bill that, at its core, asks for something almost embarrassingly simple: That the person registering to vote in an American election is actually an American citizen and that the person showing up to cast the ballot is actually who they say they are.
The SAVE Act does not reinvent our elections. It does not add redtape for the sake of redtape. It asks for documentary proof of citizenship at registration and identification at the ballot box--the same basic verification we already accept without complaint when we board an airplane, open a bank account, or pick up a prescription.
If we trust that system to protect a checking account, we should trust it enough to protect the vote. That is not extremism. That is common sense, and it is long past time this Chamber treated it that way.
This past Saturday, I was riding in the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade alongside Senator Barrasso. Cheyenne is my hometown. It is the world's largest outdoor rodeo. And we have great parades--four of them--during the course of the week of the world's largest outdoor rodeo. It is an exceptional tradition in my hometown.
Senator Barrasso and I are riding along the parade route, the same parade route Wyoming has watched for generations. And as we came down the street, I could hear it from my constituents over and over: Pass the SAVE Act, Senator. Pass the SAVE Act. Not once. Not from just one corner of the crowd, all along the parade route. That is not a talking point; that just happened last weekend. That is the people of Wyoming telling us what they want.
So, I came home from that parade wondering if Wyoming was maybe a little ahead of the country on this.
It turns out, Wyoming is right where the country already is. And it turns out these constituents aren't just in line with the people of Wyoming; they are in line with the country.
A Gallup poll found 84 percent of U.S. adults favor requiring photo identification to vote. In that same poll, 83 percent--just one less--support requiring proof of citizenship for new voter registrants. Mr. President, 83 percent. That includes 71 percent of self-identified Democrats and an overwhelming majority of Independents. In this town, we can't get 83 percent of anybody to agree on the weather.
This is not controversial outside the walls of this building. It has simply become controversial inside them.
Would we expect to go to Mexico or Canada and walk into an election booth and have them let us vote in their elections without an ID, without proving we're a Canadian citizen or a Mexican citizen? They would have nothing to do with the process that allowed a U.S. citizen to vote without identification in their elections. No country would.
So is the opposition to this bill just another symptom of Trump derangement syndrome, where any policy this administration touches becomes reflexively toxic the moment it reaches this floor? Or do my colleagues across the aisle actually believe it is bad policy for only American citizens to decide American elections? Because, really, those are--as near as I can tell--the only two explanations on offer.
The same is true of protecting girls' and women's sports. Gallup has found 69 percent of Americans believe athletes should compete on teams that match their biological sex. I am surprised it is not a higher number, but it is 69 percent. This is not a fringe position. It is the plainly stated view of most people in this country, arrived at through a basic, widely shared sense of fairness: That girls who train and compete deserve a level playing field where they can compete safely. They don't have to worry about a man who identifies as a woman or as a transperson spiking a volleyball so hard that it does brain damage and causes concussions and lifelong injury to a young high school athlete. We owe that to our female athletes.
Wyoming didn't send me here to just spew political jargon, to play politics, because these things are simple; they are timeless; they are understood values. We can't bend and shape thousands of years of common sense with new, woke ideology. Wyoming sent me here to conduct myself in a manner that reflects their common sense, their values.
So it is time to send the SAVE Act to President Trump's desk. I heard that on the parade route in Cheyenne, WY, last weekend, and I hear it on this floor. We need to pass the SAVE Act.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Wyoming.
Recess
Page S4170 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the previously scheduled recess begin immediately.
There being no objection, the Senate, at 12:17 p.m., recessed until 2:15 p.m. and reassembled when called to order by the Presiding Officer (Mr. Armstrong).
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued
Page S4170 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Connecticut.
Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 807 (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4170–S4172 · Official textMr. President, I am here today with a very straightforward, simple resolution. It is about enforcement. For most of my career, I was an enforcer: a Federal prosecutor, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, and then attorney general of the State of Connecticut for 20 years. So I know--we all know--that the law is dead letter if it is not enforced.
And there is a very, very profoundly important law--in fact, our Constitution--that needs enforcement. That is the task that brings me to the Senate floor today.
I am asking for a resolution to direct the Senate legal counsel to bring a civil action in the name of the U.S. Senate to enforce the foreign emoluments clause contained in article I of the Constitution. This clause states that the President cannot accept any gifts, payments, benefits, or anything else of value from foreign governments, unless he receives the consent of Congress. Presidents have uniformly obeyed the emoluments clause for all of our illustrious 250 years of existence.
The Founders thought this clause was central to preserving our Nation. Why? Because at the time of our founding, we were a fledgling and struggling nation. Foreign powers like France and England were arrayed against us with potentates and rich businesspeople, powerful adversaries who could corrupt our leaders. And so specifically in the Constitution, as a matter of our national security--not just to prevent corruption, gift-taking that might violate our sense of morality, but as a matter of the defense of our Nation, they inserted the emoluments clause that required consent of Congress before the President, or any other public official, could accept anything of value, whether it be a benefit, an indirect payment--anything of value.
And so now if you are a member of the armed services and you are asked to teach a course in another country and you are paid for it, you need to get permission. It applies to the lowliest of Federal officials and the highest. The emoluments clause is part of our Constitution.
I know a lot about the emoluments clause because I sued Donald Trump under the emoluments clause during his first term, and we won at the district court level. In fact, we prevailed in that lawsuit, but then we were told that we had no standing. Under the Federal laws of procedure, a party in court, to successfully invoke the jurisdiction of the Federal courts, must have what is called standing, which is not just aggrievement but personal involvement and harm.
And the court said, in effect: You are individual Members of Congress--there were more than 250 of us--but you are not the body; you are not the Senate; you are not the House of Representatives, which brings me here today because I want the U.S. Senate to take a stand--to stand up against the illegal practices of this President in taking an array of benefits, including payments--literally payments--in violation of the emoluments clause. The emoluments clause is a dead letter if it is not enforced, and our national security is at risk.
President Trump's willingness to use the privileges of his office to enrich himself is well known to Americans, and it seems to have no bounds.
Just this month, President Trump's gift from the government of Qatar--a $400 million jet--entered service as an interim Air Force One, but he wants to take that jet and then install it as part of his private library. In fact, he may use it afterward. We don't know.
What we do know is costly modifications were required to ensure the installation of multiple top-secret systems to get the plane flight ready, and now it has to go back for more work because, in fact, the security system right now is inadequate. But we know taxpayers are going to foot the bill--a benefit to the President probably in excess of $1 billion.
That jet barely scratches the surface of emoluments going to President Trump. In 2025, President Trump and his sons took about $500 million for a 49 percent stake in the Trump family crypto business, World Liberty Financial, invested by the MGX Fund Management Limited, which is an investment firm in turn backed by a UAE sovereign wealth fund at the initiative of Sheikh Tahnoon, the UAE's national security advisor and the brother of UAE's President.
In other words, an investment by the UAE wealth fund, controlled by the ruling family of the UAE, for 49 percent in World Liberty Financial, $500 million. And then magically--magically--President Trump approved sales of $1.4 million in military equipment for the UAE. And in addition, the sale of highly sophisticated advanced chips necessary for the UAE to build a data center that could rival ours in the United States--our national security compromised as a result of payments to World Liberty Financial--the Trump--and, by the way, Witkoff--family crypto business.
This kind of self-enrichment has made a very wealthy Donald Trump even wealthier. He made $2 billion last year--$2 billion in income--1.4 billion of it from crypto. It is not only offensive as a matter of self-enrichment, but it is a threat to our national security--exactly the same kind of threat that our Founders sought to prevent as a result of the emoluments clause.
Not only has President Trump violated flagrantly the emoluments clause, but he has effectively slapped a "for sale" sign on the door of the Oval Office.
He accepted a gold-plated desk clock and engraved gold bar as gifts from Swiss business executives before slashing Switzerland's tariff rate.
He hosted a private gala dinner featuring a tour of the White House to reward top buyers of the Trump cryptocurrency meme coin. Attendees of that dinner included Chinese billionaires, CEOs, and investors with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
The American President is supposed to work for us, for the American people, for everyday Americans, not for his own self-enrichment, and that is what the emoluments clause is really supposed to guarantee--that the President of the United States works for the United States, not for himself.
As I mentioned, I tried to enforce the emoluments clause myself by filing a lawsuit on June 14, 2017. The United States Court for the District of Columbia held that we didn't have standing. I disagree. I think we do have standing under the law, but I respect the court's judgment; and so we are charting this path forward.
This resolution is necessary now to give the Senate the ability to hold President Trump accountable on behalf of the American people to go to court and have our day before a judge who will assess the facts of this case and second guess me or any of us and rule and uphold the rule of law.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution to restore the dignity of the executive office and to assure enforcement of the Constitution of the United States of America.
And so as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 807; that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Is there objection?
The Senator from Florida.
Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
Mr. President, at a time when we are seeing the Democrat Party embrace the hellish evils of socialism and ideologies that hate the founding ideals of America, Democrats are hoping to pass a resolution to direct this Chamber to sue the President of the United States on a very false premise.
The emoluments clause reads:
Text printed in the Record (59 characters)
No title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States.
I don't think that is happening.
Text printed in the Record (225 characters)
And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title of any kind [whatsoever], from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
Now, the obvious answer is that these accusations by my colleague do not support the constitutional threshold of an emolument, and my Democrat colleagues are just playing politics.
This resolution seeks to authorize litigation rather than legislation.
This issue has already been litigated, and, as my colleague said, they lost. The Democrats just like don't like the answer.
Now, the President isn't taking a plane or any gifts for personal use, and the United States has long accepted diplomatic gifts pursuant to Federal law, with such gifts generally becoming property of the United States rather than any individual officeholder.
Now, what is going on here is the Democrats are putting their hatred for President Trump before the law. But aside from the obvious facts, this is the agenda Democrats want from this Chamber. They don't want to fund government; they want to shut it down.
They walked away from government funding negotiations. They don't want to secure elections. They want systematic fraud because it benefits their elected incumbents.
Department of Homeland Security just found 278,000 noncitizens on voter rolls for Federal elections. Are Democrats talking about that?
Just last week, President Trump exposed foreign adversaries like China and Cuba for interfering in our elections. Did my Democratic colleagues talk about that?
Leader Schumer responded to the facts about voter fraud by declaring the SAVE America Act, an election security bill--even though Democrats, Republicans, Independents all across the country believe in it--said it is "dead on arrival."
Unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues don't want fixes; they want to ignore the fraud because it benefits them.
They are trying to distract the American people with platitudes while they defraud them of their vote.
Have you looked at what Olive Garden is doing, OK? You can buy a pasta pass--an unlimited pasta pass, but guess what you have to do? You have to show an ID. So Olive Garden has a voter ID, but my Democratic colleagues don't want to do it for Federal elections.
This bill proves that the Democrats' goal right now is to attack President Trump instead of fixing problems Americans expect us to deal with. They don't want to reduce the cost of living, lower inflation, balance the budget. They do want to tax working Americans so they can spend more of it on special interests and run bigger deficits--already spending $2 trillion in deficits.
They want to use the Senate's time--the precious time we have--to attack President Trump by twisting the words of the Constitution.
The resolution is moot. The accusations: Purely political. We all know it is political. It is a waste of time. And this Chamber only works 2-and-a-half days a week. I think we need to spend every time doing something like pass the SAVE America Act, fund our government, lower the debt, lower the deficit. Unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues aren't coming to the table.
Why don't we spend some time on real issues rather than attacking the President?
For those reasons, I object to passage of this resolution and hope my colleagues can reject the anti-American socialists capturing the Democratic Party before it is too late for all of us.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The objection is heard.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Ohio.
Recognizing Denison University (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4172–S4173 · Official textMr. President, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary year of achievement by Ohio's own Denison University.
Now, everyone knows Denison to be a great academic institution. But, all of a sudden, it has become a great athletic institution. In the 2025-2026 academic year, Denison student athletes delivered one of the most successful seasons in school history, capturing four--you heard that right--NCAA Division III national titles and bringing great pride to the university community, alumni, and the entire State of Ohio.
I am joined in this Chamber by members of all four national championship winning coaches, players, and families.
So welcome to the U.S. Senate. We are honored to have you with us today.
We had the chance to join President Trump this morning at the White House to celebrate their accomplishments, and I wanted to take a couple of minutes to honor them on the Senate floor. We will start with the most recent champion, the men's baseball team.
In early June, Denison's men's baseball team won the program's first ever NCAA Division III national championship, defeating Endicott College in a 4-3 thriller, 10-inning walk-off victory.
The Big Red completed a historic season with a 51-and-3 record. That is right. A 51-and-3 record in baseball is amazing, almost unprecedented. They held the No. 1 ranking from the start of the season to the finish. It is hard to go wire to wire--so hard to go wire to wire. And under the leadership of Coach Mike Deegan, the team demonstrated excellence throughout this season, as I noted.
Now, this was a team effort. It was a three-game series in the finals. Denison won game 1. And then, game 2, they lost a 10-inning, 11-10 battle. It is so hard to come back in game 3, after being so close to clinching it in game 2. But they won a decisive game 3, 4 to 3, in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Cherish the memory--to the Denison baseball team--because you will unlikely ever have a more thrilling experience than winning the national championship in the 10th inning in a walk-off situation--great fun, great fun.
Cade Nowik was named the outstanding player of the NCAA championship after a dominant postseason performance, including a game in which he recorded three home runs and seven RBIs--pretty impressive. But I know every national championship will always say it is team effort. Everybody from the lowest man on the roster to the top, they all matter when you win a championship. Everybody contributes to that cause.
Congratulations to these outstanding student athletes for an unforgettable season and a well-earned national title.
Let me go on next to the men's swimming and diving team. In March, Denison men's swimming and diving team captured its second consecutive NCAA Division III national championship and seventh national title in program history. The Big Red finished with 437 points, nearly 49 points ahead of the second-place team, marking their third time in program history that Denison has won back-to-back NCAA championships. That right there is a tradition of excellence.
The program also swept the major awards presented by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America, as you would expect from the dominant championship team that they had. Gregg Parini was named Co-Coach of the Year. First-year diving coach Kai Robinson earned Men's Diving Coach of the Year honors. And Jack Hill and Nick Fogle were recognized as Swimmer and Diver of the Year.
That is what you call a clean sweep right there, folks.
Congratulations to these student athletes that represent Ohio and Denison with excellence. I congratulate them, their coaches, and their families. What a remarkable accomplishment--pretty amazing.
So we got through two of the national championships. Let's move to the third. That is men's doubles tennis.
Denison's men's tennis added another national title when Ethan Green and Kael Shah captured the NCAA Division III men's doubles national championship. The duo concluded the season with an impressive 24-and-6 record and secured the first national or NCAA championship in program history--amazing.
Congratulations, guys.
Their achievements also capped extraordinary collegiate careers. Ethan Green finished with the most doubles victories and combined victories in program history, while Kael Shah concluded his career-second alltime in both categories.
Congratulations to Ethan and Kael and the entire Denison's men's tennis program on your historic accomplishment.
Now on to women's basketball, and this, perhaps, is the most unexpected national championship at Denison. The women's basketball program completed a dominant 30-2 season, although at the beginning of the season, no one predicted that level of success. They captured the program's first NCAA Division III national championship. Led by head coach Maureen Hirt, the Big Red defeated the University of Scranton 55 to 41 in the national championship game to secure the title.
I understand that this team's character came through, because they were dominant defensively, pressing the whole game, created turnovers and chaos for the other team, which led to a dominant victory. You don't win national champion games 55 to 41 without being dominant as a defensive team.
This championship reflects the dedication, discipline, and determination displayed by these student athletes throughout the season. It takes a lot to go 30 to 2. Congratulations to the team, the coaches, and their families on this historic victory.
The reason this brings back some special memories for me is because I, too, as a senior at the University of Dayton, won a Division III national championship, although it was in football, and it brings back wonderful memories because it is very rare in life that you can close out an athletic career and walk off a champion.
So I hope you will cherish it, to all the Denison student athletes. It is a special, special thing.
In this era of NIL, it is also great to see people who excel in excellence for the love of the game, just because they are competitors at heart. They love their sport, and they compete.
This is an interesting thing about a Division III athlete: No one pays them to be up at 6 a.m. when they don't want to be to bust their butts, to excel in the weight room, on the field, running, conditioning, whatever it might be. No one makes them do it; they do it for the love of the game. They sacrifice. When other friends may be out having fun in the evenings or on the weekends, they sacrifice. They embrace the grind because they want to be a champion. You have to be willing to sacrifice and dedicate yourself to your craft if you want to be a champion, if you want to be a winner, if you want to be excellent.
That is why it was so great to be with these young men and women earlier today, because I know they have made the investment, and they have reaped the reward of that investment. It will carry them much further than just the athletic field, the court, the pool; it will carry them on in their life. They will be winners. They will be winners for their family, they will be winners for their community, winners for their State, and winners for their Nation.
That is why I think it is so important that we preserve the integrity of college athletics, that we continue to offer these great opportunities for student athletes to earn the resilience--to define the resilience and the character that it takes to be successful in athletic competition because that translates into life's success.
So these Ohio student athletes have made our State proud through their hard work, perseverance, and commitment to excellence. Their accomplishments serve as a reminder of what can be achieved when you are willing to pay the price of teamwork, discipline, and determination.
I am grateful for the opportunity to recognize these remarkable student athletes at Denison University and what they all stand for. On behalf of the people of Ohio, congratulations on an extraordinary year. I wish them continued success in the years ahead.
I yield the floor.
(Mr. BANKS assumed the Chair.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno)
The Senator from Iowa.
Socialism (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4173–S4174 · Official textMr. President, with recent political victories in Democrat primaries in Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere by socialists, I wanted to spend some time with my colleagues sharing the failed results that we have witnessed throughout history under socialism regimes. And if any of my colleagues consider themselves democratic socialists, I would like their attention.
The expansion of candidates and people who want to institute socialism in the United States is very concerning. What they desire is going to destroy everything America has stood for.
The recent trend toward socialism in the Democratic Party frankly surprises me. It ought to make every traditional Democrat worry about the trend of their party and be a warning for all of us.
I am glad some Democrats share this concern, as Democrat pollster Mark Penn wrote in the Wall Street Journal. Democrats could take a playbook out of the 1947 effort by Eleanor Roosevelt and Hubert Humphrey, as recently reported in the Washington Post.
Socialism is a failed ideology and experiment. It claims to focus on the good of society as a whole over the rights of individuals. This is in contrast to America's founding principles.
Socialism, whether it is the revolutionary kind or the democratic kind, is aimed at government ownership of industry and the elimination of private property.
Countries that have adopted socialism have found themselves less prosperous, even witnessing starvation and economic ruin followed by lawlessness and corruption. The only people that benefit from it are the people in the political system.
Socialist countries have also seen private property confiscated and constitutional rights taken away from the people. Recently, there is a group of socialists called Democratic Socialists that have won Democrat Party primaries. Where I sit, socialism is still socialism. They may think that calling themselves democratic somehow would cancel out all of the negatives of socialism, but they want to bring about the same negative outcomes that will produce less prosperity and less freedom. Example after example in history backs up my point.
In 2021, I spoke here on the Senate floor about Sweden's experiment with socialism. I encourage my colleagues to go back and read that speech. In case they don't have time, I will summarize it right now.
In the 1950s, Sweden gained newfound wealth and economic freedom. Then it started to adopt socialist policies. During Sweden's experiment with socialism between the 1960s and the 1980s, it experienced short-lived prosperity, massive government spending and taxation, and a highly regulated economy that eventually came crashing down. During that time, not a single net job was created in Sweden's private sector, and inflation took away almost all of the value of any wage increases. Sweden's socialist policies killed off its wealth creation that was needed to fund all of that government spending.
By the 1990s, Sweden realized its mistake and reversed course, and its leftwing Swedish Social Democrats recognized their mistake as well.
According to a White House Council of Economic Advisers report, if the United States had moved toward Nordic country-style policies in the 1970s, by 2018, America's GDP would be at least 19 percent smaller, coming out to about 11,000 fewer dollars of wealth per person here in the United States.
We can learn a lot from Sweden so we don't go down the dead-end road called socialism. We can also learn a lot from Cuba's experience moving from freedom to socialism. That happened in 1959. Cuba's standard of living over the past 50 years has been destroyed.
In 1959, after Fidel Castro came to power, the Cuban Government took away private property and established price controls. This led to food shortages, and you can see that on our own televisions being a problem today in Cuba. Castro's regime even killed political opposition.
Decades of socialism meant that by the 2000s, Cuba lacked basic infrastructure and reliable energy.
A 2005 report found:
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Instead of blackouts, Cubans jokingly refer to periods when electricity was available as "lights-in."
That energy crisis continues today, and you see it reported on American television.
Cuba's story under socialism can be summed up by Margaret Thatcher's words. When she was Prime Minister of Great Britain, she said:
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The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.
Not everyone in Cuba has suffered. Its dictators have taken care of themselves.
If Sweden and Cuba aren't enough reasons why socialism has failed as an idea, let's take a look at Venezuela.
In 1998, socialist Hugo Chavez became President of Venezuela. At the time, Venezuela was the richest country in South America, and now it is one of the poorest. One of Chavez's first actions was to nationalize the agriculture sector and rob landowners of their property.
Food production fell 75 percent over two decades. Chavez went on to nationalize other parts of the economy, including electricity, water, oil, banks, supermarkets, construction, and other parts. He did this all while also expanding the welfare state with money that the country didn't have.
Not only is the country poor, but it has also been ruled by brutal dictators, under Chavez and Nicolas Maduro, and riddled with corruption. One analysis about Venezuela's experience with socialism put it this way:
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So, what are the results of socialism in Venezuela? Well, we have experienced hyperinflation. We have people eating garbage, schools that do not teach, hospitals that do not heal, long and humiliating lines to buy flour, bread, and basic medicines.
So history is very clear: Economic freedom is a ticket to broad prosperity. Today's American socialists espouse more than just economic ruin and fewer freedoms. They want less law and order by abolishing ICE, defunding the police, and emptying out our prisons.
Don't take my word for it; just look at the agenda of some of the recent people who have won Democratic primaries in New York City. The Democratic socialist platform also wants to defund the Department of Defense, get rid of the U.S. Senate, and draft a new Constitution. Other countries that tried socialism have failed. Socialists' ideas and candidates offer failed ideas.
We should not forget what history has taught us or, as George Santayana once said almost 100 years ago: If you don't learn from history, you are going to repeat the same mistakes.
The United States was founded on principles of individual liberty and on unalienable natural rights, with the government's primary function being to preserve those rights and prevent fellow citizens or attacks by foreign powers from violating our constitutional rights.
Americans have been reluctant to grant too much power to the government since the very beginning. Ultimately, free markets have helped America become the richest country in the world and have lifted more people from poverty than anything else in human history.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Tennessee.
Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 808 (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4174–S4175 · Official textMr. President, I rise today with a very simple request: I am asking that the Senate speak with a unanimous voice in condemning one of the worst acts of judicial misconduct we have seen in years.
Judge Eleanor Ross has been a district judge in the Northern District of Georgia for over a decade, and it is clear that she engaged in conduct that falls beneath the dignity of her high office in the Federal judiciary.
After a courageous law clerk came forward, a special committee on the Eleventh Circuit was appointed and ultimately made several deeply disturbing findings.
First, based on testimony from Judge Ross' law clerks, the committee found that over the course of 2 years, Judge Ross engaged in a sexual relationship with a high-ranking official of the Atlanta Police Department. This conduct occurred in her judicial chambers during normal business hours within earshot of her law clerks.
Now, think about that.
On top of that, the Atlanta Police Department, in the words of the special committee, "undoubtably was involved in numerous criminal and civil cases being litigated" in the Northern District, underscoring how reckless the judge's misconduct truly was.
Not only did this misconduct create a possibility of an appearance of impropriety, an affair like this also exposed Judge Ross to the possibility of extortion and blackmail, as the special committee noted.
In addition to this egregious behavior in her chambers, the special committee also found an equally disturbing act of judicial misconduct: making false statements material to the committee's investigation.
Judge Ross told the Eleventh Circuit's chief judge that she "never engaged in sexual intercourse in [her] office, nor anywhere else in the Courthouse" and that she was "astounded and confused" to be accused of this misconduct.
Now, based on the committee's findings, we know that Judge Ross' statements to Chief Judge Pryor were patently false. They were knowingly false.
We also know that it took Judge Ross nearly 2 weeks to retract the false statements. By the time she finally backtracked, the special committee had already collected substantial evidence that proved Judge Ross had made false statements.
In short, once Judge Ross realized where the investigation was going, she decided to retract her false statements and admit to the misconduct allegations. The Judicial Code of Conduct explicitly prohibits the type of conduct that Judge Ross engaged in, specifically Canon 2 states that "a Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in all Activities."
Canon 2A states that "a judge should act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary."
Commentary to Canon 2A states:
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Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by irresponsible or improper conduct by judges, including harassment and other inappropriate workplace behavior.
The committee's findings, which I have just outlined, show that Judge Ross blatantly violated all three of these judicial canons.
Now, I want to be clear, what I have just outlined is all that my resolution is asking that the Senate condemn. We are condemning this inappropriate sexual misconduct by a sitting Federal judge, and we are condemning her subsequent lying about that misconduct. That is it.
I do want to note for the record that there was misconduct in the Eleventh Circuit report that I have not included in the resolution. The committee included in its misconduct findings that Judge Ross attended a political function for DA Fani Willis. I find it unconscionable for a sitting Federal judge to have attended a partisan event with a district attorney who weaponized the judicial system in the way that Fani Willis did.
I also firmly believe that Judge Ross, by lying to Chief Judge Pryor during the course of the Eleventh Circuit's investigation committed an impeachable offense, and I fully support the House's impeachment efforts.
But I have not included those aspects in my resolution that I am about to ask unanimous consent for. The reason why? As I mentioned at the outset, I believe the Senate should speak with one voice and unanimously condemn Judge Ross' conduct. I don't want to give my Democrat colleagues any reason to object to this resolution.
So what I am asking unanimous consent for is simple: a condemnation of Judge Ross' sexual misconduct and subsequent lying during the course of a judicial investigation.
The American people deserve Federal judges who uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism on the bench; not those who turn their chambers into a venue for extramarital affairs. There is no reason any Member of this body should object to that resolution today.
Mr. President, with that, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 808, which is at the desk; I further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Is there objection?
The Senator from Illinois.
Mr. President, reserving the right to object, you heard her lay out the case of wrongdoing by a judge. I am going to ask for the Senate to take action to condemn that conduct. Seems pretty straightforward, doesn't it? Turns out, it would be the first time in the history of the Senate that we do something like this.
We asked the Congressional Research Service: Is there any Senate precedent for what the Senator from Tennessee is doing? They responded: There is no Senate precedent for either introducing or passing a Senate resolution condemning a judge's illegal misconduct.
What? Out of thousands of judges in the United States at the Federal level, surely in history, someone has done something wrong that should be condemned, but it has never been done.
Well, it gets down to some basic elements of constitutional law. You start with this, the Constitution of the United States. And the Constitution of the United States says in article I, section 2, the House of Representatives shall have the "sole power of impeachment"--removal from office. The sole power of impeachment is in the House of Representatives, not the Senate.
So why is that stopping us from this condemnation? Well, let me explain. Under the Constitution, Congress does not respond to judicial misconduct in the form of a Senate resolution. It never has.
It is the responsibility of the House of Representatives, specifically the House Judiciary Committee, to investigate the allegations of misconduct and consider the next steps, including impeachment.
But here is the critical element: Who is the jury? Where is the trial? It is right here. After someone has been impeached in the House of Representatives, for example a President, the case comes to the Senate for trial. I have sat through at least three of those, maybe more. So we are juries; the U.S. Senate is a jury.
What this Constitution, again, tells us when it comes to the role of the Senate: The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. No question about that. If the House impeaches, it is our job to decide whether we agree or not. It takes an extraordinary vote to impeach.
And, also, let me be clear, this is critical:
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When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation.
That is a pretty high standard, isn't it? You have to swear that what you are doing is constitutional or to the best of your ability. So it is an awesome responsibility. We sit like juries in criminal courts and civil courts across the United States, and we make bottom-line decisions as to whether the House impeachment shall be sustained.
So the action starts in the House. If they vote to impeach, it comes to the Senate. The Senate sits as a jury and decides whether or not the impeachment goes through. That is why this resolution needs to be defeated. Senators serve as jurors in impeachment matters. Passing this resolution--passing this resolution, calling on the Senate to condemn this judge before there has been any effort at impeachment in the House of Representatives--is going to do what they call "taint the jury." He would have already taken a position on the case as to who is right and who is wrong. You can't do that. Voir dire in the courtroom is the judge asking the basic question of potential jurors: Do you have any prejudice against this case that stops you from finding the truth? And people say: I don't. I have an open mind, and I will listen to the evidence and the law. Well, what the Senator from Tennessee wants us to do is to taint the jury, to get us on record before the House has any impeachment activity, before we sit as a jury as to how we are going to rule. That is why it has never been tried before on the floor of the U.S. Senate. I also note the resolution contains multiple material inconsistencies on what the Eleventh Circuit found during its investigation of Judge Ross' misconduct. This underscores that the Senate has not engaged, prior to the election of this resolution, in its own investigation or factfinding. The only factfinding we have is from one Senator in Tennessee. According to the Congressional Research Service, there is no precedent for the Senate adopting a resolution condemning alleged judicial misconduct. The Senate has never done this before. We should not establish a new precedent here, especially when it could taint the jury pool if the Senate later considers articles of impeachment, if that ever happens. It could also open the door to Senate resolutions about other instances of judicial misconduct. We must have the highest standards for Federal judges, and the alleged conduct in this case is inappropriate, unacceptable, perhaps even indefensible. But the Constitution is clear. It is a matter for the House to consider at this point rather than the Senate. For these reasons, I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Barrasso)
The objection is heard.
The Senator from Tennessee.
Mr. President, I think it is clear what Senator Durbin is doing today. He is seeking to protect a Democrat-appointed judge, appointed under President Obama, and trying to distract from her clear misconduct.
Now, at the Senate Judiciary Committee, we have the responsibility of advice and consent. We have the responsibility of oversight.
And one thing that I will note: I think the Senator has misunderstood the resolution. It is not an impeachment resolution. It does not call for an impeachment. It explicitly points to the information in the Eleventh Circuit's special committee report and pulls directly from that report what occurred in Judge Ross' chambers, and therefore there needs to be a condemnation of this activity.
Passing this would have the Senate speak with a unanimous voice against this activity, and I would have encouraged my colleagues to pass the resolution and to make clear that this conduct falls far beneath the high standards we should be holding the Federal judiciary to every single day. It is clear the Senate Democrats are not interested in that.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Illinois.
Mr. President, we are not judging by this action of objecting the conduct of this judge. That is not for us to judge. Under the Constitution, it is clear. That will be a decision by the House of Representatives and maybe ultimately by the Senate.
There is a reason why this has never been done on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and the Senator from Tennessee ignores that reality. It has never been done because it would taint the jury pool if there was ever an impeachment action against this judge. That is why I objected.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. President, before I start, let me offer the Presiding Officer my best wishes for a very, very happy birthday. I might regale you with singing "Happy Birthday."
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Order.
(Laughter.)
But I have a terrible singing voice, and so I will spare the Senate the embarrassment of that particular performance.
Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 557 (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4175–S4178 · Official textMr. President, I am here today because there is the simple fact that climate change is real. Earlier this year, I came to the floor and asked my colleagues to agree on that simple, known, scientific fact. Well, they could not. So I returned to the floor several times in the hopes that my Republican colleagues could at least agree to some of the simple truths that make up the bigger picture of the reality of climate change. I asked if we could agree that oceans are warming, that sea levels are rising, or that the economic harms of climate change are already beginning to hit and will only get worse going forward. Every time, Republicans objected. I do, however, persist. Today's simple truth is this: Climate change portends a cascade of financial market collapses that could destabilize the national and global economies. My question today is, Can we all agree on that? Well, here is my evidence: We know that climate change makes many natural disasters more frequent and/or--could be either--more extreme, including hurricanes, floods, and wildfires--the same wildfires that blanketed much of the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic in smoke just last week, resulting in American cities like Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Washington having the worst air quality in the world--worse than cities in India, worse than cities in China. We know that these disasters are expensive. Between 1980 and today, U.S. losses from billion-dollar climate disasters totaled over $3.1 trillion adjusted for inflation--$3.1 trillion lost to Americans. And, of course, that only accounts for the 431 disasters that cost over $1 billion each. There are plenty more harms beyond that $3.1 trillion. The trend is projected to continue. Modelers for Deloitte, the corporate consultancy, project that unchecked climate change could cost the global economy $178 trillion--$178 trillion U.S. dollars--in the period between 2021 and 2070. The U.S. economy is in here as a $36 trillion hit in net present value across that half-century span. Deloitte's modelers also predict a global GDP decrease of around 7.6 percent by 2070. Other financial experts have warned that worldwide GDP per capita, GDP divided by population, could decline by close to 20 percent within the next three decades. Indeed, in 2023, the now-Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, who had previously served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, testified before the Senate Budget Committee that "estimates suggest that, over the balance of this century, climate change could reduce the level of global GDP per capita by 10-20 [percent] without efforts to limit warming, the equivalent of a decade of no economic growth." He said, "Similar estimates have been found for the United States"--very like Deloitte's projection for the Americas. So that is climate risk. Now let's look at what it means for financial risk. An international network of major banks and bank supervisors, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, Deutsche Bundesbank Bank, and the Bank of England, used this illustration about how climate risk hits financial risk. The direct economic impacts include tanking property values and lower household wealth. Tanking property values and lower household wealth then snowball from individual and family impacts into systemic impacts to the financial system at large. This means that climate change could ultimately cause "the next systemic financial crisis." Financial experts all over the world agree. Dr. Benjamin Keys, professor of finance at the Wharton School, testified before the Senate Budget Committee as follows:
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[C]limate risk . . . is simultaneously inducing heightened risk of flood, storm damage, chronic inundation, drought, excessive heat, and wildfires. . . . [T]here is no avoiding the fact that the increasing risk of large, global loss events will mean higher costs for consumers.
Dr. Sean Becketti, former chief economist at mortgage giant Freddie Mac, warned of rising sea levels and flooding triggering large-scale reduction of coastal property values, resulting in an economic shock akin to the 2008 financial crisis--and with no expectation that the assets would recover their value. Those warnings of Dr. Becketti were based only on the risks of what he called "coastal property value crash," not on the growing wildfire threat that is creating a similar insurance death spiral out West. Specifically, Dr. Becketti testified:
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You look at the Housing Crisis of 2007/8, it was a long time before property values came back, but they did come back. This is a different type of dynamic where property values are probably physically not able to come back. And so this is equity that's lost forever. It's extremely difficult to estimate nationally--I'm not sure I have enough zeros to do it.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified before the Senate Banking Committee in this Congress that in 10 to 15 years, it will be impossible to get insurance or a mortgage in certain coastal and fire-prone regions of the country. Imagine what happens to the economy in a region in which insurance and mortgages are no longer available. It is global as well. The international Financial Stability Board has warned of the cascade of harms: from rising climate risk to increased insurance premiums and reduced coverage, to market withdrawal of insurance, causing a danger of mortgage crises and bank insolvencies. The warning to the international banking system: Buckle up. The Economist magazine described a possible $25 trillion hit to global real estate markets. That is the kind of thing that is bad for bank solvency and that attracted the attention of the international Financial Stability Board. While these impacts are global, they will hit home. As Dr. Bill Frist, former Republican Senate majority leader, testified:
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Climate change is an economic issue. It affects individuals, families, and businesses of all sizes. The fallout from climate change--from increased droughts and flooding to hotter temperatures and rising sea levels--costs the United States billions of dollars every year.
Just yesterday, this article--which I ask unanimous consent that the article be printed in the Record and appended to my remarks--from Alistair Marsh entitled "Pension Funds Try to Come to Grips With the Scariest Global Warming Scenario," in Bloomberg News, quotes an investment research chief at the $300 billion UK retirement assets corporation Standard Life, a company that has been around for 200 years.
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Any investors not thinking seriously about such risks by mid-2028 would "really be out of the mainstream."
This is a mainstream concern. Closer to home, JPMorgan has described the impact of any single climate tipping point--and we are approaching several--any single tipping point being breached as "highly consequential" for investors. We are not helpless in the face of these warnings. Financial experts and banks who look at this professionally agree that adjusting to our climate reality by organizing an early and orderly transition to a low carbon economy will avoid costly shocks to the system when a transition away from fossil fuel-related assets becomes necessary. It is a little bit like landing a plane. If you do it gradually, it is much safer and smoother. If you crash, it can be pretty painful. So this is a simple truth. It is well documented. We have been warned and warned and warned. Unchecked climate change will cascade into danger to the national and global economy. So I ask: Can we all agree on that? There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Pension Funds Try to Come to Grips With the Scariest Global Warming Scenario
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Institutional investors are trying to figure out what it would mean for their portfolios if continually rising temperatures trigger what JPMorgan Chase & Co. is calling "climate black swan risks."
The scenario is one that investors including Allianz Global Investors and Standard Life Plc say they're taking increasingly seriously.
It's "something we really need to think about," said Hetal Patel, head of sustainable investment research at Standard Life. The investor plans to do an "initial development" of its risk management around climate tipping points next year, he said. That will include running simulations across the firm's 317 billion ($425 billion) portfolio to see how assets would be impacted.
Any investors not thinking seriously about such risks by mid-2028 would "really be out of the mainstream," Patel said.
Climate tipping points are critical thresholds in the Earth's interconnected natural systems including air, land, oceans and ice. JPMorgan's "black swan" analogy reflects the fact that, though treated as a tail-risk, the impact of any single tipping point being breached would be "highly consequential."
Put simply, they're "the most frightening part of climate change," says Antoine Poincare, director general of the Apave Climate School, which educates corporate executives on how to manage climate risks.
Long regarded as an outlier scenario, tipping points are now making their way into portfolio analysis and even informing financial regulations.
The shift comes as temperatures rise at a dangerous rate. The world briefly surpassed the critical 1.5C global warming threshold for the first time back in 2024. The temperature is now on track to rise by almost twice that level this century, a trajectory scientists have called catastrophic.
"Funds are asking a very practical question: what climate tipping points mean for portfolios on real decision horizons--when markets might reprice, where exposures are concentrated, and how to plan when the science is uncertain but the consequences could be abrupt," says Sarah Kapnick, JPMorgan's global head of climate advisory and a former chief scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For now, her analysis indicates that debt markets would be among the first to take a price hit after illiquid real assets. Investors would be wise to regularly update their tail-risk analysis to take the latest science into account, Kapnick adds. The exercise is difficult for banks, however, given the time horizon under which they operate, though mortgage portfolios are a "notable" exposure for longer-term durations, she says.
While not a tipping point as such, this year's heat waves signal "a hotter baseline," Kapnick said. And "when change accelerates, systems can be pushed toward thresholds faster than society and markets can adapt."
Investors "waiting too long to adapt could leave too little time to respond effectively," she said.
For institutional investors with long-term horizons like Standard Life, the question now is "how to protect asset values" from such risks, Patel said.
Scientists have identified more than a dozen tipping points which, if breached, can result in abrupt, dangerous and irreversible damage. Once thresholds have been crossed, it may take years--and even decades--for the damage to play out. But it will be too late to reverse.
Examples include coral reefs dying, the Amazon rainforest turning into savannah and the Greenland ice sheet sliding into an irreversible melt.
In October, researchers at the University of Exeter said the world was facing a "new reality" after having hit its first tipping point, namely the "widespread dieback" of warm-water coral reefs.
Among tipping points of particular concern to northern Europe is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a system of interconnected ocean currents that transports warm water from the equator to northwestern Europe and allows for milder winter temperatures. A breakdown of AMOC would mean weather patterns as we know them today would be completely disrupted.
The fallout might include much colder winters in the UK, for example, with more recent models indicating the potential for extreme cold spells that could drive the temperature to 20C below zero in London, and result in Arctic sea ice potentially reaching as far south as East Anglia, home to Cambridge
University. At the same time, global warming is expected to
continue driving hotter, drier summers, which would raise the
risk of water shortages and lead to profound disruption to
key sectors such as agriculture.
Tim Lenton, a climate scientist at the University of Exeter
renowned for his work on tipping points (including the
scenario above), says the calculus among investors has
changed in recent years.
He says he's been speaking with a money manager that's
decided to divest from assets exposed to the impacts of
certain tipping points as soon as scientists deem the
threshold to have been crossed, and regardless of how long
the impacts take to crystallize. He declined to identify the
firm by name.
"The risk can take time to be fully realized," Lenton
said. "But if that change is underway and irreversible, you
may choose to reprice now and bring the future into the
present."
Financial watchdogs are taking note. In the UK, the
Prudential Regulation Authority last year told banks and
insurers to account for climate risks that may be non-linear
and irreversible. The PRA also said that backward-looking
data is no longer a reliable guide for the risks ahead.
AllianzGI, which looks after =600 billion ($685 billion) in
assets from its base in Frankfurt, Germany, is among
investors figuring out how to adapt. Mark Wade, head of
sustainability research and stewardship at AllianzGI, says
it's worth paying close attention to the insurance industry
to gauge how soon asset prices will start to react.
"It will be the insurability and financial tipping points
that arise from the breach of climate and biodiversity
tipping points that really garner mainstream attention," he
said.
With the physical manifestations of climate change
"already showing up;" Kapnick at JPMorgan says that
investors now recognize "that nonlinear step-changes--and
even policy-driven disclosure--can force repricing faster
than traditional models assume."
But figuring out how to model such risks represents a
gargantuan challenge for professional money managers.
Mirko Cardinale, head of investment strategy at USS
Investment Management Ltd., which oversees the pensions of
the employees of Britain's universities, says that "any
attempt to really predict when a tipping point is going to
occur is not going to be a very useful exercise."
However, "what we do know is that there is evidence that
there are some tipping points, like the permafrost thawing,
or even AMOC breakdown, that could tip in the next 1 5 to 20
years," he said.
For scenario analysis, USS generally focuses on a time
horizon of five to 10 years, Cardinale said. By the end of
that period, USS is alert to the potential for tipping points
to become relevant, he said.
The inability to produce precise time horizons around
tipping points makes them a difficult concept for investors,
said Aniket Shah, global head of sustainability and
transition strategy at Jefferies.
"The climate science community finds it hard give exact
dates, but for investors the time frame really matters,"
said Shah. "Is this is a 10-year story, or 50-year or a 100-
year story?"
Poincare at the Apave Climate School says "it is possible
that we will pass the point of no return this decade, but the
real impacts might not be felt until 50 years from now."
The lack of progress in fighting climate change, however,
means that some investors now find it necessary to brace for
extreme scenarios, says Justine Schafer, head of climate
modeling at the 1.2 trillion asset management
unit of Legal & General Group Plc.
"There is a sense of some people losing hope that there is
a change coming in terms of an energy transition," she said.
A slower pace of decarbonization than hoped is leaving some
investors "wanting to prepare for the very, very worst
outcome."
For investors trying to grasp the implications of tipping
points, part of the challenge is that they dwarf previous
crises, according to Shah at Jefferies.
"Economies and companies adapt to wars and to Covid, and
that adaptation can happen quickly," he said. "However,
unlike wars and pandemics, the difference here will be that
we have not seen irreversible shocks like this before."
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I therefore ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 557; further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Ernst). Is there objection?
The Senator from Ohio.
Mr. MORENO. Madam President, reserving the right to object, let me say a few things.
One, resolutions like this sound very much mild. It actually is just a bunch of words that basically just say:
Resolved, That the Senate recognizes unchecked climate change poses severe risks to national and global economies.
What is wrong with that? What is wrong with saying something like that? So let me explain where these kinds of ideas go. When the Democrats had control of the White House, the House of Representatives, and the Senate, they had the opportunity to help working Americans--the people who work every day to build this country, the middle class that all of us should be advocating for, the very people that--the New England Democrats that I once knew--J.F.K., et cetera--would have made their entire party platform about helping working Americans. Instead, what did they do? They betrayed working Americans with a wide, open border that lowered and suppressed wages. They passed electric vehicle subsidies. Let me walk you through exactly what the Democrats did, taking this kind of resolution to the maximum. They passed a subsidy that gave multimillionaires the ability to get $7,500 of taxpayer money to lease a luxury imported vehicle. And 250,000 of the wealthiest Americans got $7,500 each to lease a luxury electric vehicle because for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, that somehow would solve the issue of climate change. Not one single Democrat has ever answered the question: Why on Earth would you have possibly put forward horrific public policy like that? No. 2, if you notice, in the Senator from Rhode Island's presentation, there wasn't a single time he mentioned the largest polluter on Earth, which happens to be the People's Republic of China. We have been enabling the Chinese economy for decades. It was this body that normalized relations with China in 2000, that allowed them to come into the World Trade Organization and systematically pollute the planet. They are building coal facilities every week, while the Democrats, when they had control of government, were shutting them down. You could describe what was just discussed as an absolute China-first policy--America last, China first. One-third of all global pollution comes from China, and yet my colleague comes up here to talk about climate change and doesn't say a single word about that country. In fact, he continues to espouse policies that enable the Chinese. For example, in the aforementioned electric vehicle subsidies, most of those batteries that were in those electric vehicles came from Chinese battery manufacturers--made with slave wages, slave labor; using power derived from the very carbon emissions that you denounce. You live in a State that derives its electricity from the worst possible carbon footprint. You have electricity that comes over from Canada--propane, delivered on diesel trucks--because you refuse to build a pipeline from my State, where we can give you clean, natural gas that would reduce carbon emissions. The hypocrisy goes on and on. Then let's talk about recent events. My colleague, I have heard him, because I sit where you sit periodically, say the same thing many, many times in my 18 months that I have been here. He talks about electric vehicles: We have got to get off of internal combustion engines--a big policy of the Democrat Party. Let me give you a little statistic on automobiles. If you took every single car--automobile--off of the roads of America, nobody could drive a car for 12 months. That is nuts. I would suggest that is bad public policy. But follow me on that one: no automobiles on American roads for 12 months. The amount of carbon emissions that has polluted mostly the Midwest, over the last 2 weeks, because of mismanagement of Canada's forests, is equivalent to an entire year of carbon emissions from automobiles. Yet my colleague has not once called into question the fact that the Canadians do not allow our firefighters to go into their country to help, that they have mismanaged the way they coordinate these fire responses. They don't have a central entity to control it. No comment on the fact that millions of people in my State have been absolutely poisoned with carbon pollution coming from Canada. But what does he want? He wants our industries to be collapsed, our industries to be held to a different standard--not one word from China--and espousing policies like this electric vehicle subsidy for the richest Americans, while, at the same time, there are people flying around in private jets to global conferences to talk about climate change. Spare me the hypocrisy. And for all of those reasons and many, many more, I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Curtis)
The objection is heard.
The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. President, I am not going to go through a rebuttal of the factual misstatements to which we have just been treated, but I will add that I have objections to the IRA bill as well. We can all have objections to parts of the IRA.
But the fact is that fossil fuel emissions continue to cause harm; they continue to cause danger. And the warnings that I have described are now very real.
We can do nothing about it, and that has been the plan in the Senate ever since Citizens United dialed up the fossil fuel industry to influence us with dark money.
But if we are going to do something about it, we must start somewhere, and I would recommend that we start with some really simple facts, like the ones that I brought to the Senate floor just now.
These are serious warnings. Senators who wish to change the subject or distract us or prevent us from responding in any way to these serious warnings--well, that is everybody's choice. But I do think these warnings are serious enough that they merit attention.
So if you don't like my suggestion, let's do something different. But let's just not sit here and do nothing.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Virginia.
Artificial Intelligence (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4178–S4180 · Official textMr. President, moving off of this vigorous debate between my two friends on a topic that I think actually is of equal importance.
For most of the last decade, conversations about artificial intelligence were largely conversations about the future, but today they are conversations about the present.
AI is already changing how we work, how we learn, how we defend ourselves, how businesses compete, and, candidly, how Americans live their daily lives.
AI is writing software, discovering drugs, managing supply chains, helping defend our networks. It is already reshaping the economy, the workplace, and our national security.
The question is no longer whether artificial intelligence will transform our society. The question is whether Congress will help shape that transformation or spend the next decade scrambling to catch up after the fact.
Now, I have spent a lot of time on this issue over the last several years. Before entering public service, I spent my career in technology. I remain convinced that AI has enormous potential to improve lives, accelerate scientific discovery, strengthen our economy, and help America compete.
And I share the concern of many Americans that the impacts of this technology on our country and on our culture could also, if we don't get it right, be catastrophic.
Let's start with being honest with each other. We are not going to put this genie back in the bottle, and the amount of disruption this technology will bring over the next 5 years is beyond jaw-dropping.
I believe Congress made a similar mistake once before. We largely stood on the sidelines as social media reshaped our politics, our economy, our kids. We waited until the problems became so obvious before we began asking whether there should have been some rules of the road put in place first.
We cannot afford to make that same mistake again. That is why today I am introducing a legislative agenda--a series of bills--built around four simple principles:
First, we need to build the infrastructure for America's AI future responsibly. The AI revolution depends on enormous amounts of physical infrastructure--particularly massive data centers being built in the Presiding Officer's State, many being built already in Virginia. These facilities place extraordinary demands on electricity, water, and local communities.
Communities should not be asked to shoulder the cost of the AI revolution without knowing what they are signing up for. They deserve to know exactly what is being built in their backyard and a full understanding of what these facilities will mean for their electric grid, their water supply, their air quality, and local infrastructure.
My Data Center Tax Accountability and Disclosure Act fixes the problem. It gives people the facts before they need to make decisions about their communities.
My bill will ensure transparency about data center electricity and water consumption, backup power generation, and setbacks in residential communities, so as these data centers get built, they are not built right on top of residential neighborhoods--candidly, all information communities should have when planning and building decisions are being made.
And part of the way we will make this new standard be met, if Congress is going to provide special tax breaks that allow companies to write off the cost of building these facilities far faster than they otherwise could, these subsidies should come with conditions.
Companies receiving that taxpayer support--whether we want to call it bonus depreciation or accelerated depreciation--should meet strong standards for efficiency, sustainability, and accountability because American leadership in AI cannot come at the expense of the communities that make that leadership possible.
Second, we need to promote competition, safety, and consumer trust. If AI is going to become the interface through which Americans shop, bank, communicate, receive medical advice, and navigate the internet, then people need confidence that these systems are working for them and not exploiting them. That means a couple of things:
First, we need to preserve competition, especially when it comes to AI agents. We have seen what happens when a handful of dominant technology companies are allowed to become gatekeepers. Markets become less competitive, consumers have fewer choices, and innovation suffers.
As AI agents increasingly act on our behalf online, Americans, not big tech companies, should be able to decide which services they use and, candidly, where their data goes.
I plan to introduce new legislation to establish clear rights and responsibilities for these emerging AI agents so they can compete fairly while meeting strong standards for privacy, cyber security, and security protection.
Second, we need meaningful safeguards against abuse.
AI has extraordinary power and potential to improve lives, but it also makes it a lot easier to generate convincing fraud, exploit children, violate people's privacy, and create harmful content at unprecedented scale.
There is absolutely no legitimate use for an AI system capable of generating child sexual abuse material or nonconsensual intimate images--no use at all.
Companies developing these systems have a responsibility to build effective safeguards into their products--not after the harm occurs but before these systems are released. My legislation would establish a process to verify that AI models cannot generate child sexual abuse material or nonconsensual intimate images. And how to do that? By preventing the Federal Government from buying systems that fail those basic safeguards and giving survivors a meaningful path for justice when the protections fail.
We have seen some of this already start to emerge in terms of chatbot. If you think social media wreaks havoc with your teenagers, think about a chatbot that might consciously or unconsciously encourage your child to do self-harm.
As AI-generated content becomes increasingly sophisticated, we also have to protect our financial markets and our democratic institutions from fraud, deception, and manipulation, which is why, in the upcoming weeks, I will reintroduce my bipartisan legislation to require financial regulators to address the uses of AI-generated content that could disrupt financial markets. And it is coming.
If the United States wants to lead the world in AI, we can't simply build the best models; we need to build the most trusted ones. History shows that transformative technologies succeed not only because they are powerful but because people have confidence in using them. Congress has a responsibility to help create this confidence by ensuring that there are clear rules of the road before problems arise.
Third, we need to prepare America's workforce for the economy AI will generate.
This may ultimately become the defining economic challenge of our time. It is also why Senator Rounds and I introduced bipartisan legislation creating an Economy of the Future Commission to help our country develop a long-term strategy for artificial intelligence and other transformative technologies.
These changes won't happen overnight, and they won't be confined to one industry. We need a national strategy equal to the scale of the challenge because while there is every reason to believe that artificial intelligence will actually create new industries and new jobs over the long run, history tells us that technological revolutions rarely unfold smoothly.
This transition can be enormously disruptive. Workers whose skills are no longer in demand don't experience the benefits of productivity gains quickly; they experience uncertainty, they experience layoffs, and they experience the challenge of building a new career while supporting a family.
Some of the workers most exposed to this disruption may actually not be the ones traditionally exposed, as we thought about the internet in terms of low-skill jobs in rural communities. Today, unemployment amongst recent college graduates has risen to levels that should concern us all. As a matter of fact, I will bet that we will hit 30 percent recent college graduate unemployment in the next 2 years. I hope I am wrong, but if I am not wrong, we are in a heap of trouble.
Many of the occupations most vulnerable to generative AI are the very white-collar, entry-level jobs that have long served as the first rung on a career ladder--jobs in business, finance, marketing, software development, customer support, and other knowledge positions. If those entry-level opportunities begin disappearing faster than the new ones are created, we risk leaving an entire generation of young Americans struggling to gain a foothold in the workforce.
We cannot simply assume that the market will sort it out on its own in a short-enough time. That is why today I am proposing a National Workforce Transition Fund to help workers navigate this period of technological change. This fund would support worker retraining, portable training accounts, employer redeployment programs, tuition assistance for high-demand careers--frankly, if we could get half the folks in college that are majoring in business to switch to healthcare fields, that would be a step in the right direction--and also add innovative approaches to help workers adapt to this AI economy.
I am also introducing legislation to strengthen American's pipeline of homegrown STEM talent by helping universities create accelerated pathways into doctoral programs in critical technologies like AI, cyber security, semiconductors, and quantum.
Earlier this year, I introduced the Investing in the American Workers Act because we need to rethink the incentives in our Tax Code. Today, our Tax Code makes it a heck of a lot easier for companies to invest in machines than in people. That doesn't make sense in an AI economy. If businesses benefit from the productivity gains AI creates, they should also have a strong incentive to invest in the workers who make those gains possible. Our goal here is not to stop technological progress; the goal is to make sure every American person has an opportunity to gain from this.
Let me come to my final point. I realize we are approaching the vote, but I was supposed to start 30 minutes ago.
Finally, I want to talk about artificial intelligence through the lens of national security.
From my years on the Senate Intelligence Committee as chair and vice chair, I believe AI is one of the most consequential strategic technologies our country will confront in the coming decade. AI is rapidly becoming foundational to intelligence collection, cyber security, military planning, scientific research, and again, America's long-term competition with China. It will help analysts process information at a scale that no human workforce ever could. It will strengthen our ability to deter cyber intrusions, identify emerging threats, and support our military.
If properly developed and secured, AI can become one of America's greatest strategic advantages, but we would be naive to believe our adversaries aren't racing toward the same goal. China has made artificial intelligence a national priority. So has Russia, Iran, North Korea, and more specifically, international criminal organizations.
The same frontier AI models that accelerate scientific discovery can also identify cyber vulnerabilities, automate sophisticated cyber operations, and lower the barriers--
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Curtis)
May we ask the Members to take their conversations off the floor?
Thank you, Mr. President. I have only got a couple more minutes. I will wrap up as quickly as possible.
Maybe my colleagues might want to even listen to some of this because I think we actually have some good ideas here that cross both sides of the aisle.
The same frontier AI models that accelerate discovery can also figure out where the vulnerabilities are in our systems. That is why we cannot approach frontier AI models the same way we approach ordinary software updates. The most advanced AI systems deserve a higher standard of security before they are widely deployed.
I am proud to say that many of my friends inside the administration are recognizing this after the release of Mythos.
My Secure AI Development Act would establish mandatory, secure testing for our most advanced AI networks and models; improve the way the government and industry actually work together because neither team, public or private, can do this alone; strengthen information sharing between AI developers and the Federal Government; and establish a voluntary AI safety incident reporting system modeled after the aviation system. That is one of the reasons why people climb on airplanes so regularly in this country--because they know that works. It would also strengthen protections against foreign adversaries trying to steal some of the best of these frontier models.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned on the Intelligence Committee is that our national security failures often come when we recognize the threat but fail to act.
We cannot continue to punt on this issue. I have never seen a technology advance as quickly as AI. Traditionally, the promoters of that technology say it is coming, it is coming, and then it takes another 10 years. In the case of AI, the leading figures are saying it is coming, and it is coming even faster than they expected. We don't have months or years to get this right.
We need to combine the best of our innovation but also with some guardrails. As I started at the beginning, I think most of us would agree we would have a heck of a lot healthier generation of young people if we put some guardrails on social media. Social media is tiny compared to the power, both good and bad, around AI.
So I have laid out here a series of ideas and legislation. I look forward to working with folks on both sides of the aisle. There is no Republican or Democrat version of AI. But if we don't take these issues up now, if we are still having this conversation at the end of the year or next spring, I believe it will be too late.
I urge my colleagues to take a look at my ideas. If you have better ones, I welcome them. Let's move forward on this critical issue.
With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor and reserve the time to come back another time to finish the other 6 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Thank you, Senator Warner.
The Senator from Idaho.
Executive Calendar
Page S4180 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate immediately execute the order in relation to the Westercamp nomination.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Under the previous order, the Senate will resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read the nomination of Kara Marie Westercamp, of Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade.
Vote on Westercamp Nomination (Executive Calendar)
Page S4180 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Westercamp nomination?
I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk called the roll.
The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer) and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).
The result was announced--yeas 50, nays 48, as follows:
Text printed in the Record (783 characters)
Armstrong Banks Barrasso Blackburn Boozman Britt Budd Capito Cassidy Cornyn Cotton Crapo Cruz Curtis Daines Ernst Fischer Graham Grassley Hagerty Hawley Hoeven Husted Hyde-Smith Johnson Justice Kennedy Lankford Lee Lummis Marshall McCormick Moody Moran Moreno Murkowski Paul Ricketts Risch Rounds Schmitt Scott (FL) Scott (SC) Sheehy Sullivan Thune Tillis Tuberville Wicker Young
Alsobrooks Baldwin Bennet Blumenthal Blunt Rochester Booker Cantwell Collins Coons Cortez Masto Duckworth Durbin Fetterman Gallego Gillibrand Hassan Heinrich Hickenlooper Hirono Kaine Kelly Kim King Klobuchar Lujan Markey Merkley Murphy Murray Ossoff Padilla Peters Reed Rosen Sanders Schatz Schiff Schumer Shaheen Slotkin Smith Van Hollen Warner Warnock Warren Welch Whitehouse Wyden
Cramer McConnell
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table. The President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
The Senator from Louisiana.
Honoring Drew Hanson (Executive Calendar)
Page S4180 · Official textMr. President, Scripture says that "greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."
Deputy U.S. Marshal Drew Hanson was a member of the Western District of Louisiana's Fugitive Task Force.
More importantly, he was a husband, a father, and tragically he was shot and killed while arresting a man on sexual battery charges. Deputy Hanson displayed the greatest love; love for his country, love for justice, love for others.
The man who murdered him took his life, yes. But no criminal, no weapon can take a man's honor, courage, or legacy.
Mr. President, I ask for a moment of silence for Drew's family, for his friends, for his community, as we know they are grieving tremendously.
(Moment of silence.)
Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act (Executive Calendar)
Pages S4180–S4181 · Official textMr. President, when I go back to Louisiana, I meet with people around the State. Some things stand out. I went to a business once, and there was a fellow working. And the gentleman who was taking me around his business said: That guy over there 20 years ago got out of prison, and he has been the greatest employee we have ever had. There is nothing that is more of an anti-recidivism program than somebody getting a job and keeping a job and learning how to feed their family in an honest way. The same employer told me that they went to Fort Polk, an Army facility in Louisiana, and recruited the young men and women upon their separation because they just knew how to work with a team. They just knew how to work within a command structure. They had leadership ability, and he really made--his business made a real effort to get those people into a job. Now, those are happy stories of people getting out of jail, getting out of the service. It could be a trailing spouse who otherwise might have a problem finding a job, but in this man's employment, they got a great job. Now, in other cases, we hear of veterans having a difficult time being placed. We find that those people coming out of prison have a difficult time. Those people coming off of welfare have a difficult time getting a job. And if you are coming off of welfare and you have a difficult time getting a job, you are more likely to go back on welfare. If you are the trailing spouse and every 6 months you have moved and then your husband or your wife separates from the military, the trailing spouse has a difficult time because you look at the work record; she or he has been moving every 6 months. It is difficult for that employer to take a leap on someone with that kind of a record. All of these people can benefit from the Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act, which we call WOTC. WOTC is a bill that makes it easier to get a job if you are someone who, for one reason or another, might have a difficult time doing so. So we have mentioned the spouse of someone in the military. Again, they had to relocate so often that their work history looks like they can't keep a job. But WOTC would give an employer a Federal tax credit if they hire that military spouse, benefiting the employee, the employer, and rewarding that spouse who sacrificed just as much as the servicemember. So instead of making service a barrier to employment, WOTC rewards it for providing the military spouse the opportunity to build a stable, rewarding career. And in our country, that is how we should treat those who served our country in the military. Now, there are others whose circumstances prevent them from getting a good job; the mom who took off to raise children and is now getting back into the workforce; the lower income family coming off of welfare. WOTC provides an incentive, a little bit of a buffer, a little bit of a credit in terms of whether you hire that person. If there is an extra expense, if there is a little bit more turnover in that group of people whom you hire, the WOTC would--that tax credit, work opportunity tax credit--benefit the company. Now, I truly believe my observation in life that one of the most meaningful ways to strengthen a person's future, to support their family, and to uplift their community is by taking the skills that you know you have and finding a job in which you can meaningfully use those skills; a job in which you are happy to go to work and you are happy to come home. Yes. You love your vacation, and you love your weekend, but you are proud to have that job. That is why in the Working Families Tax Cuts bill, if you received SNAP benefits and you are able-bodied and you can work, then you should. But WOTC helps those who have been out of the workforce rejoin the workforce and supports the businesses along the way. When somebody gets a good job, they get more than an income. They find stability. They become independent. They have self-respect. They have a tool with which to achieve the American dream. And that is why I think we must reauthorize WOTC, which expired last December. People of my State and across the country support this bill and have contacted my office asking that Congress reinstate it, so that military spouse or the servicemember newly separated from the service, the working mom, the low-income family, the person being separated from jail, all these have the opportunity to work hard, contribute to society, to rejoin society's workforce, and succeed, despite the challenges they might face. This is good for America. This is good for business. This is good for society. Now, I wake up every day, and I think: What can I do to make life better for the people of my State and my country? The Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act creates jobs, expands opportunity, and makes life better for those who might otherwise have to struggle the most to have a better life. As we approach a new reconciliation bill, work on funding the government, other legislative vehicles, we should consider including WOTC as we extend it not just to those who traditionally have benefited but also to military spouses. Let's get this done for their sake, for our sake. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Louisiana.
Order of Procedure (Executive Calendar)
Page S4181 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the postcloture time with respect to the Flowers nomination be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow; further, that the cloture motions filed during Monday's session of the Senate ripen following disposition of the Flowers nomination; that if cloture is invoked on the Martin nomination, the postcloture time be expired at 2 p.m. tomorrow and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination; further, that if cloture is invoked on the Pozos nomination, the postcloture time be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Democratic leader, notwithstanding rule XXII, and no earlier than Thursday, July 23; further, that the cloture motion with respect to the Traynor nomination ripen at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during tomorrow'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.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Morning Business
Page S4181 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Tribute to Riley Becker
Page S4181 · Official textMr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Riley for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.
Riley is a native of Big Sky, MT. She is attending law school at the Charleston School of Law in South Carolina, where she is entering her final year. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months.
I want to thank Riley for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her journey.
Tribute to Lily Crago
Page S4181 · Official textMr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Lily for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.
Lily is a native of Kaycee, WY. Lily is currently enrolled at the University of Wyoming, where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science and agricultural communications. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months.
I want to thank Lily for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her journey.
Tribute to Wyatt Griffin
Page S4181 · Official textMr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Wyatt for his hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.
Wyatt is from Pinedale, WY. Wyatt is currently enrolled at Vanderbilt University, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics and minoring in business. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months.
I want to thank Wyatt for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.
Tribute to Sam Huffard
Page S4181 · Official textMr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Sam for his hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.
Sam was born in Washington, DC, and now lives in McLean, VA. Sam is currently enrolled at Washington and Lee University, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in European and American history, global politics, and business administration. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months.
I want to thank Sam for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.
Tribute to Macy Jones
Page S4181 · Official textMr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Macy for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.
Macy is a native of Wheatland, WY. Macy is currently enrolled at Montana State University, where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in business and military science. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months.
I want to thank Macy for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her journey.
Tribute to Charleigh Mellish
Pages S4181–S4182 · Official textMr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Charleigh Mellish for her hard work as an intern in my office in Cheyenne, WY. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.
Charleigh is a native of Cheyenne. She graduated in 2025 from South High School. She is a sophomore at Hastings College, where she plays on the collegiate softball team. After she graduates with majors in philosophy and religion, along with minors in sociology and writing, she hopes to attend law school at the University of Wyoming. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months.
I want to thank Charleigh for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her journey.
Tribute to Payton Smith
Page S4182 · Official textMr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Payton Smith for his hard work as an intern in my office in Cheyenne, WY. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.
Payton is a native of Cheyenne. He graduated in 2024 from Central High School. He is a senior at Rutgers University, where he is a member of the Rutgers Pre-Law Society and the Conservation Club. After he graduates with a major in political science, along with minors in environmental science and creative writing, he hopes to attend law school and eventually practice environmental law. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months.
I want to thank Payton for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.
Tribute to Zach Thurow
Page S4182 · Official textMr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my deep appreciation to Zach for his hard work and dedication as an intern in my Sheridan, WY, office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.
Zach is from Sheridan, WY. He recently completed his freshman year at George Mason University where he studied political science. He is currently working with a Navy recruiter for enlistment in the reserves. After completing training, he will serve as a reservist while enrolled at Purdue, studying international affairs and participating in ROTC. His end goal is serving as an officer while on active duty with the U.S. Navy. He has demonstrated an exceptionally strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months.
I want to thank Zach for the resolute dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.
Tribute to Ella Wallace
Page S4182 · Official textMr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Ella for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.
Ella is a native of Jackson, WY. Ella is currently enrolled at the University of Southern California, where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in law and social justice. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months.
I want to thank Ella for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her journey.
Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Crum Electric
Page S4182 · Official textMr. President, I rise today to recognize Wyoming's Crum Electric on its 50th anniversary. This outstanding Wyoming-based business has spent five decades helping power American communities, industries, and economic growth.
David H. Crum founded Crum Electric Supply in 1976 in Casper, WY. He grew it into one of the largest independent electrical distributors in the Rocky Mountain region. Since its founding in 1976, Crum Electric has grown from a single location electrical distributor into a trusted partner serving customers at 10 locations across Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and South Dakota. Throughout that journey, the company has remained committed to the values that define American business: hard work, innovation, integrity, and exceptional customer service.
David has been a longtime leader in the industry. He served as the National Association of Electrical Distributors Chairman in 1996. He also received the Arthur W. Hooper Award in 2005. It is the association's highest individual honor for service and leadership. In 1999, the University of Wyoming recognized David with its Distinguished Alumni award.
In 2024, David announced his retirement after leading the company for nearly 50 years. David's legacy continues with his son Dave, who is now at the helm of Crum Electric as its CEO.
Electrical distributors like Crum Electric are often the unsung heroes of our economy. They ensure contractors, manufacturers, utilities, and businesses have the products and expertise needed to build schools, hospitals, factories, energy infrastructure, and the technologies that keep Wyoming and our country moving ahead.
As America modernizes its electric grid, expands domestic manufacturing, and invests in new energy technologies, Crum Electric will continue to play an indispensable role in strengthening our Nation's infrastructure and supply chains.
Congratulations to the entire Crum Electric team, past and present, on 50 years of excellence. I wish them continued success for many years to come.
Vote Explanation
Page S4182 · Official textMr. President, I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted yes on rollcall vote No. 50, On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Amdt. No. 4308).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted yes on rollcall vote No. 52, On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: H.R. 6644 as amended).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 54, On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Motion to Proceed to H.R. 7147).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 59, On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Upon Reconsideration, Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 7147).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 60, On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Tuberville Amdt. No. 4421 to the Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1383 with Amendment).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted yes on rollcall vote No. 61, On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Schumer Motion to Suspend the Rules re: TSA Funding).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 62, On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Markwayne Mullin to be Secretary of Homeland Security).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 168, On the Nomination (Confirmation: Anthony J. Powell, of Kansas, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Kansas).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 171, On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Justin D. Smith to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 189, On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Arthur Roberts Jones to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas).
I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted yes on rollcall vote No. 190, On the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Proceed to S.J. Res. 196).
Tribute to Chief Master Sergeant Megan W. Parrott
Pages S4182–S4183 · Official textMr. President, I rise today to recognize and congratulate CMSgt Megan W. Parrott on her retirement from the U.S. Air Force after more than 27 years of distinguished service in uniform to our Nation.
Throughout her accomplished career, Chief Master Sergeant Parrott has exemplified the professionalism, leadership, and commitment to excellence that define the very best of the U.S. Air Force. She currently serves as the strategic communications advisor to the Chief of the Air Force Reserve, where she oversees the development and coordination of strategic communications that advance the Reserve's priorities and strengthen engagement with Congress, community partners, and other key stakeholders.
Chief Parrott began her military service in 1999 as an aircraft maintenance guidance and control technician on the KC-10A Extender. Following her transition to the Air Force Reserve, she held numerous leadership roles within the maintenance community before being selected to serve as the operations noncommissioned officer in charge for the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Her exceptional performance, sound judgment, and steadfast dedication earned her some of the Air Force Reserve's most significant leadership opportunities.
I had the privilege of getting to know Megan when she served in my office as my Defense fellow in 2018. As the first enlisted legislative fellow selected from the Air Force Reserve, she brought invaluable insight and expertise to my staff, advising on defense, national security, and veterans' affairs policy. Those who had the opportunity to work with her appreciated the professionalism, integrity, and dedication to public service she demonstrated to benefit Arkansans and the military and veteran community across our Nation.
Chief Parrott's career reflects an unwavering devotion to duty and a steadfast commitment to serving both the Air Force Reserve and our country. We are tremendously proud of her selfless service, exemplary leadership, and commitment to the men and women of our Armed Forces.
On behalf of the U.S. Senate, the Senate Air Force Caucus, and a grateful nation, I extend my sincere appreciation to Chief Parrott and her family for their many years of sacrifice and dedication. I congratulate her on an extraordinary career and wish her continued success in the years ahead.
Tribute to Cade Edwards
Page S4183 · Official textMr. President, today I recognize Cade Edwards, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work he has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Mr. Edwards is a graduate of O'Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, SD. He is currently attending the University of Iowa, where he studies political science and economics. Mr. Edwards is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. He has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr. Edwards for all of the work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.
Tribute to Bailey Feistner
Page S4183 · Official textMr. President, today I recognize Bailey Feistner, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work she has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Ms. Feistner is a graduate of Woonsocket High School in Woonsocket, SD. She recently graduated from the University of South Dakota, where she studied legal studies and political science. Ms. Feistner is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. She has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Feistner for all of the work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.
Tribute to Baylie Somsen
Page S4183 · Official textMr. President, today I recognize Baylie Somsen, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work she has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Ms. Somsen is a graduate of Webster High School in Webster, SD. She is currently attending South Dakota State University, where she studies business economics. Ms. Somsen is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. She has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Somsen for all of the work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.
Tribute to Olivia Wendland
Page S4183 · Official textMr. President, today I recognize Olivia Wendland, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work she has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Ms. Wendland is a graduate of Milbank High School in Milbank, SD. She is currently attending Clemson University, where she studies economics. Ms. Wendland is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. She has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Wendland for all of the work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.
Recognizing the Appalachian Mountain Club
Pages S4183–S4184 · Official textMr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the Appalachian Mountain Club and recognize its 150 years of dedicated service in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of our country. As the Nation's oldest continuously operating outdoor recreation and conservation organization, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) has encouraged generations of Americans to venture outside and protect the region's most beautiful and prized mountain landscapes.
AMC began with a call from Professor Edward Charles Pickering for "those interested in mountain exploration" to attend a meeting in early January 1876 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to news reports at the time, the meeting drew interest from 30 to 40 people. They gathered in an era when more Americans were beginning to appreciate mountains for their unparalleled beauty, their open space for recreation, and their considerable value for scientific study of the natural world. In the early years of the organization, members set their sights on New Hampshire's White Mountains to visit, create accurate maps, build accessible trails, and collect data in a variety of fields from botany to geology to meteorology. They published the first edition of Appalachia in 1876, which grew into the Nation's leading and longest running journal on outdoor exploration and conservation. In 1888, AMC opened its first backcountry hut in the Presidential Range and dramatically reshaped the culture of hiking in the region. The Madison Spring Hut has not only offered overnight shelter to exhausted hikers, but also contributed to scientific research, supported trail stewardship and visitor safety, and helped protect a fragile alpine environment. AMC still operates a network of eight huts in New Hampshire's White Mountains, and they epitomize the organization's founding philosophy of making mountain experiences more accessible while also promoting stewardship of the landscape.
AMC's advocacy for the passage of the Weeks Act in 1911 is another example of its work at the intersection of conservation and recreation. Known as one of the most important conservation laws in American history, the Weeks Act authorized the Federal Government to purchase private land for the purpose of restoring and protecting forests and watersheds. It led directly to the establishment of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and later dozens of other national forests in the eastern United States. Today, nearly 20 million acres of forestland have been permanently protected through the Weeks Act. Thanks in large part to the public support AMC generated for its passage, Americans will enjoy the many environmental, economic and recreational benefits of these lands for generations to come.
The Weeks Act was a defining public policy achievement for AMC, but it was far from its last. Throughout the next century, its members and volunteers would continue to advocate for smart, forward-thinking legislation and programs that balance recreation, scientific research, conservation, and public access to this valuable mountain environment. AMC launched the Maine Woods Initiative in 2003 to conserve land, support sustainable forestry, create new trails, and enhance climate resilience across Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness. It also championed the Highlands Conservation Act in 2004 that protected thousands of acres of forestlands and watersheds in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Most recently, AMC promoted the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act and the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This legislation is helping to tackle a substantial backlog of maintenance projects on Federal public lands.
While promoting and raising public awareness for conservation, AMC never lost sight of one of its earliest objectives: to build and maintain public trails. It remains one of the Northeast's largest trail stewards. AMC crews care for more than 1,800 miles of trails across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including many of New Hampshire's most popular routes. In 2021, I was proud to secure Federal funding used by AMC to restore and realign the Franconia Ridge Loop Trail, one of the Northeast's premier hikes. I was also pleased to see AMC open the Cardigan Mountain All-Persons Trail in 2023, a half-mile trail in Alexandria, NH, that allows people with wheelchairs and other mobility devices to take in a tranquil mountain setting.
The 150th anniversary of the Appalachian Mountain Club is worthy of celebration. It is an opportunity to reflect on a century-and-a-half of advocacy and hard work that has strengthened our connection with each other and the natural world. It is also a chance to look forward and recommit to the longstanding mission of this worthy organization: to foster the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors. I ask all Americans to join me in recognizing these enduring contributions and saluting the next generation of AMC staff, volunteers, explorers, and stewards who will carry forth this legacy in the next 150 years and beyond.
Tribute to Jory Thomas
Page S4184 · Official textMr. President, today I have the honor to recognize Jory Thomas as Montanan of the Month.
Earlier this year, Jory was camping with his family when he heard cries for help coming from the water. The 14-year-old acted swiftly when he saw a man floating down the river, battling the strong currents.
Jory didn't hesitate and sprinted down the riverbank to catch up with the man. He had grown up on a ranch and brought his lariat on the camping trip and was able to rope the man on his first throw. He pulled the man through chest-deep, swift-moving water, all the way to shore and safety.
Jory demonstrated quick thinking and coolness under pressure, with bravery far beyond his years. His friends and family say that he has always been kind and helpful, and he is a true example of the Montana spirit.
I am thrilled to commend Jory Thomas for his heroic actions. It is my distinct honor to recognize Jory Thomas as Montanan of the Month.
Recognizing Taylor's Maid-Rite
Page S4184 · Official textMr. President, as chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Iowa small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to honor Taylor's Maid-Rite of Marshalltown, IA, as the Senate Small Business of the Week.
In 1926, Fred Angell created the Maid-Rite sandwich in Muscatine, IA, out of the need for a convenient, affordable meal that could be assembled quickly, customized with a variety of toppings, and still deliver great taste. Following its immediate success, Angell began franchising the concept, expanding first to Newton in 1927 and then to Marshalltown in 1928. Soon after, Cliff and Emma Taylor purchased the Marshalltown franchise, establishing what would become Taylor's Maid-Rite. Alongside the signature sandwiches, the couple introduced homemade pies and cinnamon rolls while sourcing ingredients such as pickles and buns from other local businesses.
Nearly a century later, Taylor's Maid-Rite remains in the Taylor family, now entering its fourth generation. In 1944, Cliff and Emma's son Don Taylor and his wife Polly assumed ownership and continued expanding the business. They built a cooler beneath their home to keep ingredients fresh. In 1958, they opened a new building across the street from the original location, outfitted with modern stainless-steel equipment and two cash registers. After Don's passing in 1973, Polly continued operating the restaurant until her grandson Don Short became the owner in 1985. When Don Short later pursued a different career, his mother Sandy Taylor Short assumed leadership of the family business, where she continues to serve today alongside her children--Don, David, and Sarah--who are all part owners.
Today, Taylor's Maid-Rite continues to grind 100 percent choice beef daily to ensure freshness and quality and serves homemade ice cream made from its original recipe. Nearly a century later, the restaurant remains a family-owned Iowa tradition supported by dedicated employees and loyal customers throughout Marshall County.
Sandy Taylor Short and Taylor's Maid-Rite are active members of the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce. In recognition of her commitment to the community, Sandy received the Chamber's Women in Business Award in 2023. Taylor's Maid-Rite has also earned numerous accolades, including MSN.com's 2017 "Best Sandwich in Iowa," Midwest Living magazine's 1997 recognition as the "King of Loose Meat Burgers," Business Insider's 2026 designation as Iowa's "Most Iconic Sandwich Shop," and the 2023 Marshalltown Small Business of the Year Award. The restaurant was also featured in Travel + Leisure magazine in 2006, and its signature sandwiches were served at George Motz's Hamburger America during April and May 2025.
Beyond these honors, Taylor's Maid-Rite remains deeply committed to its community. The restaurant famously celebrates Marshalltown High School football victories by providing free malts after every home win. If the team captures a State championship, players are rewarded with free Maid-Rite sandwiches and malts. Taylor's Maid-Rite's continued investment in Marshalltown reflects the same entrepreneurial spirit that inspired Cliff and Emma Taylor nearly 100 years ago.
I am pleased to recognize the Taylor family and the employees of Taylor's Maid-Rite for their dedication to Marshalltown and Marshall County. I look forward to their continued success and wish them the very best in the years ahead.
Messages from the President
Page S4184 · Official textMessages from the President of the United States were communicated to the Senate by Mr. Hanley, one of his secretaries.
Executive Messages Referred
Page S4184 · Official textIn executive session the Presiding Officer laid before the Senate messages from the President of the United States submitting sundry nominations which were referred to the appropriate committees. (The messages received today are printed at the end of the Senate proceedings.)
Message from the House
Pages S4184–S4185 · Official textAt 3:30 p.m., a message from the House of Representatives, delivered by Mrs. Alli, one of its reading clerks, announced that the House has passed the following bills, in which it requests the concurrence of the Senate:
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H.R. 1493. An act to reauthorize and make improvements to Federal programs relating to the prevention, detection, and treatment of traumatic brain injuries, and for other purposes.
H.R. 1703. An act to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify payment rules for manual wheelchairs under part B of the Medicare program.
H.R. 2001. An act to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize a grant
program for addressing dental workforce needs.
H.R. 2069. An act to amend the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to ensure that other transaction agreements are reported to USAspending.gov, and for other purposes.
H.R. 2715. An act to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to extend the destruction authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to articles that present a significant public health concern, and for other purposes.
H.R. 2821. An act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to publish a final rule relating to nonclinical testing methods.
H.R. 3029. An act to amend the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to support nucleic acid screening, and for other purposes.
H.R. 3491. An act to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a program of research, training, and investigation related to Down syndrome, and for other purposes.
H.R. 3747. An act to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Project ECHO Grant Program, to establish grants under such program to disseminate knowledge and build capacity to address Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and for other purposes.
H.R. 4123. An act to improve Federal technology procurement, and for other purposes.
H.R. 4348. An act to reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act, and for other purposes.
H.R. 4541. An act to reauthorize the Young Women's Breast Health Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009.
H.R. 5160. An act to reauthorize the Stem Cell Therapeutic Research Act of 2005 and for other purposes.
H.R. 5362. An act to name the Department of Veterans Affairs multispecialty clinic in Marietta, Georgia, as the "Colonel Michael H. Boyce Department of Veterans Affairs Multispecialty Clinic".
H.R. 5578. An act to ensure whistleblowers, including contractors, are protected from retaliation when a Federal employee orders a reprisal, and for other purposes.
H.R. 6238. An act to establish the IMPROVE Initiative within the National Institutes of Health.
H.R. 6330. An act to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for lump-sum relocation payments for Federal employees relocated in the interest of the Government, and for other purposes.
H.R. 8790. An act to amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to direct research development, demonstration, and commercial application activities in support of next-generation geothermal and closed-loop geothermal systems in various conditions, and for other purposes.
H.R. 8823. An act to amend the Federal Employees' Compensation Act to allow the Secretary of Labor to suspend payments to medical providers who have been convicted of fraud.
The message also announced that pursuant to 2 U.S.C. 2062, and the order of the House of January 3, 2025, the Speaker appoints the following individuals to the Advisory Board for the House of Representatives Child Care Center: Ms. Sonali Jatin Desai of Arlington, Virginia, Mr. Eric Louis Delaney of Washington, D.C., and Ms. Erin M. Kolodjeski of Arlington, Virginia.
Measures Referred
Page S4185 · Official textThe following bills were read the first and the second times by unanimous consent, and referred as indicated:
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H.R. 1493. An act to reauthorize and make improvements to Federal programs relating to the prevention, detection, and treatment of traumatic brain injuries, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
H.R. 1703. An act to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify payment rules for manual wheelchairs under part B of the Medicare program; to the Committee on Finance.
H.R. 2001. An act to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize a grant program for addressing dental workforce needs; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
H.R. 2715. An act to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to extend the destruction authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to articles that present a significant public health concern, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
H.R. 3029. An act to amend the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to support nucleic acid screening, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
H.R. 3491. An act to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a program of research, training, and investigation related to Down syndrome, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
H.R. 3747. An act to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Project ECHO Grant Program, to establish grants under such program to disseminate knowledge and build capacity to address Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
H.R. 4123. An act to improve Federal technology procurement, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
H.R. 5362. An act to name the Department of Veterans Affairs multispecialty clinic in Marietta, Georgia, as the "Colonel Michael H. Boyce Department of Veterans Affairs Multispecialty Clinic"; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
H.R. 6238. An act to establish the IMPROVE Initiative within the National Institutes of Health; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
H.R. 6330. An act to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for lump-sum relocation payments for Federal employees relocated in the interest of the Government, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
H.R. 8790. An act to amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to direct research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities in support of next-generation geothermal and closed-loop geothermal systems in various conditions, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
H.R. 8823. An act to amend the Federal Employees' Compensation Act to allow the Secretary of Labor to suspend payments to medical providers who have been convicted of fraud; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Measures Placed on the Calendar
Page S4185 · Official textThe following bills were read the first and second times by unanimous consent, and placed on the calendar:
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H.R. 4348. An act to reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act, and for other purposes.
H.R. 5160. An act to reauthorize the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, and for other purposes.
H.R. 5578. An act to ensure that whistleblowers, including contractors, are protected from retaliation when a Federal employee orders a reprisal, and for other purposes.
Executive and Other Communications
Pages S4185–S4187 · Official textThe following communications were laid before the Senate, together with accompanying papers, reports, and documents, and were referred as indicated:
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EC-4105. A communication from the Director of Regulatory Oversight and Management, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Expansion of VA Process for 72-Hour Notification of Emergency Treatment" (RIN2900-AS29) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 13, 2026; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
EC-4106. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(b) (1) of the Arms Export Control Act, the notification of enhancements or upgrades from the level of sensitivity of technology or capability (RSAT Case 26-76); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-4107. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) and (d) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license amendment for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Australia and Japan in the amount of $100,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 24-050); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-4108. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license for the export of firearms, parts, and components controlled under Category I of the U.S. Munitions List to Israel in the amount of $1,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 26-029); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-4109. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Canada, Germany, Norway, and Singapore in the amount of $50,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 24-041); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-4110. A communication from the Assistant General Counsel, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans; Interest Assumptions for Valuing Benefits" (29 CFR Part 4044) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 20, 2026; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
EC-4111. A communication from the Regulations Coordinator, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human
Services, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Food Standards of Identity Modernization; Pasteurized Orange Juice" (RIN0910-AI98) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 20, 2026; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
EC-4112. A communication from the Associate Division Counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media" (RIN1653-AA95) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 20, 2026; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
EC-4113. A communication from the Chief Regulatory Officer, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility" (RIN1615-AD06) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 20, 2026; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
EC-4114. A communication from the Section Chief, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Transfer Tax Safe Harbor for Certain Contributions to Section 530A Trump Accounts" (Rev. Proc. 2026-25) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 14, 2026; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4115. A communication from the Regulations Coordinator, Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Designated Placement Requirements Under Titles IV-E and IV-B for LGBTQI+ Children; Rescission" (RIN0970-AD19) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 14, 2026; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4116. A communication from the Deputy Assistant General Counsel, Department of Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report relative to the discontinuation of service in an acting role for a position covered by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 for the position of Assistant General Counsel (Treasury) and Internal Revenue Service Chief Counsel, Department of Treasury, received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 14, 2026; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4117. A communication from the Federal Register Liaison, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust Listed Transaction" (RIN1545-BQ58) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 14, 2026; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4118. A communication from the Assistant Secretary for Legislation, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report entitled "Child Welfare Outcomes 2022: Report to Congress"; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4119. A communication from the Deputy Assistant General Counsel, Department of Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report relative to a vacancy, designation of an acting officer, and a nomination for a position covered by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 for the position of Assistant General Counsel (Treasury) and Internal Revenue Service Chief Counsel, Department of Treasury, received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 13, 2026; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4120. A communication from the Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report entitled "Part D Plans Generally Include Drugs Commonly Used By Dual-Eligible Enrollees: 2026"; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4121. A communication from the Senior Regulations Writer, Social Security Administration, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Cardiovascular Disorders" (RIN0960-AI43) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on June 13, 2026; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4122. A communication from the Federal Register Liaison, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Revising Qualified Domestic Trust Regulations Under Section 2056A to Update Outdated References and Procedures" (RIN1545-BQ88) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 14, 2026; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4123. A communication from the Federal Register Liaison, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Information Reporting and Transfer for Valuable Consideration Rules for Section 1035 Exchanges of Life Insurance and Certain Other Life Insurance Contract Transactions" (RIN1545-BQ07) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 14, 2026; to the Committee on Finance.
EC-4124. A communication from the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Chief Financial Officer, Department of Homeland Security, transmitting, pursuant to law, the Department's Agency Financial Report for fiscal year 2025; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4125. A communication from the Secretary of Energy, transmitting, proposed legislation to amend 50 U.S. Code Chapter 41, Subchapter III, Matters Relating to Personnel, to make the National Nuclear Security Administration's Pay Banding and Pay-for-Performance Demonstration Project a permanent alternative personnel system; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4126. A communication from the Assistant Secretary for Legislation, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting, pursuant to law, the Department's Semiannual Report of the Inspector General for the period from October 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4127. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-367, "Personal Delivery Device Weight Limit Temporary Amendment Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4128. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-368, "Leading Education Access for Reentry and Necessary Success ("LEARNS") Amendment Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4129. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-359, "Prenatal and Postpartum Remote Patient Monitoring Clarification Amendment Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4130. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-360, "Judith Heumann Memorial Workers with Disabilities Amendment Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4131. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-361, "Open Meetings Clarification Amendment Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4132. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-362, "Green's Court Park Designation Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4133. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-363, "Harmony Park Designation Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4134. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-364, "Rodney Wright Basketball Court Designation Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4135. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-365, "Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4136. A communication from the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report on D.C. Act 26-366, "River East at Grandview Homeownership Relief and Restoration Amendment Act of 2026"; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4137. A communication from the Director of the Regulations and Disclosure Law Division, Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process" (RIN1685-AA45) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 7, 2026; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4138.
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A communication from the Chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, transmitting, pursuant to law, the Board's fiscal year 2026 Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act submission of its commercial and inherently governmental activities; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
EC-4139. A communication from the Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation, Department of Agriculture, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program" (RIN0560-AI88) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 14, 2026; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
EC-4140. A communication from the Acting Branch Chief of the Regulatory Management Division, Environmental Protection Agency, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Bacteriophage Active Against Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria__EcoPhage and Bacteriophage Active Against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato__EcoPhage; Exemptions from the Requirement of a Pesticide Tolerance" (FRL No. 13363-01-OCSPP) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 13, 2026; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
EC-4141. A communication from the Acting Division Director, Regulations Management
Division, Department of Agriculture, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Revisions to the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Loan Program" (RIN0570-AB14) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
EC-4142. A communication from the Deputy Secretary of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Margin Requirements for Uncleared Swaps for Swap Dealers and Major Swap Participants" (RIN3038-AF36) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 20, 2026; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
EC-4143. A communication from the General Counsel of the National Credit Union Administration, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Records Preservation Program and Appendices-Record Retention Guidelines; Catastrophic Act Preparedness Guidelines" (RIN3133-AF61) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
EC-4144. A communication from the Associate General Counsel of the National Credit Union Administration, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Prohibition on the Use of Reputation Risk" (RIN3133-AF67) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
EC-4145. A communication from the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System, transmitting, pursuant to law, the Board's Monetary Policy Report to Congress: July 2026; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
EC-4146. A communication from the Assistant General Counsel for Legislation, Regulation, and Energy Efficiency, Office of the General Counsel, Department of Energy, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Administrative False Claims and Procedures" (RIN1990-AA55) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
EC-4147. A communication from the Secretary of Energy, transmitting, proposed legislation reduce redundancies in health and safety oversight of Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
EC-4148. A communication from the Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Rescinding the Definition of `Harm' Under the Endangered Species Act" (RIN1018-BI38) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 20, 2026; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
EC-4149. A communication from the Acting Branch Chief of the Regulatory Management Division, Environmental Protection Agency, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "New Source Performance Standards Review for Stationary Combustion Turbines and Stationary Gas Turbines; Correction" (FRL No. 11542.1-02-OAR) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
EC-4150. A communication from the Acting Branch Chief of the Regulatory Management Division, Environmental Protection Agency, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Air Plan Approval and Air Quality Designation; Ohio; Attainment Plan and Redesignation of the Canton Area to Attainment of the 2008 Lead Standard" (FRL No. 13226-02-R5) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
EC-4151. A communication from the Acting Branch Chief of the Regulatory Management Division, Environmental Protection Agency, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Air Plan Approval; Iowa; Revisions to Iowa Air Quality Regulations" (FRL No. 13242-02-R7) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
EC-4152. A communication from the Acting Branch Chief of the Regulatory Management Division, Environmental Protection Agency, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Air Plan Approval; Pennsylvania; Interim Final Determination to Stay and Defer Sanctions Related to Reasonably Available Control Technology Requirements (RACT) for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Control Technique Guidelines (CTG) Under the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)" (FRL No. 13384-01-R3) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
EC-4153. A communication from the Acting Branch Chief of the Regulatory Management Division, Environmental Protection Agency, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Approval and Promulgation of State Plan (Negative Declaration) for Designated Facilities and Pollutants; Nebraska; Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration" (FRL No. 13457-02-R7) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
EC-4154. A communication from the Acting Branch Chief of the Regulatory Management Division, Environmental Protection Agency, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Air Plan Revisions; California; Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District; New Source Review; Stationary Source Permits" (FRL No. 12601-03-R9) received in the Office of the President of the Senate on July 16, 2026; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Executive Report of Committee
Page S4187 · Official textThe following executive report of a nomination was submitted: By Mr. COTTON for the Select Committee on Intelligence. *Walter Clayton, of New York, to be Director of National Intelligence. *Nomination was reported with recommendation that it be confirmed subject to the nominee's commitment to respond to requests to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of the Senate.
Introduction of Bills and Joint Resolutions
Pages S4187–S4188 · Official textThe following bills and joint resolutions were introduced, read the first and second times by unanimous consent, and referred as indicated:
Text printed in the Record (7,319 characters)
By Mr. KIM (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Padilla,
and Mr. Booker):
S. 5037. A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to make all children eligible for Medicaid from birth until age 26, to require States to automatically enroll children and young adults under age 26 in the State Medicaid program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mr. CASSIDY:
S. 5038. A bill to prohibit the transfer of the functions of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mr. LEE:
S. 5039. A bill to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
By Mr. WYDEN:
S. 5040. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose limitations on high-income taxpayers with large retirement account balances; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Kim, and Mr.
Daines):
S. 5041. A bill to advance population research for chronic pain; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Lujan,
Mr. Whitehouse, and Ms. Duckworth):
S. 5042. A bill to protect our Social Security system and improve benefits for current and future generations; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mr. BUDD:
S. 5043. A bill to direct the Food and Drug Administration to prevent the importation of counterfeit, unapproved, misbranded, or adulterated drugs from the People's Republic of China or other foreign countries, to establish enhanced safeguards for imported drug products, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mr. SCOTT of Florida (for himself and Mrs.
Blackburn):
S. 5044. A bill to require the Secretary of State to establish a memorial to honor victims of genocide and crimes against humanity committed by the Chinese Communist Party and individuals otherwise persecuted in the People's Republic of China, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
By Mr. CURTIS (for himself, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Capito,
Mr. Padilla, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Kelly):
S. 5045. A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to modify the handling of air quality monitoring with respect to prescribed fires, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Ms. Collins, and Ms.
Murkowski):
S. 5046. A bill to prohibit the transfer of certain offices and functions of the Department of Education to other Federal agencies, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mr. SHEEHY (for himself and Mr. Kim):
S. 5047. A bill to require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish a working group to facilitate coordination among relevant stakeholders regarding compound risks relating to artificial intelligence physical systems, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
By Mr. DAINES (for himself, Mr. Risch, and Ms.
Murkowski):
S. 5048. A bill to amend the Federal Power Act to modernize the hydropower licensing process, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
By Mr. CRAMER (for himself and Mr. Gallego):
S. 5049. A bill to create a safe harbor for insurers engaging in the business of insurance in connection with a cannabis-related legitimate business, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
By Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER (for herself and Mr. Sheehy):
S. 5050. A bill to support an interdisciplinary research community for the advancement of artificial intelligence and AI-powered innovation through partnerships and capacity building at certain institutions of higher education and other institutions, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
By Mr. WARNER:
S. 5051. A bill to promote competition and reduce consumer switching costs in the provision of online services, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
By Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Ms. Alsobrooks):
S. 5052. A bill to address the health of cancer survivors and unmet needs that survivors face through the entire continuum of care from diagnosis through active treatment and posttreatment, in order to improve survivorship, treatment, transition to recovery and beyond, quality of life and palliative care, and long-term health outcomes, including by developing a minimum standard of care for cancer survivorship, irrespective of the type of cancer, a survivor's background, or forthcoming survivorship needs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
By Ms. WARREN (for herself and Mr. Durbin):
S. 5053. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for accreditation reform, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mr. WARNER:
S. 5054. A bill to exempt AI data centers from bonus depreciation and require data center operators to submit certain information relating to electricity and water use by data centers, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mr. WARNER:
S. 5055. A bill to establish a National Workforce Transition Board to support training and education activities for workers, in response to the adoption of artificial intelligence and emerging technology, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
By Ms. WARREN (for herself, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Smith,
Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Wyden,
and Mr. Booker):
S. 5056. A bill to improve State, local, and Tribal public health security; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mr. WARNER:
S. 5057. A bill to prohibit the use of certain artificial intelligence models across the Federal Government, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
By Mrs. MOODY:
S. 5058. A bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit staged collisions with commercial motor vehicles, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
By Mrs. MOODY (for herself, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Scott
of Florida, and Ms. Blunt Rochester):
S. 5059. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to streamline the review of biosimilar biological products; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Schatz, and Mrs.
Gillibrand):
S. 5060. A bill to comprehensively combat child marriage in the United States; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
By Mr. WARNER:
S. 5061. A bill to improve the tracking and processing of security and safety incidents and risks associated with artificial intelligence, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
By Ms. WARREN (for herself and Mr. Banks):
S.J. Res. 201. A joint resolution directing the Federal Trade Commission to investigate and report on anticompetitive practices and violations of the antitrust laws in the fire truck manufacturing industry; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Submission of Concurrent and Senate Resolutions
Page S4188 · Official textThe following concurrent resolutions and Senate resolutions were read, and referred (or acted upon), as indicated:
Text printed in the Record (2,285 characters)
By Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr.
Bennet, Mr. Coons, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Hirono, Mr.
Kim, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Ossoff, Mr.
Sanders, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Welch, and
Mr. Whitehouse):
S. Res. 807. A resolution directing the Senate Legal Counsel to bring a civil action in the name of the Senate to enforce the Foreign Emoluments Clause contained in clause 8 of section 9 of article I of the Constitution of the United States; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
By Mrs. BLACKBURN:
S. Res. 808. A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that Eleanor L. Ross, judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, engaged in conduct that falls beneath the dignity of her office; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal):
S. Res. 809. A resolution designating June 15, 2026, as "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day" and the month of June 2026 as "Elder Abuse Awareness Month"; considered and agreed to.
By Mr. THUNE:
S. Res. 810. A resolution to constitute the majority party's membership on certain committees for the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, or until their successors are chosen; considered and agreed to.
By Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER (for herself, Ms. Alsobrooks,
Mr. Warnock, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal,
Mr. Booker, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez
Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Fetterman, Mr.
Gallego, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Heinrich,
Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly,
Mr. Kim, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lujan, Mr.
Markey, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr.
Ossoff, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Ms. Rosen,
Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Schumer,
Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Slotkin, Ms. Smith, Mr. Van Hollen,
Mr. Warner, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse,
and Mr. Wyden):
S. Con. Res. 36. A concurrent resolution recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages paid to men and to Black women; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mr. THUNE:
S. Con. Res. 37. A concurrent resolution authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony to honor the late Senator Lindsey O. Graham; considered and agreed to.
Additional Cosponsors
Pages S4188–S4190 · Official textAt the request of Mr. Scott of South Carolina, the name of the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Budd) was added as a cosponsor of S. 204, a bill to protect the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children as a fundamental right. At the request of Ms. Cortez Masto, the names of the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Husted), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz) and the Senator from Maine (Mr. King) were added as cosponsors of S. 1234, a bill to amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to update the resource limit for supplemental security income eligibility. At the request of Mr. Cassidy, the name of the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-Smith) was added as a cosponsor of S. 1406, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the payment method for oxygen and oxygen related equipment, supplies, and services, to increase beneficiary access to oxygen and oxygen related equipment, supplies, and services, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Tillis, the name of the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar) was added as a cosponsor of S. 1441, a bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to award grants to nonprofit entities to assist such entities in carrying out programs to provide service dogs to eligible veterans, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Thune, the name of the Senator from Nevada (Ms. Rosen) was added as a cosponsor of S. 1443, a bill to limit the authority of States to tax certain income of employees for employment duties performed in other States. At the request of Mr. Budd, the name of the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) was added as a cosponsor of S. 1759, a bill to allow for the operation of civil supersonic flight in the national airspace system under certain conditions, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Padilla, the name of the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn) was added as a cosponsor of S. 2265, a bill to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, California, and the 2034 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. At the request of Mr. Scott of Florida, the name of the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Ricketts) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3101, a bill to prevent citizens of foreign adversarial nations from entering into or enforcing surrogacy contracts in the United States. At the request of Mrs. Capito, the names of the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff) were added as cosponsors of S. 3209, a bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs furnishes certain non-opioid pain medications to veterans, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Young, the names of the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy) and the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Kaine) were added as cosponsors of S. 3333, a bill to modify the eligibility requirements and account contribution maximum for pension-linked emergency savings accounts, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. McCormick, the name of the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3524, a bill to amend title 54, United States Code, to modify certain cost-sharing requirements for grant programs under the American Battlefield Protection Program, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. LEE, the name of the Senator from South Carolina (Ms. Graham) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3752, a bill to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of United States citizenship to register an individual to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Daines, the names of the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Welch) and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Warnock) were added as cosponsors of S. 3940, a bill to amend the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 to require the Secretary of the Treasury to testify before Congress, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Cotton, the name of the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4106, a bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to improve access to certain medications under the TRICARE program, and for other purposes. At the request of Mrs. Shaheen, the name of the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4189, a bill to reduce the price of insulin and provide for patient protections with respect to the cost of insulin. At the request of Mrs. Capito, the name of the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4221, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the modification of the definition of adjusted taxable income for purposes of the limitation on business interest. At the request of Mr. Moreno, the name of the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Hickenlooper) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4429, a bill to prohibit the importation, manufacture, sale, resale, or introduction into interstate commerce in the United States of connected vehicles and related software and hardware associated with foreign adversaries. At the request of Ms. Murkowski, the names of the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick) were added as cosponsors of S. 4472, a bill to amend the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act to reauthorize the provisions of such Act through fiscal year 2031, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Schatz, the name of the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Heinrich) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4545, a bill to amend the America COMPETES Act to establish certain scientific integrity policies for Federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee scientific research, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Ricketts, the names of the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Sullivan) and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Kim) were added as cosponsors of S. 4709, a bill to amend the Arms Export Control Act to modify a limitation relating to exports and transfers of defense articles and services under the AUKUS partnership, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Scott of South Carolina, the name of the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-Smith) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4793, a bill to clarify provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act and the Foreign Trade Zones Act with respect to the appropriate tariff treatment of merchandise in a United States foreign-trade zone, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Sheehy, the name of the Senator from Nevada (Ms. Rosen) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4807, a bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to increase, and provide a cost-of-living adjustment with respect to, the death gratuity for families of deceased members of the Armed Forces. At the request of Mr. Markey, the names of the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) were added as cosponsors of S. 4814, a bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status. At the request of Mr. Budd, the name of the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Banks) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4873, a bill to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 by limiting nonmilitary foreign assistance to organizations that provide or promote abortion, promote gender ideology, or promote discriminatory equity ideology, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Warner, the names of the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Hickenlooper), the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand) and the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly) were added as cosponsors of S. 4876, a bill to improve handling of vacancies of the Director of National Intelligence, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Van Hollen, the name of the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Alsobrooks) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4935, a bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to support the research, design, development, demonstration, and deployment of zero-emission vessels and retrofit or replacement of existing vessels with zero-emission vessel technologies and charging infrastructure or fueling infrastructure, and for other purposes. At the request of Ms. Ernst, the names of the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty), the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker) were added as cosponsors of S. 4952, a bill to combat fraud in Federal programs, and for other purposes. At the request of Mrs. Blackburn, the name of the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy) was added as a cosponsor of S. 5023, a bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the inadmissibility of certain aliens seeking citizenship for children by giving birth in the United States, and for other purposes. At the request of Ms. Graham, the name of the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) was added as a cosponsor of S. 5025, a bill to impose sanctions and other measures with respect to the Russian Federation, and for other purposes. At the request of Mrs. Murray, the name of the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Kim) was added as a cosponsor of S.J. Res. 199, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Restoring Flexibility in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)" . At the request of Mr. Warner, the name of the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski) was added as a cosponsor of amendment No. 6073 intended to be proposed to S. 4784, an original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Husted, the name of the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) was added as a cosponsor of amendment No. 6696 intended to be proposed to S. 4784, an original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
Senate Resolution 807--Directing the Senate Legal Counsel to Bring a Civil Action in the Name of the Senate to Enforce the Foreign Emoluments Clause Contained in Clause 8 of Section 9 of Article I...
Pages S4194–S4195 · Official textSENATE RESOLUTION 807--DIRECTING THE SENATE LEGAL COUNSEL TO BRING A CIVIL ACTION IN THE NAME OF THE SENATE TO ENFORCE THE FOREIGN EMOLUMENTS CLAUSE CONTAINED IN CLAUSE 8 OF SECTION 9 OF ARTICLE I OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Coons, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Kim, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Welch, and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration:
Text printed in the Record (6,795 characters)
Whereas the Foreign Emoluments Clause contained in clause 8 of section 9 of article I of the Constitution of the United States (referred to in this preamble as the "Foreign Emoluments Clause") states that no present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind, may be accepted by the President of the United States from a king, prince, or foreign state without the consent of Congress;
Whereas the Founders included the Foreign Emoluments Clause in the Constitution--by unanimous agreement of the State delegations--to ensure the President would remain loyal to the Nation and the public interest;
Whereas the Foreign Emoluments Clause has long been understood to be " `directed against every kind of influence by foreign governments upon officers of the United States,' in the absence of consent by Congress";
Whereas--
(1) President Donald J. Trump has accepted a plane from the government of Qatar for United States Government use as Air Force One during the Trump Administration;
(2) the plane required the expenditure of Federal funds to be refurbished, with a cost estimated to be between $400,000,000 and $1,000,000,000; and
(3) the plane will be transferred nominally to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library shortly before the expiration of his term of office;
Whereas President Donald J. Trump, his family members, and his advisors participated in corrupt dealings with the foreign government of the United Arab Emirates, its leaders, including Abu Dhabi royal and United Arab Emirates National Security Advisor, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan (referred to in this preamble as "Tahnoon"), and multiple entities, including--
(1) in January 2025, lieutenants to Tahnoon secretly signed a deal with Eric Trump, the President's son, to purchase a 49 percent stake in the Trump family cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, for $500,000,000, with $187,000,000 of that initial investment paid to Trump family entities DT Marks DEFI LLC and DT Marks SC LLC from the Tahnoon-backed Aryam Investment I;
(2) on May 1, 2025, MGX Fund Management Limited, a Tahnoon-backed investment firm, also announced an agreement to use a stablecoin from World Liberty Financial to complete a $2,000,000,000 deal with Binance Holdings Ltd.; and
(3) in a quid pro quo exchange for this investment and deal, the Trump Administration granted the United Arab Emirates access to 500,000 of the most advanced artificial intelligence chips in the United States annually, with 20 percent allocated for G42, an artificial intelligence company Tahnoon leads, despite longstanding United States national security concerns regarding the company;
Whereas Justin Sun, a Chinese billionaire with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, who is fighting a lawsuit brought by United States regulators for fraud and unregistered securities, invested $30,000,000 in World Liberty Financial and joined the platform as an advisor;
Whereas, in March 2025, Vietnamese authorities expedited a Trump Organization development project for a $1,500,000,000 golf complex, bypassing numerous legal obligations related to securing land and conducting environmental reviews, and whose groundbreaking the Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended, while the United States and Vietnam were in the midst of trade negotiations;
Whereas, in April 2025, the Trump Organization announced an upcoming development project for a luxury golf resort in Qatar to be developed by Qatari Diar, a company established by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund and chaired by a Qatari government minister, and Dar Global, the international subsidiary of a private Saudi real estate firm with close ties to the government of Saudi Arabia;
Whereas, in October 2025--
(1) the President was overheard on recorded audio in conversation with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto discussing a call between Subianto and Eric Trump, who is President Trump's son and the Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization; and
(2) the Trump Organization has 2 real estate projects under development in Indonesia;
Whereas, in November 2025, the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his party in the Serbian parliament passed a law to allow for the development of a previously protected building site for a future luxury hotel and apartment complex backed by Affinity Partners, the firm of President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner;
Whereas, since the election of President Trump, the Trump Organization has announced additional developments and licensing projects in India, the Maldives, Oman, the Philippines, Romania, and the United Arab Emirates, netting the President and his family millions in license-fee income;
Whereas President Trump accepted a gold-plated desk clock styled like a Rolex and an engraved gold bar at a gathering of Swiss business executives prior to slashing Switzerland's tariff rate from 39 percent to 15 percent;
Whereas--
(1) President Trump launched a cryptocurrency memecoin, $TRUMP, shortly before taking office;
(2) President Trump encouraged the digital coin's purchase by awarding top buyers a gala dinner, a private VIP reception with the President, a tour of the White House, and a Trump-branded timepiece;
(3) top buyers who participated in the events outlined in paragraph (2) included--
(A) Justin Sun, a Chinese billionaire with ties to the Chinese Communist Party who is fighting a lawsuit brought by United States regulators;
(B) Cheng Lu, a cryptocurrency investor from Shanghai;
(C) He Tianying, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference;
(D) Sheldon Xia, the founder of a cryptocurrency trading platform backed by a China-based investment firm;
(E) Sangrok Oh, chief executive of a Seoul-and Tokyo-based firm;
(F) Andrei Grozovski, a board member for an Estonian company; and
(G) others who have yet to be identified; and
(4) President Trump netted $635,000,000 thus far from the memecoin;
Whereas the President of the United States has a constitutional and statutory obligation to uphold the public trust; and
Whereas the violation of the Foreign Emoluments Clause and corruption writ large undermines public trust and the integrity of public office in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate Legal Counsel shall bring a civil action in the name of the Senate to enforce the Foreign Emoluments Clause contained in clause 8 of section 9 of article I of the Constitution of the United States with respect to the emoluments described in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, twelfth, and thirteenth whereas clauses of the preamble of this resolution by enjoining President Donald J. Trump from accepting any present, emolument, office, or title of any kind whatever from a foreign state without obtaining the consent of Congress.
Senate Resolution 808--Expressing the Sense of the Senate That Eleanor L. Ross, Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Engaged in Conduct That Falls Beneath...
Page S4195 · Official textL. ROSS, JUDGE OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA, ENGAGED IN CONDUCT THAT FALLS BENEATH THE DIGNITY OF HER OFFICE Mrs. BLACKBURN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
Text printed in the Record (3,429 characters)
Whereas, between October 2023 and October 2025, Eleanor L. Ross, judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, engaged in a sexual relationship with a high-ranking official of the Atlanta Police Department inside her judicial chambers during regular business hours, including while actively presiding over criminal cases;
Whereas these activities were conducted within close proximity to the judicial staff of Judge Ross, including at least 3 of her then-law clerks;
Whereas, on September 30, 2025, Eleventh Circuit Chief Judge William H. Pryor, Jr., received a complaint about this behavior from a law clerk of Judge Ross and subsequently appointed a special committee to investigate the complaint;
Whereas the special committee determined that Judge Ross lied to Chief Judge Pryor, as well as to the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, regarding this sexual activity that was conducted in her chambers;
Whereas Judge Ross falsely stated that she had "never engaged in sexual intercourse in [her] office, nor anywhere else in the Courthouse", that she was "not sure who this allegation concerns or whether it is alleged to have occurred with different individuals", and that she was "astounded and confused, and [had] no idea what this clerk is referring to";
Whereas Judge Ross did not retract these false statements until October 10, 2025, nearly 2 weeks after making them, by which time the special committee had already collected substantial corroborating evidence, including a review of security camera footage and sign-in logs, background research on the high-ranking law enforcement official, interviews of 5 former law clerks of Judge Ross, inspection of the layout of the chambers of Judge Ross, and laboratory testing of furniture in the chambers of Judge Ross;
Whereas the special committee concluded that Judge Ross engaged in misconduct in her office during court business hours and made materially false and misleading statements to Chief Judge Pryor and Chief District Judge Leigh Martin May that had a detrimental effect on the investigation of the misconduct of Judge Ross and, more broadly, the administration of justice;
Whereas the behavior of Judge Ross violated multiple provisions of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, including--
(1) canon 2, which states that a judge should avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities;
(2) canon 2(A), which adds, "A judge should respect and comply with the law and should act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary."; and
(3) the commentary to canon 2(A), which notes, "Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by irresponsible or improper conduct by judges, including harassment and other inappropriate workplace behavior."; and
Whereas there is sufficient evidence to conclude that Judge Ross engaged in conduct that falls beneath the dignity of her office: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) Judge Ross made materially false and misleading statements to the special committee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit;
(2) Judge Ross engaged in behavior that does not live up to the high standards our nation expects of the Federal judiciary; and
(3) Judge Ross's conduct should be condemned.
Senate Resolution 809--Designating June 15, 2026, as "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day" and the Month of June 2026 as "Elder Abuse Awareness Month"
Pages S4195–S4196 · Official textSENATE RESOLUTION 809--DESIGNATING JUNE 15, 2026, AS "WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY" AND THE MONTH OF JUNE 2026 AS "ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH" Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
Text printed in the Record (6,800 characters)
Whereas, in 2021, approximately 55,800,000 residents of the United States, or about 1 in every 6 individuals, had attained the age of 65, and by 2060, 95,000,000 individuals in the United States, or about 1 in every 4 individuals, will be over the age of 65, according to estimates by the Bureau of the Census;
Whereas, in 2034, it is anticipated that older adults will outnumber children for the first time, according to the Bureau of the Census;
Whereas elder abuse remains a challenging problem and can come in many different forms, often manifesting as physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, and social media abuse;
Whereas elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation have no boundaries and cross all racial, social, class, gender, and geographic lines, according to the Elder Justice Coalition;
Whereas about 1 in 10 adults over the age of 60 are subjected to abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation each year, according to the National Institute on Aging;
Whereas the annual loss by victims of financial abuse over the age of 60 is estimated to be at least $28,300,000,000, according to the National Council on Aging;
Whereas for older adults over the age of 60, the Department of Justice reported the following scam-related financial losses for 2024--
(1) $1,834,242,515 from investment scams;
(2) $982,440,006 from tech support scams;
(3) $385,001,099 from business email compromise scams;
(4) $389,312,356 from confidence and romance scams; and
(5) $208,096,366 from government impersonation scams;
Whereas older adults reported losses of $4,885,000,000 related to internet scams and fraud in 2024, and filed over 147,000 complaints related to internet crimes, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
Whereas adults over the age of 60 are less likely than younger adults to report losing money to fraud according to the Federal Trade Commission;
Whereas most reported cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults take place within private homes, and approximately 90 percent of the perpetrators in elder financial exploitation cases are family members or other trusted individuals, according to the National Adult Protective Services Association;
Whereas research suggests that elderly individuals in the United States who experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, or isolation are more likely to become the victims of abuse than those who do not experience cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, or isolation;
Whereas other risk factors for elder abuse can include low social support, poor physical health, and experience of previous traumatic events, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse;
Whereas close to half of elderly individuals who suffer from dementia will experience abuse during their lifetime, according to the Department of Justice;
Whereas only 1 in 24 cases of elder abuse is reported, and only 1 in 44 cases of elder financial exploitation is reported, according the New York State Office of Children and Family Services;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the emergence of new scams against older adults, including those related to vaccines;
Whereas more than 1 in 5 older persons reported elder abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic, an over 80 percent increase from previous years, according to the National Institute of Health;
Whereas, during the last 5 years, Congress passed and the President signed 2 measures that make nearly $400,000,000 available for implementation of the initiatives under the Elder Justice Act of 2009 (subtitle H of title VI of Public Law 111-148; 124 Stat. 783), the largest funding stream related to such initiatives in the history of the Act; and
Whereas Congress, in passing the Elder Justice Act of 2009 (subtitle H of title VI of Public Law 111-148; 124 Stat. 783), the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (34 U.S.C. 21701 et seq.), the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2; 135 Stat. 4), and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260; 134 Stat. 1182), recognized the importance of protecting older people of the United States against abuse and exploitation: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates June 15, 2026, as "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day" and the month
of June 2026 as "Elder Abuse Awareness Month";
(2) recognizes--
(A) judges, lawyers, adult protective services professionals, law enforcement officers, social workers, health care providers, advocates for victims, and other professionals and agencies for their efforts to advance awareness of elder abuse;
(B) the important work of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council, which has continued through the previous 3 Presidential administrations and involves 15 different Federal agencies;
(C) the essential work done by adult protective services personnel, who regularly come to the assistance of victims, investigate reports of abuse, and actively prevent future victimization of older people in the United States, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic as the social isolation of elderly individuals, due to stay-at-home orders, only increased the risk of abuse and neglect; and
(D) the importance of supporting State long-term care ombudsman programs, which help prevent elder abuse and neglect in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, where infection prevention and control deficiencies pose persistent challenges;
(3) applauds the work of the Elder Justice Coalition and its members, whose efforts to increase public awareness of elder abuse have the potential to increase the identification and reporting of this crime by the public, professionals, and victims, and can act as a catalyst to promote issue-based education and long-term prevention; and
(4) encourages--
(A) members of the public and professionals who work with older adults to act as catalysts to promote awareness and long-term prevention of elder abuse--
(i) by reaching out to local adult protective services agencies, State long-term care ombudsman programs, and the National Center on Elder Abuse; and
(ii) by learning to recognize, detect, report, and respond to elder abuse;
(B) private individuals and public agencies in the United States to continue work together at the Federal, State, and local levels to combat abuse, neglect, exploitation, crime, and violence against vulnerable adults, including vulnerable older adults, particularly in light of limited resources for vital protective services; and
(C) those Federal agencies with responsibility for preventing elder abuse to fully exercise such responsibilities to protect older adults, whether such older adults are living in the community or in long-term care facilities.
Senate Resolution 810--To Constitute the Majority Party's Membership on Certain Committees for the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, or Until Their Successors Are Chosen
Page S4196 · Official textCERTAIN COMMITTEES FOR THE ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS, OR UNTIL THEIR SUCCESSORS ARE CHOSEN Mr. THUNE submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to: Resolved, That the following shall constitute the majority party's membership on the following committees for the One Hundred Ninteenth Congress, or until their successors are chosen: Committee on Appropriations: Ms. Collins (Chair), Mr. McConnell, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Moran, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Hagerty, Mrs. Britt, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Husted, Ms. Graham. Committee on the Environment and Public Works: Mrs. Capito (Chair), Mr. Cramer, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Husted, Ms. Graham. Committee on the Judiciary: Mr. Grassley (Chair), Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Lee, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Schmitt, Mrs. Britt, Mrs. Moody, Ms. Graham. Committee on the Budget: Mr. Johnson (Chair), Mr. Grassley, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Lee, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Moreno, Mr. Scott (FL), Ms. Graham.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 36--Recognizing the Significance of Equal Pay and the Disparity in Wages Paid to Men and to Black Women
Pages S4196–S4197 · Official textMs. BLUNT ROCHESTER (for herself, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Gallego, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kim, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Slotkin, Ms. Smith, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
Text printed in the Record (5,792 characters)
Whereas July 21, 2026, is Black Women's Equal Pay Day, a day of observance of the wage gap between working Black women and working white, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d)) (commonly known as the "Equal Pay Act of 1963") prohibits discrimination in compensation for equal work on the basis of sex;
Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) prohibits discrimination in compensation because of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex;
Whereas, despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 6 decades ago, which requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work, data from the Bureau of the Census show that Black women working full time and year round are paid 65 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas, when part-time and part-year workers are included in the comparison, Black women are paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas, if the current trends continue, on average, Black women will have to wait nearly 200 years to achieve equal pay;
Whereas the median annual pay for a Black woman in the United States working full time, year round, is $51,660, which means that, if the current wage gap were to continue, the average Black woman would lose nearly $1,113,600 in potential earnings because of the wage gap over the course of a 40-year career;
Whereas lost wages mean Black women have less money to support themselves and their families, to save and invest for the future, and to spend on goods and services, causing businesses and the economy to suffer as a result;
Whereas the median earnings of Black women are less than the median earnings of white, non-Hispanic men at every level of academic achievement, and in leadership and professional positions;
Whereas Black women with bachelor's and master's degrees experience a larger wage gap in comparison to white, non-Hispanic men than Black women with a high school diploma;
Whereas, in the United States, more than 69 percent of Black mothers are the sole or primary breadwinners for their families, compared to slightly more than 33 percent of white, non-Hispanic mothers;
Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality childcare, support for caregivers caring for elderly or disabled family members, paid family and medical leave, paid sick leave, and other family-friendly workplace policies contributes to the wage gap by forcing many Black women to choose between their paycheck or job and getting quality care for themselves or their family members;
Whereas Black women's labor force participation has been disproportionately impacted by the attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the private sector and Federal government;
Whereas, if the wage gap were eliminated, a Black woman working full time, year round, would have enough money for nearly 2 and \1/2\ additional years of tuition and fees for a 4-year public university, the full cost of tuition and fees for a public 2-year community college, nearly 16 additional months of premiums for employer-based family health insurance coverage with employer contributions, 34 weeks of food for a family of 4, 14 additional months of home ownership costs, including mortgage payments, real estate taxes, insurance, utilities, and fuel costs, 19 additional months of rental costs, including rent payments, utilities, and fuel, 2 years of center-based child care for 1 child, or enough money to pay off the Federal student loan debt of an average borrower in under 2 years;
Whereas Black women face dual, compounding discrimination based upon both their race and gender;
Whereas at least 37 percent of women have been sexually harassed at the workplace, and over 78 percent of sexual harassment charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are filed by women, yet the prevalence of sexual harassment is likely much higher, as research has found that only a small number of women who experience harassment formally report incidents for reasons including fear of retaliation;
Whereas individuals who are targets of harassment are 6.5 times more likely than individuals who are not targets of harassment to change jobs or pass up opportunities for advancement, contributing to the gender wage gap;
Whereas Black women are the most likely of all racial and ethnic groups to have filed a sexual harassment charge;
Whereas over 6 in 10 workers paid the minimum wage or less are women, and there is an over-representation of women of color in low-wage and tipped occupations;
Whereas nearly \1/2\ of private sector workers report that they were either discouraged or prohibited by their employers from discussing wage and salary information, which can hide pay discrimination and prevent remedies;
Whereas the pay gap faced by Black women is part of a wider set of disparities faced by Black women in home ownership, unemployment, poverty, access to childcare, and the ability to accumulate wealth;
Whereas the gender wage gap for Black women has narrowed by only 4 cents in the last 2 decades;
Whereas true pay equity requires a multifaceted strategy that addresses the gendered and racial injustices that Black women face daily; and
Whereas many national organizations have designated July 21, 2026, as Black Women's Equal Pay Day to recognize the persistent and detrimental wage gap Black women face: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That Congress--
(1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women and its impact on women, families, and the United States; and
(2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay for equal work and narrowing the gender wage gap.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 37--Authorizing the Use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a Ceremony to Honor the Late Senator Lindsey O. Graham
Page S4197 · Official textTHE CAPITOL FOR A CEREMONY TO HONOR THE LATE SENATOR LINDSEY O. GRAHAM Mr. THUNE submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
Text printed in the Record (404 characters)
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
SECTION 1. USE OF ROTUNDA FOR A TRIBUTE HONORING LINDSEY O.
GRAHAM.
The rotunda of the Capitol is authorized to be used on July 28, 2026, for a tribute to honor the late Senator Lindsey O. Graham. Physical preparations for the event shall be carried out in accordance with such conditions as the Architect of the Capitol may prescribe.
Text of Amendments
Pages S4197–S4198 · Official textSA 6704. Mr. CRUZ (for himself and Mr. Durbin) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
Text printed in the Record (4,551 characters)
At the appropriate place in subtitle G of title X, insert the following:
SEC. __. DESIGNATION OF OSWALDO PAYA WAY.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the revolution led by Fidel Castro in Cuba in 1959 started 64 years of an ongoing dictatorship, systemic human rights abuses, and a lack of basic freedom of press, religion, assembly, and association that continue to this day under the Communist rule of Raul Castro and his successor, Miguel Diaz-Canel;
(2) Oswaldo Paya Sardinas was a Cuban political dissident and activist dedicated to promoting democratic freedoms and human rights in Cuba;
(3) the Communist Party of Cuba has always viewed individuals with a commitment to democracy and freedom as a threat to the existence of the Communist Party of Cuba;
(4) on July 22, 2012, a violent car crash, widely believed to have been carried out by the Castro regime, took the lives of Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero, another democratic activist;
(5) the official investigation conducted by the Cuban regime into the crash has been demonstrated to be compromised, and the Cuban regime has blocked all efforts to conduct a credible and independent investigation into the crash, leaving the circumstances of the death of Oswaldo Paya unknown;
(6) opposition by Oswaldo Paya to the Communist Party of Cuba began at a young age, when he refused to become a member of the Young Communist League as a primary school student, and continued through high school, when he publicly criticized the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union;
(7) the Communist Party of Cuba responded to the opposition by Oswaldo Paya to the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union by sending Oswaldo Paya to a labor camp for 3 years;
(8) Oswaldo Paya forewent a chance to escape Cuba in the 1980 Mariel boatlift, deciding instead to continue the fight for democracy in Cuba, saying, "This is what I am supposed to be, this is what I have to do.";
(9) by creating the Varela Project in 1998, Oswaldo Paya demonstrated his staunch commitment to peacefully advocating for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly for his fellow Cubans;
(10) in recognition of his determination for political reforms through peaceful protests, Oswaldo Paya was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament in 2002 and the W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award from the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in 2003 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by former Czech President Vaclav Havel in 2005;
(11) on April 11, 2018, the Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 224, recognizing the sixth anniversary of the death of Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, commemorating his legacy and commitment to democratic values and principles, and calling on the Cuban Government to allow an impartial, third-party investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death; and
(12) renaming the street in front of the Embassy of Cuba in the District of Columbia after Oswaldo Paya serves as an expression of solidarity between the people of the United States and the people of Cuba, who are engaged in a long, nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights.
(b) Designation.--
(1) Designation of way.--
(A) In general.--The area between the intersections of 16th Street, Northwest and Fuller Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest and Euclid Street, Northwest in Washington, District of Columbia, shall be known and designated as "Oswaldo Paya Way".
(B) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the area referred to in subparagraph (A) shall be deemed to be a reference to Oswaldo Paya Way.
(2) Designation of address.--
(A) Designation.--The address of 2630 16th Street, Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, shall be redesignated as 2630 Oswaldo Paya Way.
(B) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the address referred to in subparagraph (A) shall be deemed to be a reference to 2630 Oswaldo Paya Way.
(3) Signs.--The District of Columbia shall construct 2 street signs that shall--
(A) contain the phrase "Oswaldo Paya Way";
(B) be placed immediately above existing signs at the intersections of 16th Street, Northwest and Fuller Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest and Euclid Street, Northwest in Washington, District of Columbia; and
(C) be similar in design to the signs used by the District of Columbia to designate the location of Metro stations.
______
SA 6705. Mr. BENNET (for himself and Mr. Hickenlooper) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4748, to establish the Foreign Investment Review Authority to determine whether foreign countries that have made investment commitments to the United States have complied with those commitments, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
Text printed in the Record (5,485 characters)
At the end of subtitle A of title XV, add the following:
SEC. 1510A. PROMOTING COMPETITION AND INDUSTRIAL BASE
RESILIENCE FOR PROLIFERATED SPACE
ARCHITECTURES.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States requires a resilient, survivable, and rapidly scalable space architecture to support joint all-domain operations against peer adversaries.
(2) Competition among multiple qualified domestic providers is essential to maintaining innovation, reducing costs, increasing production capacity, and mitigating risks associated with single-source dependencies.
(3) Excessive reliance on a single contractor or limited supplier base for proliferated space architectures creates strategic risks to the defense industrial base, supply chain resilience, production surge capacity, and operational continuity.
(4) Congress is concerned that recent acquisition strategies for certain proliferated space capabilities may not adequately sustain multiple viable domestic suppliers capable of supporting future national security requirements.
(5) Maintaining multiple competitive providers for space vehicles, mission payloads, tactical data transport, and supporting ground infrastructure is in the national security interest of the United States.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Department of the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office should maintain robust competition across proliferated national security space acquisition programs;
(2) acquisition strategies should preserve multiple domestic sources capable of designing, manufacturing, integrating, and sustaining proliferated satellite constellations;
(3) competition should be sustained throughout production and follow-on capability development whenever practicable; and
(4) long-term acquisition strategies should strengthen the United States industrial base rather than create unnecessary single-source dependencies.
(c) Requirement for Competitive Procurement Strategy.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Space Acquisition and Integration, in coordination with the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a strategy to maintain competition for the development, procurement, and maintenance of proliferated national security space architectures, including--
(A) the proliferated architecture of the National Reconnaissance Office;
(B) space-based tactical data transport capabilities;
(C) space-based advanced moving-target indication capabilities;
(D) Space Data Network capabilities; and
(E) any successor proliferated low-Earth orbit operational architecture that supports a mission of the Department of Defense.
(2) Elements.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) shall include--
(A) an assessment of the risks associated with single-source procurement of any such architecture;
(B) an evaluation of industrial base capacity, workforce, supply chain resilience, and surge production capability with respect to such architectures;
(C) recommendations to sustain not fewer than two viable domestic providers for each major capability area relating to such architectures; and
(D) a plan for preserving meaningful competition in future production of, and capability upgrades to, such architectures.
(d) Minimum Competitive Investment.--Beginning in fiscal year 2028, the Secretary of the Air Force and the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office shall, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with mission requirements--
(1) maintain not fewer than two qualified domestic providers for each major proliferated space acquisition program relating to the architectures described in subsection (c)(1); and
(2) ensure that not less than 25 percent of annual production quantities, contract value, or program funding for each such program is competitively awarded to a qualified provider other than the incumbent provider, unless the Secretary of the Air Force submits to the congressional defense committees--
(A) a certification that--
(i) only one responsible source exists for such program;
(ii) mission assurance requirements cannot reasonably be met through competitive procurement; or
(iii) such allocation would substantially increase program risk or cost without corresponding operational benefit; and
(B) a detailed justification and an assessment of the impact on competition and the defense industrial base of awarding a greater such percentage to the incumbent provider.
(e) Annual Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of the Air Force and the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office shall jointly submit to the congressional defense committees a report describing--
(1) the number of qualified providers supporting each major proliferated space acquisition program relating to the architectures described in subsection (c)(1);
(2) annual funding allocated among such providers; and
(3) with respect to such proliferated space architectures--
(A) industrial base health indicators;
(B) supply chain vulnerabilities;
(C) actions taken to promote sustained competition among providers; and
(D) recommendations for any additional legislative authorities required to strengthen competition and resilience.
Text of Senate Amendment 6704
Page S4197 · Official textSA 6704. Mr. CRUZ (for himself and Mr. Durbin) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
Text printed in the Record (4,543 characters)
At the appropriate place in subtitle G of title X, insert the following:
SEC. __. DESIGNATION OF OSWALDO PAYA WAY.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the revolution led by Fidel Castro in Cuba in 1959 started 64 years of an ongoing dictatorship, systemic human rights abuses, and a lack of basic freedom of press, religion, assembly, and association that continue to this day under the Communist rule of Raul Castro and his successor, Miguel Diaz-Canel;
(2) Oswaldo Paya Sardinas was a Cuban political dissident and activist dedicated to promoting democratic freedoms and human rights in Cuba;
(3) the Communist Party of Cuba has always viewed individuals with a commitment to democracy and freedom as a threat to the existence of the Communist Party of Cuba;
(4) on July 22, 2012, a violent car crash, widely believed to have been carried out by the Castro regime, took the lives of Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero, another democratic activist;
(5) the official investigation conducted by the Cuban regime into the crash has been demonstrated to be compromised, and the Cuban regime has blocked all efforts to conduct a credible and independent investigation into the crash, leaving the circumstances of the death of Oswaldo Paya unknown;
(6) opposition by Oswaldo Paya to the Communist Party of Cuba began at a young age, when he refused to become a member of the Young Communist League as a primary school student, and continued through high school, when he publicly criticized the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union;
(7) the Communist Party of Cuba responded to the opposition by Oswaldo Paya to the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union by sending Oswaldo Paya to a labor camp for 3 years;
(8) Oswaldo Paya forewent a chance to escape Cuba in the 1980 Mariel boatlift, deciding instead to continue the fight for democracy in Cuba, saying, "This is what I am supposed to be, this is what I have to do.";
(9) by creating the Varela Project in 1998, Oswaldo Paya demonstrated his staunch commitment to peacefully advocating for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly for his fellow Cubans;
(10) in recognition of his determination for political reforms through peaceful protests, Oswaldo Paya was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament in 2002 and the W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award from the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in 2003 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by former Czech President Vaclav Havel in 2005;
(11) on April 11, 2018, the Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 224, recognizing the sixth anniversary of the death of Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, commemorating his legacy and commitment to democratic values and principles, and calling on the Cuban Government to allow an impartial, third-party investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death; and
(12) renaming the street in front of the Embassy of Cuba in the District of Columbia after Oswaldo Paya serves as an expression of solidarity between the people of the United States and the people of Cuba, who are engaged in a long, nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights.
(b) Designation.--
(1) Designation of way.--
(A) In general.--The area between the intersections of 16th Street, Northwest and Fuller Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest and Euclid Street, Northwest in Washington, District of Columbia, shall be known and designated as "Oswaldo Paya Way".
(B) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the area referred to in subparagraph (A) shall be deemed to be a reference to Oswaldo Paya Way.
(2) Designation of address.--
(A) Designation.--The address of 2630 16th Street, Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, shall be redesignated as 2630 Oswaldo Paya Way.
(B) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the address referred to in subparagraph (A) shall be deemed to be a reference to 2630 Oswaldo Paya Way.
(3) Signs.--The District of Columbia shall construct 2 street signs that shall--
(A) contain the phrase "Oswaldo Paya Way";
(B) be placed immediately above existing signs at the intersections of 16th Street, Northwest and Fuller Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest and Euclid Street, Northwest in Washington, District of Columbia; and
(C) be similar in design to the signs used by the District of Columbia to designate the location of Metro stations.
Text of Senate Amendment 6705
Pages S4197–S4198 · Official textSA 6705. Mr. BENNET (for himself and Mr. Hickenlooper) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4748, to establish the Foreign Investment Review Authority to determine whether foreign countries that have made investment commitments to the United States have complied with those commitments, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
Text printed in the Record (5,485 characters)
At the end of subtitle A of title XV, add the following:
SEC. 1510A. PROMOTING COMPETITION AND INDUSTRIAL BASE
RESILIENCE FOR PROLIFERATED SPACE
ARCHITECTURES.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States requires a resilient, survivable, and rapidly scalable space architecture to support joint all-domain operations against peer adversaries.
(2) Competition among multiple qualified domestic providers is essential to maintaining innovation, reducing costs, increasing production capacity, and mitigating risks associated with single-source dependencies.
(3) Excessive reliance on a single contractor or limited supplier base for proliferated space architectures creates strategic risks to the defense industrial base, supply chain resilience, production surge capacity, and operational continuity.
(4) Congress is concerned that recent acquisition strategies for certain proliferated space capabilities may not adequately sustain multiple viable domestic suppliers capable of supporting future national security requirements.
(5) Maintaining multiple competitive providers for space vehicles, mission payloads, tactical data transport, and supporting ground infrastructure is in the national security interest of the United States.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Department of the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office should maintain robust competition across proliferated national security space acquisition programs;
(2) acquisition strategies should preserve multiple domestic sources capable of designing, manufacturing, integrating, and sustaining proliferated satellite constellations;
(3) competition should be sustained throughout production and follow-on capability development whenever practicable; and
(4) long-term acquisition strategies should strengthen the United States industrial base rather than create unnecessary single-source dependencies.
(c) Requirement for Competitive Procurement Strategy.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Space Acquisition and Integration, in coordination with the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a strategy to maintain competition for the development, procurement, and maintenance of proliferated national security space architectures, including--
(A) the proliferated architecture of the National Reconnaissance Office;
(B) space-based tactical data transport capabilities;
(C) space-based advanced moving-target indication capabilities;
(D) Space Data Network capabilities; and
(E) any successor proliferated low-Earth orbit operational architecture that supports a mission of the Department of Defense.
(2) Elements.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) shall include--
(A) an assessment of the risks associated with single-source procurement of any such architecture;
(B) an evaluation of industrial base capacity, workforce, supply chain resilience, and surge production capability with respect to such architectures;
(C) recommendations to sustain not fewer than two viable domestic providers for each major capability area relating to such architectures; and
(D) a plan for preserving meaningful competition in future production of, and capability upgrades to, such architectures.
(d) Minimum Competitive Investment.--Beginning in fiscal year 2028, the Secretary of the Air Force and the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office shall, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with mission requirements--
(1) maintain not fewer than two qualified domestic providers for each major proliferated space acquisition program relating to the architectures described in subsection (c)(1); and
(2) ensure that not less than 25 percent of annual production quantities, contract value, or program funding for each such program is competitively awarded to a qualified provider other than the incumbent provider, unless the Secretary of the Air Force submits to the congressional defense committees--
(A) a certification that--
(i) only one responsible source exists for such program;
(ii) mission assurance requirements cannot reasonably be met through competitive procurement; or
(iii) such allocation would substantially increase program risk or cost without corresponding operational benefit; and
(B) a detailed justification and an assessment of the impact on competition and the defense industrial base of awarding a greater such percentage to the incumbent provider.
(e) Annual Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of the Air Force and the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office shall jointly submit to the congressional defense committees a report describing--
(1) the number of qualified providers supporting each major proliferated space acquisition program relating to the architectures described in subsection (c)(1);
(2) annual funding allocated among such providers; and
(3) with respect to such proliferated space architectures--
(A) industrial base health indicators;
(B) supply chain vulnerabilities;
(C) actions taken to promote sustained competition among providers; and
(D) recommendations for any additional legislative authorities required to strengthen competition and resilience.
Authority for Committees to Meet
Page S4198 · Official textMr. President, I have three 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:
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., to conduct a subcommittee hearing.
The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 3 p.m., to conduct a closed briefing.
The Subcommittee on National Parks of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 4:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.
Mr. President, I have one request for a committee to meet during today's session of the Senate. It has the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.
Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committee is authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:
The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 2 p.m., to conduct a closed business meeting.
Privileges of the Floor
Page S4198 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent for the following interns in my office to be granted floor privileges until July 22, 2026: Petra Cernicek, Spencer Killpack, Elise Newton, Megan Terrell, Aaron Bujan, and Isabel Young.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for the following interns in my office to be granted floor privileges until July 22, 2026: Mark Schoeppel and Maggie Ralston.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Appointment
Page S4198 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
The Chair, on behalf of the Majority Leader, pursuant to the provisions of Public Law 118-144, announces the appointment of the following individuals to be members of the Commission to Study the Potential Transfer of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History to the Smithsonian Institution: Tevi Troy of Maryland, Dara Horn of New Jersey.
Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act
Pages S4198–S4199 · Official textMr. President, as regards Calendar No. 44, S. 1041, the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 44, S. 1041.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Text printed in the Record (150 characters)
A bill (S. 1041) to amend title 35, United States Code, to address the infringement of patents that claim biological products, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, which had been reported from the Committee on the Judiciary with amendments as follows: (The parts of the bill intended to be stricken are in boldfaced brackets and the parts of the bill intended to be inserted are in italic.)
Text printed in the Record (10,617 characters)
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the "Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act".
SEC. 2. PATENT INFRINGEMENT; [MEDICARE IMPROVEMENT FUND].
(a) In General.--Section 271(e) of title 35, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2) [(C)], in the flush text following [clause] subparagraph (C)(ii), by adding at the end the following: "With respect to a submission described in [clause] subparagraph (C)(ii), the act of infringement shall extend to any patent that claims the biological product, a method of using the biological product, or a method or product used to manufacture the biological product."; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
"(7)(A) Subject to subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), if the sponsor of an approved application for a reference product, as defined in section 351(i) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(i)) (referred to in this paragraph as the `reference product sponsor'), brings an action for infringement under this section against an applicant for approval of a biological product under section 351(k) of
such Act that references that reference product (referred to
in this paragraph as the `subsection (k) applicant'), the
reference product sponsor may assert in the action a total of
not more than 20 patents of the type described in
subparagraph (B), not more than 10 of which shall have issued
after the date specified in section 351(l)(7)(A) of such Act.
"(B) The patents described in this subparagraph are
patents that satisfy each of the following requirements:
"(i) Patents that claim the biological product that is the
subject of an application under section 351(k) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(k)) (or a use of that
product) or a method or product used in the manufacture of
such biological product.
"(ii) Patents that are included on the list of patents
described in paragraph (3)(A) of section 351(l) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(l)), including as provided
under paragraph (7) of such section 351(l).
"(iii) Patents that--
"(I) have an actual filing date of more than 4 years after
the date on which the reference product is approved; or
"(II) include a claim to a method in a manufacturing
process that is not used by the reference product sponsor.
"(C) The court in which an action described in
subparagraph (A) is brought may increase the number of
patents limited under that subparagraph--
"(i) if the request to increase that number is made
without undue delay; and
"(ii)(I) if the interest of justice so requires; or
"(II) for good cause shown, which--
"(aa) shall be established if the subsection (k) applicant
fails to provide information required by section 351(k)(2)(A)
of the Public Health Service Act (42. U.S.C. 262(k)(2)(A))
that would enable the reference product sponsor to form a
reasonable belief with respect to whether a claim of
infringement under this section could reasonably be asserted;
and
"(bb) may be established--
"(AA) if there is a material change to the biological
product (or process with respect to the biological product)
of the subsection (k) applicant that is the subject of the
application;
"(BB) if, with respect to a patent on the supplemental
list described in section 351(l)(7) [(A)] of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(l)(7) [(A)]), the patent
would have issued before the date specified in [such] section
351(l)(7)(A) of such Act but for the failure of the Office to
issue the patent or a delay in the issuance of the patent, as
described in paragraph (1) of section 154(b) and subject to
the limitations under paragraph (2) of such section 154(b);
or
"(CC) for another reason that shows good cause, as
determined appropriate by the court.
"(D) In determining whether good cause has been shown for
the purposes of subparagraph (C)(ii)(II), a court may
consider whether the reference product sponsor has provided a
reasonable description of the identity and relevance of any
information beyond the subsection (k) application that the
court believes is necessary to enable the court to form a
belief with respect to whether a claim of infringement under
this section could reasonably be asserted.
"(E) The limitation imposed under subparagraph (A)--
"(i) shall apply only if the subsection (k) applicant
completes all actions required under paragraphs (2)(A),
(3)(B)(ii), (5), (6)(C)(i), (7), and (8)(A) of section 351(l)
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(l)); and
"(ii) shall not apply with respect to any patent that
claims, with respect to a biological product, a method for
using that product in therapy, diagnosis, or prophylaxis,
such as an indication or method of treatment or other
condition of use.".
(b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a)
shall apply with respect to an application submitted under
section 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
262(k)) on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
Mr. CASSIDY. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendments be considered and 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.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendments were agreed to.
The bill (S. 1041), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read the third time, and passed as follows:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the "Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act".
SEC. 2. PATENT INFRINGEMENT.
(a) In General.--Section 271(e) of title 35, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), in the flush text following subparagraph (C)(ii), by adding at the end the following: "With respect to a submission described in subparagraph (C)(ii), the act of infringement shall extend to any patent that claims the biological product, a method of using the biological product, or a method or product used to manufacture the biological product."; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
"(7)(A) Subject to subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), if the sponsor of an approved application for a reference product, as defined in section 351(i) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(i)) (referred to in this paragraph as the `reference product sponsor'), brings an action for infringement under this section against an applicant for approval of a biological product under section 351(k) of such Act that references that reference product (referred to in this paragraph as the `subsection (k) applicant'), the reference product sponsor may assert in the action a total of not more than 20 patents of the type described in subparagraph (B), not more than 10 of which shall have issued after the date specified in section 351(l)(7)(A) of such Act.
"(B) The patents described in this subparagraph are patents that satisfy each of the following requirements:
"(i) Patents that claim the biological product that is the subject of an application under section 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(k)) (or a use of that product) or a method or product used in the manufacture of such biological product.
"(ii) Patents that are included on the list of patents described in paragraph (3)(A) of section 351(l) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(l)), including as provided under paragraph (7) of such section 351(l).
"(iii) Patents that--
"(I) have an actual filing date of more than 4 years after the date on which the reference product is approved; or
"(II) include a claim to a method in a manufacturing process that is not used by the reference product sponsor.
"(C) The court in which an action described in subparagraph (A) is brought may increase the number of patents limited under that subparagraph--
"(i) if the request to increase that number is made without undue delay; and
"(ii)(I) if the interest of justice so requires; or
"(II) for good cause shown, which--
"(aa) shall be established if the subsection (k) applicant fails to provide information required by section 351(k)(2)(A) of the Public Health Service Act (42. U.S.C. 262(k)(2)(A)) that would enable the reference product sponsor to form a reasonable belief with respect to whether a claim of infringement under this section could reasonably be asserted; and
"(bb) may be established--
"(AA) if there is a material change to the biological product (or process with respect to the biological product) of the subsection (k) applicant that is the subject of the application;
"(BB) if, with respect to a patent on the supplemental list described in section 351(l)(7) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(l)(7)), the patent would have issued before the date specified in section 351(l)(7)(A) of such Act but for the failure of the Office to issue the patent or a delay in the issuance of the patent, as described in paragraph (1) of section 154(b) and subject to the limitations under paragraph (2) of such section 154(b); or
"(CC) for another reason that shows good cause, as determined appropriate by the court.
"(D) In determining whether good cause has been shown for the purposes of subparagraph (C)(ii)(II), a court may consider whether the reference product sponsor has provided a reasonable description of the identity and relevance of any information beyond the subsection (k) application that the court believes is necessary to enable the court to form a belief with respect to whether a claim of infringement under this section could reasonably be asserted.
"(E) The limitation imposed under subparagraph (A)--
"(i) shall apply only if the subsection (k) applicant completes all actions required under paragraphs (2)(A), (3)(B)(ii), (5), (6)(C)(i), (7), and (8)(A) of section 351(l) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(l)); and
"(ii) shall not apply with respect to any patent that claims, with respect to a biological product, a method for using that product in therapy, diagnosis, or prophylaxis, such as an indication or method of treatment or other condition of use.".
(b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to an application submitted under section 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(k)) on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
Authorizing the Use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a Ceremony to Honor the Late Senator Lindsey O. Graham
Pages S4199–S4200 · Official textAUTHORIZING THE USE OF THE ROTUNDA OF THE CAPITOL FOR A CEREMONY TO HONOR THE LATE SENATOR LINDSEY O. GRAHAM
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Con Res. 37, which is at the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will report the concurrent resolution by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Text printed in the Record (152 characters)
A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 37) authorizing the use of the Rotunda of the
Capitol for a ceremony to honor the late Senator Lindsey O. Graham.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the concurrent resolution.
I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 37) was agreed to.
(The concurrent resolution is printed in today's Record under "Submitted Resolutions.")
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
Page S4200 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 809, which is at the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Text printed in the Record (151 characters)
A resolution (S. Res. 809) designating June 15, 2026, as "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day" and the month of June 2026 as "Elder Abuse Awareness Month".
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agree to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 809) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to. (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's Record under "Submitted Resolutions.")
Constituting the Majority Party's Membership on Certain Committees for the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, or Until Their Successors Are Chosen
Page S4200 · Official textTHE ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS, OR UNTIL THEIR SUCCESSORS ARE CHOSEN
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 810, which is at the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Text printed in the Record (172 characters)
A resolution (S. Res. 810) constituting the majority party's membership on certain committees for the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, or until their successors are chosen.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 810) was agreed to.
(The resolution is printed in the Record of July 15, 2026, under "Submitted Resolutions.")
Orders for Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Page S4200 · Official textI ask unanimous consent that when the Senate complete its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22; 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 the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Order for Adjournment
Page S4200 · Official textMr. 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 Booker.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from New Jersey.
Iran
Pages S4200–S4201 · Official textMr. President, I know I share this with 99 colleagues; that there is grief yet again hanging over the U.S. Senate and hanging over America because soldiers who have sworn an oath to our Constitution--who have sworn to serve and defend this Nation--have fallen.
Several weeks ago, I had a conversation with someone who had been my colleague who is now the Secretary of State. I asked about this war, and Secretary Rubio looked me in the eyes, under oath, and told me that the war was over. Several weeks before that, the President and his administration stood before the American people and told them we had won the war.
I want to tell you right now that the soldiers who died this past week died in the war, and we are mourning the loss.
This is not a left or a right thing. This is a time when we come together beyond anything partisan and understand that soldiers have fallen--three soldiers and possibly a fourth. They were killed in action in a war that we have been told is over and a war that I believe firmly should end. Their names deserve to be spoken on this floor and in the Congress of the United States. I want to speak their names: 1LT Tyler James Feehan of Hawaii; he was 25 years old. Private Isabella Gonzales of Texas; she was 19 years old. SGT Michael Emmanuel Swinton of North Carolina, killed at Erbil Airbase in northern Iraq--30 years old--19, 25, and 30. My prayers are with their families. I can't even begin to imagine the grief.
As it stands today, 17 American servicemembers have paid the ultimate price for this war. There are 17 Americans and 17 families who won't sit for a meal with their loved ones--17 lives that a nation cannot get back. No matter how many times we say it, the pain still lasts. These are 17 reasons I believe the American people and the men and women who wear this country's uniform are owed more from us.
We know, in this body, that every single day we are privy to information; that every single day we go into classified settings and hear about the fact that every single day there are Americans standing up for our country in dangerous places who are doing dangerous things. It is one of the more sobering parts of this job to know that I bear a responsibility, along with my 99 colleagues, for those men and women who step forward, swear their oath, put on their uniforms, and go all over the globe for us under the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States.
Now, the idea behind our democracy is that they don't go at the orders of their commanders, but they go to represent a country that has a form of government, a Republic, that is a nation of laws. They swear an oath to the Constitution, and we, too, swear that same oath. We stand right there in the well of the Senate. We raise our hands, and we swear an oath. There is no measure of courage to do this job. Rarely, have I seen Senators face real imminent danger. The truth of the matter is that the courage evidenced by men and women in uniform should serve as an inspiration to us in that maybe we are not putting ourselves to the physical tests that they are but that we, too, have to make a decision to honor their courage with our moral courage.
This week, we learned--to my surprise and, frankly, inciting my anger--that the Pentagon severely undercounted the number of servicemembers who have been injured. We were told that over 400 servicemembers have been injured since February 28. Now we are learning that, in the last 2 weeks alone, more than 100 more American servicemembers have been injured in spiraling strikes between the United States and Iran. Some have been seriously injured, and some have already been back at work--many of them back in harm's way.
I fear that we are seeing a pattern. The administration has not told Congress or the American people the truth about the cost of this war, nor the cost to our men and women who put on the uniform; not the cost to the military families who have family members in harm's way, nor the 17 families who will not have family members coming home. Now we are listening to the Congress of the United States in both Chambers. We have seen votes in majorities in both Chambers to end this war, but instead of listening to that will, instead of listening to the American people as to a war that is immensely unpopular, we seem to be repeating over and over again what I believe is an unjust continuation of a war that is not upheld or supported by the law of our land or by the Constitution we swore an oath to.
This brings to me the urgency of this moment, and the death of more American soldiers highlights what we are doing here. History is looking at us in this moment. Right now, as we speak, there are people in harm's way. History is looking at us in this moment. How will our moral courage stand alongside those courageous people who are representing our country?
My heart is heavy; my spirit grieves. And I know I am not alone. When deaths like this happen, we shouldn't just go on like this is normal. When people die in service of our country, in combat, we shouldn't treat it like another day here in America. It is not.
So how do we express our commitment to country? How can it lie in congruency with theirs? How can we honor them in this body beyond condolences, thoughts, and prayers?
I believe what the call of this body is in this moment, in the shadow of their immense brilliance, that we have an obligation to honor them, not with words, but in how we give the best measure of our devotion to the laws of our land.
I find it unconscionable that the stakes are so high in this country where we are spending tens of billions of dollars--that factually could be going to our schools, tens of billions of dollars could be going to our healthcare, tens of billions of dollars that could be paying down our national debt, tens of billions of dollars that don't just come out of nowhere, but they come from hard-working taxpayers who pay their taxes into a system that they put faith and trust in. And what is happening with this money that we are expending for bombs and missiles and planes and personnel?
What is happening is we expend this money. Well, what is apparent to me is what is not happening. You see, our Founders understood the nature of war, and they understood--in light of Kings and Queens and Monarchs who so easily pushed their country into war with no consequence, how easily they put lives on the line, sent men and women into battles--it was such a significant understanding that they had that they said: No individual should be able to unilaterally send our men and women, our children, into war; that we should put appropriate checks and balances on those decisions. Our Founders knew the consequence of war, the burden of war. They knew the hell of war, the tragic consequence to families, the pain and agony of death, and they knew that those decisions should not be made by an individual who might be overcome with some kind of ill-conceived notions and draw our country into war where we give the best of who we are.
The best of America is not our wealth; it is the young men and women who hold the hope of America.
And so the Constitution is clear: Do not let one person drag our Nation into war. They took that power and placed it not with an Executive. They placed that power with this body, with Congress so that there would be debate and discussion; so that there would be arguments into the night; and so that people would understand with the gravity of such a commitment that we would make sure that the will of the people would be the first decisionmakers for a war.
And that any President that was conducting the war would not conduct it above accountability but would have checks and balance. That is the Constitution of the United States. Those imperfect geniuses understood that in moments like this when our Nation is at war, where men and women are coming home not alive but in body bags, that we should honor them by making sure that the will of our Nation was behind that war.
And here we are, since the end of February, month after month. Soldiers injured by the hundreds. Lives lost. And the question is: What are we doing in this body?
Have we granted the authority to the Executive to go to war? No, we haven't.
Have we exercised our constitutional authority? No, we haven't.
Have we debated this war and had to make a decision by voting yes or no to allow the President to conduct this war? We have not.
We have men and women who are fighting to defend our Nation's laws and Constitution, and here we are not living up to it. To me, that is a living shame, that men and women are risking their lives for the Constitution we serve, and we can't even live up to the roles that we are to play within that constitutional Republic.
What does it say that men and women are dying for this country and we are not even living up to its laws? That men and women are paying the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation and we can't even stand up and do the specific duty spelled out by our country?
All hundred of us grieve these losses. No one should say any different. I know my colleagues. There is not a person here that doesn't anguish over the loss, but that is not enough in this moment. That is inadequate when it comes to honoring these men and women.
What this moment calls for is more than thoughts and prayers, more than the hurt and the grief. It calls for us to do our job. We owe it to them. We owe them truth. We owe them accountability. We owe them checks and balances. We owe them transparency. We owe them a government that lives up to its obligations.
They gave the best measure of their devotion to the Nation they loved, and their love was not mere words or symbols or salutes. Their words alone did not show their sacrifice. They understood to love your Nation is to stand up and work for her, sacrifice for her, risk for her.
It is time for this body, the U.S. Senate, to honor those men and women by giving our best measure of devotion to our Constitution. This body must end this unconstitutional and unjust war. And if they are unwilling to do so, they should hold the vote whether we authorize this war. It has not been done yet.
How many more men and women will die before we do our job, rein in this Executive, hold him accountable, and bring an end to a war that our Nation does not want to be in?
Today, my thoughts and prayers are with their families. But I stand here as 1 out of 100 Senators offering more than thoughts and prayers. I yet again demand this body to fulfill its constitutional obligations and do its job.
Adjournment Until 10 A.m. Tomorrow
Page S4201 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
Under the previous order, the Senate stands adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Thereupon, the Senate, at 7:13 p.m., adjourned until Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Nominations
Pages S4201–S4202 · Official textExecutive nominations received by the Senate:
Text printed in the Record (4,305 characters)
D. ADAM CANDEUB, OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, TO BE AN ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, VICE ABIGAIL SLATER.
NICHOLAS CHECKER, OF WISCONSIN, TO BE AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA.
WILLIAM GERALD HARDY, OF ALABAMA, TO BE UNITED STATES MARSHAL FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA FOR THE TERM OF FOUR YEARS, VICE CHESTER MARTIN KEELY, TERM EXPIRED.
JOSHUA HARRIS, OF MARYLAND, A CAREER MEMBER OF THE SENIOR FOREIGN SERVICE, CLASS OF MINISTER-COUNSELOR, TO BE AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO MALAYSIA.
JOY LYNNE PITTMAN THORP, OF OKLAHOMA, TO BE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA FOR THE TERM OF FOUR YEARS, VICE BRIAN J. KUESTER, RESIGNED.
GRETCHEN C.F. SHAPPERT, OF VIRGINIA, TO BE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF GUAM AND CONCURRENTLY UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS FOR THE TERM OF FOUR YEARS, VICE ALICIA ANNE GARRIDO LIMTIACO, TERM EXPIRED.
JURGEN RYAN SOEKHOE, OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, TO BE UNITED STATES MARSHAL FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FOR THE TERM OF FOUR YEARS, VICE PATRICK A. BURKE, TERM EXPIRED.
THE FOLLOWING NAMED INDIVIDUAL FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE REGULAR AIR FORCE UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 531:
LINDSAY K. VEZINA
THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY NURSE CORPS UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTIONS 624 AND 7064:
THOMAS C. AGNEW LISA K. BUCKLES ADAM R. CAMPBELL WILLIAM J. CHAPPELL JESUS CHAVEZ SOCHARA CHUMNOEUR JAMIE L. COLON ELISABETH DILLON KEDRICK A. DRAKES ERICA K. GRANT MONIQUE E. GRINNELL TRANESSIA M. HANSON BEATRIZ N. MARTINEZ ALEXIS MARTINEZSUAREZ JUSTIN L. MILLER TANYA B. MOORE ANDRE J. PACHO THORBJORN K. PERSSON LYNAE D. PLACE HEIDI R. RADMER AUDREY N. RICHERT ALICIA D. ROBINSON ANTHONY M. SABATINI KELLY M. SHAMLIAN SEAN W. SHAMLIAN ESTHER H. SOUTHERLAND JESSICA E. STONE KIMBERLY L. SUGG MARY A. UGADDAN KEVIN T. WORTH JONATHAN G. YOST FRANCES R. YOUNG THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY MEDICAL SERVICE CORPS UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTIONS 624 AND 7064:
NADINE M. ALONZO NICHOLAS J. BARANELLO ANTIONE D. BARNETT JONATHAN S. BARTLETT VALERIE S. BARTONICO JAMES F. BEHELER BRIAN E. COAKER DANA M. COOK ROBERT B. DAVIS REUBEN G. DOORNINK BRIAN M. DOWNS JOSEPH E. FISHER JEFFREY W. FROUDE II JORDAN T. GARRETT PATRICK R. GLASS DANIEL D. HEFFNER QUANESHA K. HENRY RONNIE HILL CHRISTOPHER M. HINNERICHS ADAM T. HUGHES PATRICK R. KELLEY SEAN M. KILEY KEVIN A. KIRCHGRABER PETER F. KIRKENDALL BETHANY G. LANDECK MARVIN A. LEONARD WILLIAM B. LEWIS LUKE A. LINDAMAN KATHRYN C. LOFRANCO MARCOS MARTINEZ DEEPAK J. MATHEW ERIN E. MILNER MATTHEW S. MOORE NOE R. MUNIZ STEVEN M. OLIVER DANIEL J. ONEILL RILIWAN O. OTTUN BRANDON S. PYBUS CAMERON L. RICHARDSON FAUSTINO RODRIGUEZ, JR. JULIE A. SHIN MAXWELL H. SMITH JOHN T. STRINGER DANIEL H. TENHAGEN JOSE M. VELAZQUEZ KAYLA L. VICKERS ABIGAIL S. VINCENT MARK T. WILLIAMS ANDREW W. WILSON DAVID M. ZUPANCIC 1157853003 THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY MEDICAL SPECIALIST CORPS UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTIONS 624 AND 7064:
PAUL J. AUCHINCLOSS JASON L. JUDKINS LEIGH A. LECHANSKI SHAUN J. OLAUGHLIN KAYLA O. RAMOTAR 1257257572 THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY VETERINARY CORPS UNDER TITLE 10, U. S.C., SECTIONS 624 AND 7064:
SCOTT J. ANDERSON DIANE E. COLLETTE JUSTIN C. DEVANNA CYNTHIA A. FALLNESS DEANNA K. HOWELL JESSICA J. HUWA MARC G. KNOBBE CARA P. REITER CARL SOFFLER THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY AS CHAPLAINS UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTIONS 624 AND 7064:
PETER BAEK APRILL M. BRIGHT ROBERT A. CARGEL III DANIEL A. CHASE HWA S. CHUNG JOHN L. CRAVEN TIMOTHY S. CRAWLEY DAVID S. DENNIS JOHNNIE W. ELDER JONATHAN P. ENTREKIN RONNY D. FISHER, JR. MATTHEW M. HAMRICK DANIEL D. KANG MATTHEW D. MADISON GREGORY S. MCVEY MARK S. MILLER DAVID MVONDO WILLIAM M. OLIVER MARK J. OLSON WILLIAM B. ROBINSON, JR. WILLIAM J. SHEETS OMARI S. THOMPSON MICHAEL D. TURPIN, JR. CODY J. VEST SHAY L. WORTHY
Confirmation
Page S4202 · Official textExecutive nomination confirmed by the Senate July 21, 2026:
Text printed in the Record (100 characters)
KARA MARIE WESTERCAMP, OF VIRGINIA, TO BE A JUDGE OF THE UNITED STATES COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE.