>> governor kathy hochul saying extremism in this country is spreading quote like a virus. we are interested in your comments (202)748-8000. eastern and central time zone 2,027,488,0001. the couple comments on twitter, america was founded on extremism, the racial nature, this is a new phenomenon nor is it likely to end anytime soon. not a threat police are able or willing to protect its targets from. she's correct here in pa, we have three far right candidates for major offices on the brink of winning republican primaries tomorrow. in my county, there's nosu increase in the activity of white sub rosa groups and organized openly at local restaurants. buffalo shooter quote -- >> and can watch washington girl website c-span.org.

also the free c-span now app. the u.s. senate galley and, although is expected whether to advance the 40 billion has approved ukraine aid bill. live coverage of the senate here on c-span2. ... as hate crimes rise nationwide, deliver us from permitting evil to triumph because we do nothing. lord, make us a people who refuse to remain idle during a

crisis. inspire us to avoid the paralysis of analysis. remind us that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere and that we are diminished by every death. keep our lawmakers vigilant, providing our nation with profiles of courage through their striving. lord, use our senators to cause justice to shine upon those who sit in the shadows of despair. and, lord, thank you for the safe return of our lawmakers from ukraine.

we pray in your mighty name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in the pledge of allegiance. 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. the president pro tempore: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 7691, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 3689, h.r. 7691, an act making

emergency supplement appropriations for assistance for the situation in ukraine for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2022, and for other purposes. ms. hirono: mr. president? the president pro tempore: the senator from hawaii. ms. hirono: i note the absence of a quorum. the president pro tempore: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

and would help with their

groceries. ms. cheney, 65, a grandmother to six visiting her sister and they went to the supermarket because shewanted to get strawberries which she loved . she priced her role as a grandmother, survived cancer and was a regular churchgoer. robert drury, 42. a resident of the area. she was at the supermarket to get food for dinner while in town visiting her brother. she always was the center of attention made the whole room smile and laugh her sister said. geraldine callie was doing her regular grocery shopping with her fiancc on saturday when she was shot and killed. according to her niece lakisha chapman she was the person who always put our family reunion together and brother mother of two

beautiful children. audra mcneil 53was going to the supermarket to get a birthday cake for her kids when she was killed . john smith, mcneil's cousin said he was a loving father andgrandmother who used to check in on everybody . marcus d morrison, 52. marcus was a father of three and the buffalo resident . we recognize their lives today and those lost affected by gun violence this weekend in houston, in southern california, milwaukee and communities across the country and honor the bravery of those in law enforcement who responded quickly and with professionalism in buffalo and who risk their lives every day to protect and serve their communities. tomorrow as you all know the president and first lady will travel to buffalo tomeet with families of the victims . first responders and humidity leaders. they will comfort the families of the 10 people whose lives were sent

sentenced and selflessly taken in this horrific shooting and they will express gratitude for the bravery of members of law enforcement and other first responders who took immediate action to try to protect and save lives. a couple more toppers for you here. items for the top. in just under an hour the president will host prime minister of greece and the senior delegation including their minister for foreign affairs, minister of defense for a bilateral meeting. the two will discuss the us bilateral relationship with our government agrees is at a historical high point. the president and prime minister will discuss our defense partnership efforts to bolster energy security while also combating climate change. our shared commitment to democratic values and efforts to provide ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself.

the two will also discuss ways to further expand upon bilateral trade relationship and us investments in greece where several us tech and renewable energy companies have made investments . the president and first lady will then post the prime minister and his wife for a reception honoring the conclusion of the grief bicentennial year on march 25th. also today the administration announced an action plan to ease the burden of housing costs taking a series of actions to address one of the largest items in a typical family budget and one of the largest drivers of inflation in our economy. president biden has said taxing inflation is his top economic priority. the best we can do to ease the burden of housing is to lease the supply of quality housing including building more new homes and preserving existing federal support and market rate affordable housing. today's action plan includes legislative and administrative action that will help close america's

housing supply shortfalls in five years starting with the creation of preservation of hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units in the next three years . this is the most comprehensive all government effort to close a housing supply shortfall in history. when aligned with other policies the president has proposed to reduce housing costs and ensure affordability such as rental assistance and down payment assistance closing the gap will remain more affordable rents and more attainable homeownership for americans in every community . also today we have a lot. today marks six months since president biden sign a bipartisan infrastructure law since then the team has hit the ground running to the delivery results for committees across the country . in six months the bipartisan infrastructure law has begun helping fight climate change,

advancing environmental justice, houston domestic manufacturing, and incredible supply chain and lowering costs for working families. today the biden harris administration has over hundred $10 billion to rebuild roads and bridges, modernized ports and airports , replace lead pipes and deliver clean water and expand high-speed internet. this includes funding for over 4300 projects touching 3200 communities across all 50 states. dc and puerto rico as well. 53 states appointed state infrastructure coordinators responding to the call from infrastructure coordinator landry and individuals to coordinate efforts in a state along with serving as a single point of contact for the white house infrastructure implementation team. the president vice president and cabinet have traveled on more than 125 trips to over 40 states as well as dc and

puerto rico to demonstrate how the president is delivering on this once in a generation opportunity. the last thing i promised and will go to your questions but before i do i want to say a few words about how honored i am to be here with all of you today in this role, in this room standing behind the podium. i am obviously acutely aware that my presence at this podium represents few firsts. i am a black gay immigrants woman, the first of all those to real disposition. i would not be here for but for a generation of barrier breaking people before me. i stand on their shoulders. if it were not for generations of barrier breaking people before me i would not be here. but i benefit from their sacrifices. i have learned from their excellence and i am forever grateful.

representation does matter. you hear that said so often in this administration and no one understands this better than president biden which is why his administration is not only the most diverse in history, it is filled with barrier breaking men and women from the vice president to cabinetsecretary to his supreme court nominee , senior staff throughout this administration. when i did my first briefing as principal deputy press secretary last year almost a year ago i said atthis podium this podium, this room, this building along to the american people. we work for them . it's not about me. it's about them. it was true then and it is very trueindeed today . on jan's first briefing she made clear the president and her priority was to bring truth and transparency back to this briefing room.

jen did a great job at that and i will work every day to continue to ensure we are leading the president's high expectation of truth, honesty and transparency. i also have tremendous respect for the work you all do . which i know is not easy. the press plays a vital role in our democracy and we need a strong and independent press now morethan ever . we might not see eye to eye here in this room all the time which is okay. that give-and-take is so incredibly healthy and it's a part of our democracy and i look forward to engaging with all of you on that. with that please give it up >> one thing and i wanted to ask you do you view your primary role here as speaking for the president and you provided the unvarnishedtruth

to the american people . >> i think that's hand-in-hand. i don't think that there's any separationto that . as i said at the end of my opening here, the president believes in truth and transparency. that's what he expects from us. clearly we're here to talk about his platform and what he's doing to deliver for the american people what he wants to make sure we're doing this in a transparent way, truthful way and an honestway . >> i'm hoping you might be able to stay. and then so this attack in buffalo, the shooter professed ideology of the hateful rhetoric of those protests. that motivate the president to run for office. back in as is often talk about what were the presidents have to do in the

country have to do to combat that. >> let me say we still need to learn more about the motivation for the shooting and law enforcement is doing their work but we don't need anything else to state a clear moral truth which is a racially motivated hate crime is abhorrent to the very fabric of this nation. hate must not have a safe harbor. it's something the president said very often especially in this horrific incidents that we've seen time and again. we must do everything in our power to end a fueled domestic terrorism and we must reject hatred and extremism ideology that seek to divide americans whenever we find it in oursociety . it is antithetical to who we are as a country and it fuels violence as well . >> in that vein there's polling that shows one in three americans believed some

elements of replacement theory. are there specifics that this white house is willing to do or to take in order to stop this from further seeping out of the fringe and into the mainstream? >> were going to continue to call this out as we have talked about many times. the president has every chance he had. when we see a violent attack like this that is as we say with hatred and racially motivated we call it what it is. so one thing i do want to touch on is like domestic terrorism a little bit which kind of hopefully touches on your question. we have been working to implement a governmentwide national strategy to counter domestic terrorism which president biden direct at his national security team to do

on his first full day in office recognizing that has evolved into the most urgent terrorism threat the united states faces today. that work includes information sharing throughout federal state and local law enforcement on domestic terrorism threats and analysis, adding resources to prevent domestic terrorism recruitment and mobilization to violence including online by increasing informationsharing with the technology sector . and increasing our support for federal state and local law enforcement and addressing domestic terrorism nationwide, confronting long-term contributors to domestic terrorism and root it out hate and bigotry. this weekend's terrible event in buffalo is just another vividreminder of the urgency of that work and continuing to move towards that . >> the supposition that immigrants and others are

taking over and pushing white people out of positions of authority in this country which is part of the terror that is being spewed online, does the white house believe these are views are being amplified? >> like i said we are still figuring out the motivation of all of this and we are very clear. as you all know watching what happened in charlottesville was a major factor in the presidents deciding to run and back in 2017. many of those dark forces still exist today and the president is determined as he was back then and he is determined today to make sure we fight back against both forces of hate and evil and violence so that's whatwe're going to keep doing. that's what were going to continue to call out but we reject hatred and extremism ideology . >> but are there elected officials this administration views as threatening?

>> what it's what we're going to continue to do, any one person. it doesn't matter who they are who spews this type of hate, hatred, we are going to call out. we're going to condemn that. i'm not going to speak or call out anyindividual names . i'm saying this is something we need to call out and so this is what the president has been doing and will continue to do that. he saw him say that in his statement over the weekend and now he's going to go to buffalo and visit with the victims that were affected by this violence that we saw on saturday . >> president putin said today that russia had refused to implement nato. what is the white house's reaction to that and can you give us an update on what efforts can help bridge the gap between turkey. >> the turkey part i'll take

that first. i know that there was a question about how they were feeling for what the turkish government said about finland and sweden. the secretary spoke to this again as i said yesterday during his press conference in berlin . a meeting with his counterpart in nato so what he said is we are confident we will reach consensus as an alliance on an entry process should they decide to apply. which is what secretary blink and said yesterday. icannot speak for the kremlin . this is , we believe in nato's open-door policy and the right of each countryto decide its own future , foreign-policy and security arrangement. that's what we believe so we welcome the statements from finland and sweden are on their intention to seek nato membership.

we will support these applications when they are formally presented in brussels. finland and swedenare close and valued defense partners of the united states . >> when and why did the president decide to have additional troops sent to somalia ? >> i know that was just announced yesterday, really today. the president has approved a request from the secretary of defense to reestablish a persistent us military presence in the law you to enable a more effective fight against al-shabbab which poses a heightened threat. this is a repositioning of forces who have traveled in and out of somalia and an episodic basis since the previous administration made the decision to withdraw back in january 2021. as we've emphasized throughout his administration where approaching counterterrorism in a manner

tailored to the particular terrorist threats that we see emerging from particular countries today in somalia we faced al qaeda's largest and wealthiest global affiliate and one that holdssubstantial territorial safe haven. the decision to reintroduce a small persistent presence was made first and foremost to maximize the safety and effectiveness of our force and enable them to provide better support of our partners . additionally our partners can benefit from our more consistent support and engagement in addressing the threat posed by al-shabab by having a small but persistent us military presence andwhile there is lift it is manageable. that's the way we are seeing this approach .dod is working to elevate local conditions including those following the somalia presidential election yesterday and is engaging workers in the region including the somali government to determine the best way forward . >> a few questions, one there

are some elected officials and media figures who are publicly espousing extreme views that may be helping to spread white nationalism. you told my colleague you don't want to call out any names. why don't we want to do that ? >> i think because it doesn't matter who it is. if person espouses hatred we need to call that out. i'm not going to get into a back-and-forth on names and who said what. we're just saying ifsomeone does that, if there's an individual that is espousing eight, zeno phobia , has just white supremacy type of extremism, we need to call that out and this president has done that . he's done that at every unfortunate violent event that we have seen. as we know charlottesville as i mentioned was the reason

that he decided to jump in and into this election back in 2020. >> just for the people that are watching. >> who is departing the president is getting ready to have this event. it's okay. that would be a great first day. one for the books before the press gets up and walks away. the president is much more important than i am for sure. [inaudible] [laughter] you guys all deserve awards, how about that? go ahead naomi. i'm sorry mj, go ahead. >> the president told my colleague earlier on friday when he asked if the administration about baby formula . if we been better mind readers i guess we could have

. this seems like a situation that would have required mind-reading. as we know the recalled expected february i believe politico reported months ago the fda was warned about this bacteria issue as early as september. are there any specific actions this administration took meeting phone calls, briefings in february for any earlier to begin addressing this potential shortage ? >> you heard us talk about this and you see my colleagues on your network talking about what we have done since february. we've been workingon this 24 seven. but i do want to give you a little bit of an update with where we are . so getting more safe infant formula onto shelves is one of the president's top priorities. this is something he's focusing on very acutely and again i said 24 seven we've been working on this since we have learned about this back

in february. it's important to remember the shortage exists because at closed the facility because of safety concerns from the fda. the fda is working closely with abbott to bring the facility back online safely. that's the key. wewant to make sure that this is done in a safeway . we're very close to having a path forward to safely reopening the facility. we didn't even expect an announcement from fda later today on that but that will go into more detail. we're also moving as quickly as possible to safely bring in additional product and other countries as soon as today as well. we would be able to make an announcement on the expedited process to bring additional safe product to the american storage store shelves and throughout the weekend we've been working closely with manufacturers and detailers to identify transportation and logistical needs to increase the amount and

spread of fda approved formula being shipped into the country and ensure that formula is quickly moving from factory to retail so the president understands. he gets how stressful it is for parents trying to feed their children which is why we're leaving no stone unturned to make more safe formula available. to help find formula i encouraged him them to consult their pediatrician or visit hhs.gov/formula but we've been working on this from february. our ministration has been. >> i'm curious whether there are specific meetings, briefings, phone calls coming up. >> i don't have anything specific for you to point to. i'm happy to go back and get that, make sure we are fully transparent on what we've been doing but this has been an important, this is an important priority.

it's high priority for the president. his team has been working overtime to make sure that we get formula back on the shelves and we want to do this in a safeway and again, we cannot forget how we got here. abbott closed the facility because of safety concerns from thefda . the fda wanted to make sure that we were going out in a safeway. that is the job of the fda and the job of this administration. >> quickly on abbott the secretary was there in terms of when it would be back to normal and that alex is the one that can tell you the timeline. we don't run their plant . do you know if the federal government is at the plant were visiting the plants? >> i don't have information if anyone is on the plant. i can go back to our team and figure that out but what i can say is there are a lot of dates floating around out there but at the end of the day the infant formula market is tight because the michigan facility is off-line

currently which is what we're trying to do. that's the announcement you'll hear from the fda on how we're helping them to do that. we're taking a range of steps to get more supply onto shelves from domesticand international locations and offering a suite of resources to move supply onto the market . as the secretary said abbott can't an exact timeline for reopening but fda is and will be prepared to effectively and quickly certified moving out safe product onto shelves as it is obligated to so that's going to be our focus. fda will work withabbott to make sure we get them running again . >> when you talk about importing more product imminently, what is the criteria going to be for which formula can be imported? will the administration allow formula that was not

previewed in fda approved factories overseas to be imported or european brands that aren't currently sold in the us ? >> as the doctor was on various networks today, the fda has said that it will release guidance as soon as today on how major formula manufacturers can bring in product that is not currently being produced for the us market. companies will need to apply with the fda and the fda is prepared to review applications and respond to them rapidly. fda will prioritize review of applications that are most likely to be successful and will get the most formula to us shelves as quickly as possible. all companies will meet the gold standard of quality control and only safe products will come to american shelves as the fda commissioner said and explained in detail this

morning. at the white house our role what we will be doing is we will have alerted embassies, retailers and manufacturers to identify a potential company that would make use of the new fda importation process. once fda has finalized its rule we will be ready to provide information to the public on using the new system quickly and safely and bring new supply to the market. >> senator kiersten gillibrand says the president should be invoking the supply act. >> we're pretty much where we were before on the dba. we're leaving no stone unturned and every option is on the table as we been saying for the past several days. i have no update on dpa but what we're taking actions to make more supplies available as soon as possible as you've been hearing me say. that is our priority, our

main goal. that's happening by increasing imports, i laid out how we will be doing that process and working with manufacturers to help them ramp up production . >> when you say your offering these retailers and producers more assistance, what kind of assistance are you talking about? what can the administration provide to get supply to store shelves? >> we're talking about logistical needs and any technical help is what we were talking about but since the president called on thursday to manufacturers and retailers which we read out the white house has been in close communication to follow up on those conversations. the white house is having ongoing conversations with the four major infant formulas to work with them to identifytransportation, logistical . after us and fda approved facilities to expand the amount and speed of fda approved formula being

shipped. and ensure that formula is quickly moving to retailers from factories. we are also in ongoing communication as we talk about retailers here as well with target and amazon and walmart and other read leading retailers for eb formula to identify parts of the country that may be at risk of critically low supplies of infant formula and have offered to work with manufacturers and retailers to bring more formula to those parts of the country including the us government transportation and was just a cold support. last we are also contacting suppliers to infant formula manufacturers to inform them that their materials are critical for boosting us infant formula production and they should prioritize their production and delivery so essentially in short we want them to know we are standing ready to provide the resources or support needed to move safely to get this to the shelves as soon as

possible. >> cases are up 61 percent in the last two weeks. hospitalizations are up almost 25 percent is the white house concerned that the pandemic has notmoved on from us ? >> doctor john was here not too long ago. i think very early in his tenure he stopped by and answered allyour questions and said this is pretty . when it comes to this. and the thing that we have to remember and we keep saying from here is that people have to getvaccinated. they have to get boosted . that is the way to really start moving forward from that and that's in the president's focus in putting together a comprehensive strategy to make sure that is happening and that's why you seen that success of more than 200 million people who have been vaccinated. so we're going to continue to have that message. again, it's tricky.

this is a oncein a generation pandemic . and so what we're going to continue to do is do the job of the federal government and make sure that we keep the american public as safe as possible into medicatingon what we need to do to move forward . >> it was a while ago and so regular covid-19 briefings of other health advisors have fallen off a cliff. what is your view on whether the this should be happening i think they will be happening.i don't have any update for you on that. doctor john is happy to come back. to all of you. i'm sure that they will be having a briefing pretty soon. i don't have any list or majorreadouts for you but yes , it is important to continue to connect it tothe american public and are going to continue to do that . >> a couple of questions. we understand the shooter did

purchase his gun legally but did have a history of mental health issues and what held for an evaluation. does the white house believe he should have been prevented from owning a gun and how does do they propose that. >> give me a second because i want to touch on this. it's important. our nation is facing amental health crisis so it's important to call that . one that is worsened by acts of violence like the one we saw in buffalo that can traumatize communities especially communities of color anyone seeking support in the wake of shootings like this should contact disaster distress helpline. that's one 800-5990. help is available 24 seven 365 days a week. for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human caused disaster we are committed to expanding access to mental

health for all americans. the american rescue plan made investments in mental health and substance use care and in his first state of the union the president revealed his vision for transforming mental health in the united states. his strategy focuses on building a system that works for everyone by increasing the supply of diversity of the mental health workforce, connecting more people to care by lowering costs and other barriers and creating environments that help prevent mental health problems and support recovery. while we are committed to this work i want to underscore that the overwhelming majority of individuals with mental health problems do not commit acts of violence. so a comment to make this about mental health only is further stigmatizing mental health and detracts from the other issues like gun violence that must be confronted in our society so i want to make that clearwe are not stigmatizing . >> this goes back to making sure that we have done

reforms. this goes back to making sure that we the president will continueto call on congress to make that happen . so when it comes, i just wanted to make sure when we talk about mental health we talk about it in its fullness and like i said, not every, it's not every individual that has a mental health problem commits acts of violence so i wanted to make sure we don'tstigmatizing . >> with the president support the death penalty from the shooter? >> this is being investigated by the department of justice. it's not my place from here to go beyond that. >> regarding gun violence does the president plan to use his remarks in buffalo to push for gun control, gun reform or will that be a key part of what his messages tomorrow in buffalo? >> the president is going to go.

he really wanted to, he made sure that he went there before he went to asia. he wants to go there and comfort to people who are, who went through this violence on saturday. and wanted to offer some comfort and listen to them. talk to them, see how they're doing so that is going to be his priority with the first lady.i don't want to get ahead of what he's going to say i willlet the president speak for himself . >> he used this moment to call on congress to pass on reform measures or is there recognition that's not something that's possible right now in congress? obviously you push for things in the past during his first term in office. >> i think the president is going to continue to call for gun reform. that is not going to you know, that's not going to change. that is something that he has done this past year every time we have heard of this

gun violence. our country is facing an epidemicon gun violence that is costing lives every day . we saw that in buffalo as we're talking about and an example every day that might not make the news but tears of families and communities. this is a top priority for the president and it's been through out his career. i want to say that what we saw in the country this weekend are an urgent reminder of how important it is to have conference leadership at aft so i want to take a moment to say aft agents are playing a key role in the investigation of buffalo and they are risking their lives every day to combat domestic terrorism and crackdown on gun traffickers to keep our streets safe from violent crime. if the senate wants to get their back and they should confirm that dave got a lot to leave the agency. he's a career prosecutor who has confirmed unanimously last time he was before the senate he was with had the

support of former federal prosecution and prosecutors from both parties including the team that prosecuted the deadly oklahoma city bombing, domestic terrorism case. he had the backing of major law-enforcement groups including one that represents many of the rank-and-file 80 agents is going to lead as a gf director. that issomething that's important that we make sure we get that done and where calling oncongress to do that . >> congratulations . the president twitter accounts posted the other day you want to bring down inflation let's make sure the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share . how would raising taxes on corporations decrease inflation? >> are you talking about a specific tweet? >> you wantto bring down inflation let's make sure the wealthiest corporations pay

their fair share . >> we talk about this this past year about making sure that the wealthiest among us are paying their fair share. that is important to do and that is something that the president has been working on every day when we talk about inflation and lowering costs so it's very important that as we're seeing costs rise and as we're talking about how to build an america that's safe and equal for everyone and doesn't leave anyone behind, that's an important part of that as well. >> how does raising taxes on corporations lower the cost of gas and the cost of food foreveryday americans . >> i think we encourage those who have done very well especially those who care about climate change to support a fair tax code that doesn't change, that doesn't charge manufacturers workers, cops, builders a higher percentage of their earnings.

not the most important people in our nation and not let that span stand in the way of reducing energy costs and fighting this existential problem if you think about that as an example. and to support basic collective-bargaining rights as well. that's alsoimportant but it is , by not, without having a fair tax code which is what i'm talking about then manufacturing workers, cops. it's not fair for them to have to pay higher taxes than the folks that who are not paying taxes at all. >> but the president said you want to bring down inflation let's make sure the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share. jeff bases came out and sweet about that and said the newly created disinformation board should review this tweet. would you be okay with that? >> it's not a mystery why one of the wealthiest individuals on earth opposes economic agenda that is for the middle class.that cuts some of the biggest costs for families, fight inflation for the long haul and that's what we're

talking about. that's why you're talking about lowering inflation here and asked at a historic deficit reduction the president is achieving asking the richest taxpayers in cooperation to prepay their fair share. that is what we're talking about. >> how come the president is visiting buffalo after his strategy there but couldn't visit waukesha after six were killed and 61 injured in an attack on a christmas parade there . >> he's visited many communities . buffalo he was able to go tomorrow to buffalo. before the trip, that is something that was important for him to do but he has visited many other communities. buffalo is not the first committee sadly he has to go up to because of a violent attack . so that's not the first one. >> you outline some steps the administration is taking on baby formula . any sense of the timeline for the imports that the fda is

considering. obviously for parents this is a hour by hour day by day concern is the president expressing any worry about how quickly this can be resolve as parents are dealing with this on an urgent basis? >> this is something that's incredibly important to the president. we want this to happen as soon as possible. that is why we're working with manufacturers and retailers as i just laid out. that's why fda is working with abbott to open up that facility so we want to get this done as quickly as possible and that's why we've been working 24 seven to make that happen . >> you have a sense of the timeline. does that mean the production will be up and running in a matter of days? do you know when imports would be approved? >> i don't have a timeline on that. i know we want to make this happen quickly. fda again is going to be working with that abbott facilities . they're going to have worked

closely with them to make sure that we do it as quickly as possible. we know how urgent and important this is to parents who need to make sure they have safe formula for their babies. >> does the president see any link between white supremacist theories like the replacement theory and what he quoted as ultra maga? >> i think what the president believes and has done is call it out. i think this is not about politics. this is about people's lives. what you saw in texas for the tree of life in pittsburgh, you think about the pulse

nightclub in florida . these are events that are, that have been led by some dark forces that still exist today and so itis important to call that out. we understand there is still a lot of work to do . when you talk about people's lives in this way it's not about politics, about making sure we are doing everything we can to uproot this evil that we're seeing. this hatred that we're seeing . making sure we're working towards that. >>. [inaudible] >> again, this is about the lives of people who were taken in a violent way. and in an abhorrent way. the focus for the president is to make sure that we call this out. we call out white supremacy.

we call out hatred. as i said before this is still being investigated. this is still being looked at the moral miss, the moral center of this could be called out that's going to be the focus. that's what you're going to see the president do tomorrow. is going to meet with the victims, have conversationand offer them comfort . he's going to listen to them and hear what is it they want to share with him and he's going to work with congress call on congress to work on gun reform which is important here as well . >> is there any update on whether cuba or nicaragua or venezuela will be invited to the american summit and when are you going to be announcing the presentation? >> i don't have any update on invitations or when we're going to announce invitations . as soon as we have that we will promise to share. thank you. >> to quick questions on internal policy review.

the first is on the border patrol agents. in the september of last year , there was an arrival of haitian migrants. it's been eight months at this point and we don't have any conclusion of that review. the president has wondered, he did anything at the time and secretary mayorkas said there would be a conclusion in two weeks. an emergency given that the administration is now preparing for the new arrival ? >> it's a very good question. i don't have an update on that.

department of homeland security that's where you mentioned secretary mayorkas, that's where that review sits and as soon as we have an update i promise to sharethat . or they will share that that would not come from here. i just don't have an update but i understand the question . >>. >> the administration said that after the terrorist attack in fort worth synagogue, they were going to review how an individual citizen who had been on the watch list two years prior was able to engineer this and they were also going to look at addressing concerns. you mentioned how there are increased threats to foreign-born terrorists as well. >> where is that review, what lessons have they learned? >> i don't have an update on that.

i have to check in with our team to see if we have something to share on that particular review. so i'll do that, i'll checkin with the team and they should reach out to us afterwards . >> china's industrial output and consumer spending came in at weaker level since the pandemic began. are youworried about the global recession ? >> can you say what came back? >> china's industrial output on the global economy and us economy came in and so the worst level since the pandemic began wondering if you're worried about the global reception . >> one thing i can tell you is that i know that there's this question about the economic strategy around china. i can give you that update i have not seen that specific data that you're speaking of. but the united states has strong economic eyes in the indo pacific and so but we

agree it is essential for us to step up economically in the region and to do it fast. we need anew model of economic engagement and trade . and as we're talking about that specifically, the past couple of years has highlighted real gaps in global economy like vulnerable supply chains corruption and tax stevens and lack of innovation and creative creativity holding us back. the old model did nothing to address these issues that underpin our growth and we will define the coming decades in our ability to deliver for our people. that's why we're working intently on developing and indo pacific economic framework. we've got a lot of interest from countries in the region and we also spent months in gauging congress in labor as it relates to our economic framework we're going to focus on building agreements with indo pacific partners and one developing a modern

digital economy including opening the door for small and medium businesses . reducing supply chains and diversifying our supply chains to drive investment that will create jobs for people at home and in the indo pacific . retreating climate change like the economy issue is by investing together in the green economy and also building a fair economy and anticorruption practices that level the playing field not just for workers but also for businesses and that's kind of our economic strategy in the region. that particular data i've not seen yet. >> one more overall, the dollar is very strong right now and all indications are that is damaging the domestic and global economy and i'm wondering if you share that view and if the invite ministration will address this. >> i'm just going to have to check with our team. i've not seen it report. >> a quick follow-up on the

economic strategy. thepresident is excited to lay out . >> i don't have anything new to share. or preview for you on his trip. as you know jake is going to be here, jake sullivan national security advisor. he's going to be here on wednesday and we'll talk more and give a little bit more in depth on what's happening , what we're going to be doing and the goals and asia trip will also have calls as you know we tend to do these background calls leading up to the trip and both will give you a little bit more information on specific kinds of the goals that we're delivering. >> does the white house have a response to the over the weekend to block exports? >> i don't have anything for you on that. >>. >> several civil rights groups are calling for a summit on a crime. is that something you all are

considering? >> we heard of this of the summit. i don't have anything for you to review or to confirm on if we're going to have that summit here at the white house. clearly we're constantly talking to organizations and leaders in the community and having constant dialogue but i don't have anything there on that.

racist theories that could fuel violence. why not? individuals with these platforms that carry influence, the number three republican the house and host of the number one cable news show, why not? >> we saw on saturday was devastating. what we want tissue is make sure we send a clear message, safe. we must do everything in our right to remove ideologies to divide americans wherever we find, and political to who we are as a country and that's what we want to make sure we knew, it doesn't matter who it is, this is something morally, the moral

truth is it's a racial motivated hate crime, that's what we need to call, it doesn't matter who that is and that's what we are trying to make clear, we are not going to get into politics about this, we want to make sure we call out what we are seeing, these are people live. at the top of this, i talked about ten people who are doing what many of us might be doing on a saturday, going shopping. i know i go to the supermarket with my 7-year-old very often. to get what we need for the week. this is what happens to everyday people, 20 years old to 86 years old. that's what we saw saturday so we need to call out and do everything we can to deal with this issue and we know we have a lot of work to do. >> it doesn't matter to some

evil who is calling out. when you don't call out the individual, they feel as if you back away from the issue. >> how are we backing away from the issue? here's the thing, we are calling out what's happening, we are going to the heart of the issue, the hatred of the issue. this is a president who decided to run because of what he saw in charlottesville and he talked about the soul of the nation and it was something that propelled him to jump into the 2020 primary because it's against who we are as a country. it's important to remember every time we see forever violence.

once you get into calling out people's names then you wake move away from the issue, move away from the issue left by i'm not going to do that from here, i'm going to focus as i did when i started, the ten lives that were murdered, everyday people doing everyday things and that's why the president is going to buffalo tomorrow. >> congratulations, two polar opposite questions. [laughter] >> ovoid. [laughter] >> one of the issue of saturday, the president ran on issue of the soul of this nation, charlottesville. the equity and inclusion, strengthened civil rights in other departments, when it comes

to what's plaguing this nation since the inception of this nation, where is the peace when it comes to these issues and is the white house looking at what bill clinton, president of the race initiative, people from all walks of life together to discuss issues of race, railing of america. >> this is a president that has been very clear about race in this country. when he walked in, he talked about the multiple crises facing us as a country. he talked about covid, economy, climate and where we are with race. he's called it a crisis and in

his administration, what he could do at the federal level to really deal with that in a way we've not seen before. one of the first things he's signed when we walked into this presidency is executive order to make sure there is fairness, equality and representation in the federal agency and it is something susan rice and her team, domestic policy council has taken on and they have made that a priority. we all know there is so much work to be done, this president is committed to that work and he has not shied away from it, he's called out the hatred we have seen, the violence we've seen when it comes to racially motivated attacks. he's been very clear on that. is there more work to be done?

absolutely. is the team looking to see what else we can do? absolutely so we are going to continue to do that but again tomorrow the president wants to go to a community and send a message the entire country that we stand behind them, with them. that is important as well as the president, he will bring comfort to the community particularly those who lost loved ones and we hear him discuss some of those things, he said saturday about the hate, probably the third time i've said this in the briefing and it really does, any racially motivated hate crime is a., to the very fabric of this nation so that's what you will see him do and that is going to be the focus. >> the second other opposite question, you are making history

on so many levels, summative communities are so proud of you, we are hearing it on social media everywhere. we're the first. what does it mean for the broader community in washington, white male dominated even thoug- [inaudible] the majority does not look like you, what does this say? >> a very good question, i will answer in a personal way but you asked in a personal way so i have not read a lot of the things written about me because i want to focus on the work at hand and i do believe it's not about me, it's about this place, the work i have to do every day that we all have to do as a team to make sure we communicate with you and broader public.

but there was something that moved me and it speaks to what you are asking, there was a story about my elementary school, i went to franklin middle school elementary school and they went to the class, i think sixth grade when i went there they talk to the students about me and this administration which is important because i don't think i'd be here, yes, but it does matter who sits in the oval office, it is very real. these kids wrote me a letter and in the letter they talked about how they can dream bigger because of me standing behind the podium and it matters. in the beginning representation matters and not just for girls but also boys. to dream big and dream bigger to

have a healthy dialogue as i discussed, i think it is important so i appreciate the question. >> i have to follow that fortunately with somalia and ukraine. [laughter] all right. >> hard left, sorry. >> that's okay, that's what this is about, it's okay. >> somalia's new leader, congratulate him and there discussion about the appointments? >> i'll say this and i think i said earlier making sure we engage with partners in the region including the somalia government cited say that about the announcement what you are asking me here but only

election, we congratulate somalia people if there president who was born in last evening, somalia has the opportunity to focus on the political economic security reforms necessary to advance the interest of the people of somalia. we encourage their president and somalian leaders to prioritize strengthening democratic governance and institutions, developing security forces to defeat terrorism, and acting economic reforms and facilitating delivery of humanitarian aid to millions of somalians suffering from devastating drought we look forward to timely formation of a new government and partnering with somalia's leaders to achieve shared goal to a peaceful democratic prosperous somalia. >> have it spoken yet? >> i don't have a conversation or call. >> he says he wants to go to

ukraine for a visit, any movement on that? >> i know he wants to visit ukraine. in the future but there is no plan at all at this time, i should say. he said secretary blinken and austin in kyiv, to demonstrate unwavering commitment to ukraine and first lady as you all know when for mother's day. to send an important message the american people stand with the people of ukraine, the president as you know because we have read out these calls weeks to president zelenskyy and leaders around the world regularly in the response to russia's invasion. >> thank you, i'll see you wednesday and hopefully i will see some folks in buffalo and we will do this again. thank you, everybody.

mr. schumer: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, two days ago barbarism descended upon the city of buffalo. about 2:30 p.m. on saturday in a predominantly black neighborhood on buffalo's east side, a lone gunman driving from 200 miles away equipped with assault rival, body armor are and a video camera in his helmet carried out a target add attack

against unarmed civilians inside a tops friendly supermarket. his goal? to kill as many black americans as possible. in a matter of minutes, ten people were killed, including a former buffalo police officer who worked as a security guard. at least three more were wounded. it was the deadliest shooting in the history of buffalo, and the worst mass shooting in america this year. today we hold in our hearts every single new yorker whose life was tragically cut short during saturday's violence. we weep knowing nothing, nothing will ever be able to bring them back. we mourn with their families and with their friends and with the entire community still shell-shocked by this shooting. tomorrow i will join with president biden, the first lady, and others to travel to buffalo in order to pay my respects to

those who died, as well as to visit the families and visit with local officials still investigating the attack. we also, of course, thank our brave first responders, who were at the scene moments after the shooting. without them, more would have undoubtedly been killed. and we stand, we stand strongly and proudly with the comiewrcht of buffalo -- with the community of buffalo, known as a city of neighbors, buffaloans during times of crisis have always pulled together, and that is happening today. the east side community where the shooting occurred is strong in faith, and i know it, along with the entire city and region, will overcome this tragedy. i say that because i know this community. years ago i worked hard to bring that grocery store to the east side of buffalo, because the community deserved a full-fledged supermarket. it was a much-needed oasis in

what was then a total food desert. i know many in the community shop at that grocery store, whether to buy food on their way home from church or before the bills games. it's where people see friends and relatives and catch up on things in betweener -- in between errands. it has become a community center. buffalo, the city of good neighbors, and nowhere is that truer than on the east side. now, i don't know what could possess someone to bring violence to a place like that. what i do know is that the weekend shootings is part of an ugly pattern, one that dates to the earliest dates of this nation. racism has always been, and unfortunately still is, the poison, the poison of america. the original sin of slavery and the decades of racial terror, discrimination, separate but equal, white supremacy and

bigotry that followed unfortunately continue to exert poisonous influence on our society. an influence so poisonous that even today, after america elected a black president, after america marched for racial justice, after the senate confirmed a black supreme court justice, a black supreme court woman justice for the first time ever, we must still reckon with unspeakable acts of racial violence like what happened saturday on jefferson avenue. as i said, the community is strong in faith, and i know it will overcome this tragedy, and i know that because i know buffalo. mr. president -- madam president, over the next few days i will continue my conversations with local officials and federal investigators to get to the bottom of this harrowing massacre, but while there is much that we don't know yet about saturday's shooting there are a few things that are

already clear and which demand action. first, the victims on saturday were not targeted at random. nor was this a particular grocery store in this particular neighborhood of buffalo, a haphazard selection, it was not. no, this was a racially motivated attack. the shooter made his choice by seeking the most predominantly black neighborhood in the region. online, the shooter proudly professed himself as a neofascist white supremacist anti-semmite. his views, shared extensively online, embraced a dangerous ideology known as, quote, the great replacement, unquote, which asserts that a conspiracy exists to replace white americans with immigrants and people of color. racially motivated shootings are sadly not new in our country.

the last decade alone holds too many examples of too many lives that have been extinguished at the hands of shooters harboring white racist -- white supremacist views. the same hate res that motivatet motivated a shooting at a walmart in el paso. the same poison that possessed a shooter at a synagogue in pittsburgh. the same bigotry that murdered eight people in atlanta last year. and the same evil that took the lives of nine worshipers at a church in charleston. it was the same evil at play this saturday. and the beloved city of buffalo, new york. not long ago views like replacement theory were only found in the darkest places in deranged minds. then they became to be found in hardly viewed trenches of the internet.

and then -- and on chatrooms that most american never visit. to most americans these ideas are transparently repugnant, an affront to our core values. they directly contravene the message of welcome and of opportunity symbolized by the statue of liberty. but unfortunately, with each passing year it seems harder and harder to ignore that the echos of replacement theory and other racially motivated views are increasingly coming out into the open, and given purported legitimacy by some maga republicans and cable news pundits. the message is not always explicit, but we've all seen the pattern. every time maga republicans or pundits vilify wrongly immigrants and call them invaders, every time they falsely claim that millions of

undocumented people cast ballots in our elections, every time loud, bigoted voices bemoan the disintegration of an imagined classic america, the subtext is clear. these hard-right maga republicans argue that people of color and minority communities are somehow posing a threat -- a threat -- to the american way of life. this is replacement theory in a nutshell. it is dangerous and a deeply anti-american world view. it is poisoning minds, people's minds, who spend hours wandering the darkest wastelands of the internet. and let's be clear -- it's a message that is also -- that has also found a special home in several right wing outlets and on one cable news channel in particulars, fox news. in a craven quest for viewers

and ratings, organizations like fox news have spent years perfecting the craft of stoking cultural grievance and political resentment that eerily mirrors the messages found in replacement theory. according to one measure, by "the new york times," fox's top political pundit, most widely watched, tucker carlson, has spewed rhetoric that echos replacement theory at least 400 times on his show since 2016. let me repeat that. according to one measure, by "the new york times," fox's top political pundit, tucker carlson, has spewed rhetoric that echos replacement theory at least 400, 400 times on his show since 2016. 400 times. this is a poison that's being spread by one of the largest

news organizations in our country. now, to its credit, this morning, "the wall street journal" editorial board, which is run by the same elites who run fox news, owned by the same people, "the wall street journal" editorial board wrote that, quote, politicians and media figures have an obligation to condemn such con spirit -- conspiratorial notions such as white supreme theory. they're right. but condemning racist ideologies and violence is necessary, but hardly sufficient. it is not enough for outlets like fox news to simply condemn saturday's violence and condemn shooters' racist views, then return to their regularly scheduled programming. to have an impact in the fight

against domestic violence extremism, fox news and their hosts need to actually stop spreading dangerous ideas like replacement theory on their shows. let me say that again. if organizations like fox news truly want to condemn this weekend's violence, they need to stop spreading ideas like replacement theory on their shows. we see, sadly, unfortunately, and on several, all too many occasions, what happens when these views are given a platform. every single media pundit, every single elected politician, and indeed every single voice of influence in this country should band together to stomp views like replacement theory out of existence. these views should have no place in american society, and certainly no place in the segments of our most-watched news channels.

what we need to do instead is respond to tragedies like this one, like this weekend, like the one that occurred this weekend with the resolve to root out hatred in our country. and we must leave no stone unturned in pursuing solutions that make these attacks less likely, these tragic, awful, horrible attacks. just look at the pictures of the people who died. to be clear, denouncing and rooting out racist conspiracy theories spread by the hard right is only one step we must take, and certainly not a substitute for passing other meaningful legislation to address the gun violence epidemic. but as we mourn those lives that were taken away this weekend, as we grieve with the survivors, we must also make a commitment as americans, to oppose the old poisons of racism and white

supremacy that have been with us far too long, that inspired these violent attacks to begin. if we don't do that, if we don't do that, i fear these attacks will continue and even mult pry, and -- and even multiply, and true justice in a naig that aspires to e pluribus unum will continue to evade our great nation. i yield the floor. .

mr. schumer: madam president. if. the presiding officer: majority leader. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 847. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of state, barbara a. leaf of virginia, to be an assistant secretary. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 847, barbara a. leaf of virginia, to be an assistant secretary of state, near eastern affairs, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without

objection. shape. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 687. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of labor, elizabeth shove watson to be assistant second. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the clerk: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 687, elizabeth schoff watson of

maryland to be an assistant secretary of labor, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the reading of the -- i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. finally, ask that the ma majority quorum called for the cloture motions be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. those opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: madam president, on one more matter that i'd like to address briefly, and i appreciate the indulgence of my friend, the senator from illinois, who's waited. on one other subject i'd like to begin this week by wishing our colleagues and dear friend senator van hollen a smooth and speedy recovery after his announcement yesterday that he suffered a mild stroke. every single one of us is relieved, relieved to hear he's

doing well, his incident was minor and there are no long-term effects. we wish our friend recovery and look forward to seeing him on the floor later today. on the floor today the senate is going to hold an important vote to move forward desperately needed aid for ukraine as they fied against russian aggression. we have a moral obligation to pass this assistance as soon as we can in the senate. the vast majority of us in this chamber are united in getting this aid done as quickly as possible, including myself and the republican leader. but last thursday the junior senator from kentucky prevented the senate from getting ukraine funding out the door and on to the president's desk. the arguments he made on the floor last week make clear that he outright opposes giving aid to the people of ukraine as they fight russian authoritarianism. senator paul's obstruction of ukraine funding is totally unacceptable and only serves to strengthen putin's hand in the long run. i urge him to drop his

opposition so we can reach an agreement to get this package passed through the senate as soon as we can. but to be clear, his obstruction will not, will not prevent ukraine aid from ultimately passing the senate. one way or another we're going to get this done and send a clear message to ukraine and to the world that america stands on the side of democracy and against putin's deeply immoral campaign of violence. i yield the floor. mr. durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from illinois. mr. durbin: madam president, let me join the majority leader in best wishes to our colleague, chris van hollen. it cames a a surprise this morning, but we are heartened by the news that he's recovering, and we hope he'll be back with us very, very soon. he's a wonderful senator, representing a state effectively and he's very close to members on both sides of the aisle. so we wish him and his family all the strength and recovery as quickly as they can. madam president, it was another weekend of bloodshed and loss in

america. in chicago, five people were shot dead, including a 16-year-old boy, killed near the beam, which those of us in chicago know automatically as that site in millennium park where people race to gather and take photographs. it's one of the most popular attractions in our city. and just this last weekend it was the scene of a murder, one teenager killing another. in california yesterday, a gunman walked into a church, opened fire, killing one person, critically wounding four others. that same afternoon another gunman opened fire in a flea market in houston, killing two and injuring three. a weekend in america. both of these mass shootings happened less than 24 hours after a white supremacist massacred innocent shoppers at a grocery store in buffalo, new york. the shooter was wearing tactical gear, carrying an ar-15 assault

rifle, a weapon designed to kill people. he shot 13 people, 11 of whom were black, in an act of racist violence. ten of the victims died. each of these ten people had left home saturday maybe to grab dinner, buy groceries for the week, and they never rushed of the now their fees are facing the unimaginable trauma of loss. in an instant they lost a grandparent, a child, a spouse. to those families, i say you do not grieve alone. america grieves with you. one of the victims was aaron salter. he was a retired police officer working as a security guard at the grocery store when it was attacked. officer aaron salter was a hero. when the gunman entered the store, officer salter didn't flinch. he leapt into action to save the

lives of the shoppers and employees. but there was only so much he could do. he was armed with a handgun while the person who attacked the store was wearing a tactical vest and firing an assault rifle. like so many of our police who risk their lives for us every day, officer salter was outgnd outgnd -- outgunned. our nation's capital is welcome ing law enforcement from across the country for police week. to every officer who protects our communities, like officer salter did so valiantly, we give our thanks. no officer should ever find themselves in a situation where they're outgunned by an assailant, but that's exactly what happened in buffalo this weekend and happens far too often in cities like chicago. for decades this senate has failed to pass legislation that would close the gaping holes in our gun laws and reduce the shootings that tear apart law

enforcement families and families of all kinds across the country. how many more lives will be lost before we act? and when will the members of the senate finally join together in recognizing the role that white supremacy and white nationalism have played in fueling these violent terrorist attacks? time and again i've made my position on violent extremism as clear as i can. the use of violence to advance political goals is always, always unacceptable, no matter the ideology, right or left, it's wrong. but we need to be clear-eyed about the nature of the threat that we face. senior law enforcement and intelligence officials have warned us on numerous occasions that the biggest terrorism threat in america today is homegrown. it stems from white supremacists and violent militia extremists. i've been sounding this alarm

for years. in 2012, 2012, ten years ago, i first held a hearing on domestic terrorism after a white supremacist murdered seven sikh worshippers in oak creek, wisconsin. , today, a decade later, the threat is worse. f.b.i. director wray testified to the judiciary committee that the threat of domestic terrorism is, quote, metastasizing across the country. last year the f.b.i. reported that our nation experienced the highest level of hate crimes in over a decade. these attacks have targeted black americans who have long been the target of the majority of race-based hate crimes in america. but they are not limited to just our black american neighbors. they have also targeted muslim americans, japanese americans, members of the aapi community, and members of other marginalized communities as well. they don't happen in a vacuum,

and it's clear that influential figures on the right have been fanning the flames of hate. the gunman who attacked the grocery store in buffalo was an adherent of the, quote, great replacement theory, a conspiracy theory that fuels white supremacy and white nationalism. it's the same white supremacist conspiracy theory that inspired those neo-nazis to march through charlottesville, virginia, chanting jews will not replace us. you remember that group? president trump said at the time he wasn't sure they were out of line. and they've inspired multiple mass shootings, including the attack of jewish americans at a pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, on hispanic americans at a walmart in el paso in 2019, and muslims at two knew -- new

zealand moskedz. the so-called replacement theory has been dragged into the mainstream by tv personalities like fox tv's tucker carlson. according to "the new york times," more than 400 episodes of tucker carlson's news program on fox tv have alluded to the great replacement theory. tucker carlson is a leading idealogue in the white supremacist movement. he's even introduced racist terminology into america's conversation, like the phrase, quote, legacy americans, which refers to the idea that immigrants aren't real americans. the phrase was first used on white supremacist forums and websites. tucker carlson is right at home with it. but here's what's most shocking

to me. the number of elected officials who will jump at any chance to get featured on carlson's show and echo his white supremacist blather, his dark gospel of fear and hate and racism. we don't have to look far to find those elected officials. the third-ranking house republican claimed in a campaign ad that democratic immigration policies will, quote, overthrow our current electorate. what will it finally take for the republican party to condemn this hate once and for all? and what will it take for members of the senate to join together in rooting out white supremacist violence? as chairman of the senate judiciary committee, i'll soon hold a hearing on domestic terrorism, and the i ideologies like the great replacement conspiracy theory that inspire the acts of hate will be expounded on at that hearing by experts. we'll also examine a piece of legislation that i introduced five years ago, the domestic

terrorism prevention act, which would strengthen federal efforts to prevent and address white supremacist violence and other forms of domestic terrorism. this legislation is an opportunity for the members of of the senate to stand united against hate. by passing it along with common sense gun safety measures we can deal with the scourge of violence. many americans will be tuned in this week to tucker carlson's show to see if he has any reaction to what happened in buffalo. could it be that for one shining moment he will finally realize his complicity in what happened? 400 shows spewing fear and hate, subscribing this great replacement theory resulted in hatred across this country, which is visited on communities every single day. ten people died in buffalo. will tucker carlson take ten minutes to say he's sorry for

any role he might have played in that outcome? we'll see. i yield the floor. mrs. blackburn: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam president. there was some sobering data that came out from the c.d.c. last week. it was a new set of preliminary data on overdose deaths. last year we lost almost 108,000 people to the ravages of drug abuse, almost 4,000 of that 108,000 were tennesseans. those 2021 numbers are the worst that we have ever seen, madam president, and i'm concerned because it seems that my democratic colleagues and their friends in the white house are not seeing the big picture

on this issue. now, they claim -- the white house claims they have a plan to address the drug crisis in this country, but they've intentionally ignored a key vulnerability when they do this. it's as if they're turning a blind eye to a key component, a key contributing factor of this drug crisis, and they're refusing to talk about it. it's the reason that crime is on the rise in most of our american communities. it's also the reason it's easier for a drug dealer to get their hands on fentanyl than just about anything else. and it's the same reason that human traffickers now are pushing people that sex

trafficking gangs, labor gangs into communities all across this country. indeed, every town is a border town, every state a border state because of this key vulnerability. they don't want to talk about this because i don't think they want to admit that they have been so wrong. and of course that vulnerability, whether you're talking about drugs, whether you're talking about crime in the streets, it all comes down to talking about that wide-open southern border. don't take my word for it. go talk to sheriffs in tennessee. they will tell you that that open border, they're seeing the results of that on their streets. in their counties. indeed, one of the sheriffs i visited with last week said 80% of the drug overdoses, 80% of

the apprehended drugs in their county -- fentanyl. why is it there? the southern border being wide open. so this is an area that tennesseans are wanting to see something done. and they can't figure out why the democrats won't make a priority of securing the southern border when they want to talk about issues that stem from what is transpiring at the southern border. they feel that the democrats are deliberately sabotaging our economic recovery, our recovery from the pandemic, and they're making bad situations worse because they won't talk about the root causes. the biden administration never was interested in securing the

border. indeed he hasn't been to the border. in fact, their official policy from day one has been let's make that southern border more insecure. isn't that amazing? you have an administration, you have a d.h.s. secretary that don't believe in a secure border. now, the radical left didn't like the optics of border security so joe biden stopped building the wall, even though everything is purchased and it is there and the wall can be completed. he chose not to secure our border, and he stopped building the wall. the radical left wanted to change the definition of asylum without bothering to change the law. so joe biden threw away the

remain in mexico policy. the radical left wanted their sanctuary cities back, so joe biden tied the hands of immigration officials. go talk to them. they will tell you what they're no longer able to do, which is abiding by the rule of law, the laws that are on the books. with each executive order that he signed, joe biden sabotaged border patrol and law enforcement putting americans in danger and turned even more vulnerable women and children into victims of the sex trafficking trade. you have to ask yourself whose side the biden administration is actually on when it comes to the issues of crime, when it comes to the issue of protecting women

and children. because i can't think of a single law-abiding american who is better off for all of this, but i do know that the cartels are happy because they're the ones who control the southern border on that mexico side. you cannot cross that border into the u.s. unless you have gone through the cartel. so they're having to work out a way to pay their fee to the cartel endangering their lives, seeing drugs pushed into this country. last year border patrol intercepted thousands of pounds of deadly drugs and repeatedly interrupted equally deadly migrant trafficking operations. but we'll never be able to account for the godaways who es -- got-aways who escaped into

the country with their drugs and human cargo intact. the level of sabotage has a purpose. the biden administration has made it clear that they're willing to risk lives and livelihoods to prove their commitment to what they are calling compassion. let me ask you this, madam president. what is compassionate about women being pushed into the sex trade? little girls being sex trafficked. children being thrown into gangs. what is compassionate about that? that is what is happening because of this open southern border. this is insanity. the cartels last year brought people from 160 different countries to our southern bo border. those are stats from the border

patrol. we know that right now they are anticipating bringing people in at the end of title 42. they're already working globally, globally in order to hit these numbers. this is insanity. but according to the biden administration, we can't secure the border and stop the flow of drugs, but the federal government can hand out fresh crack pipes to those with addiction. and as much as they tried to say no, that was incorrect, we've all seen the photos. according to the biden administration, we can't allow shipments of perfectly safe foreign-made baby formula into american communities. we can't process those waivers,

they say. that could possibly be dangerous. we can't get a baby formula plant open in michigan because the f.d.a. is busy. they have other priorities. meanwhile, parents are scrambling trying to find storm la for -- to find formula for babies that have to have specific formulas. this is not compassion. this is a tragedy. i saw a friend this weekend, madam president. she calls herself independent minded, leans more moderate democrat. she said, you know, we have always been a government of, by, and for the people, but right now what do we see happening? we see this government using people to get power for themselves. that's what's going on.

people realize this administration is void of priorities. the saddest thing about all of this is that the biden administration, i think, knows what needs to be done. many of my colleagues and i have been talking about it, that there should be priorities to secure this nation and our sovereignty. priority number one right now should be to keep title 42 in place until three things happen. first, d.h.s. needs to present a thorough and specific plan that will enable american officials to handle the anticipated 18,000 people per day that border patrol is saying will come to our border if those restrictions are lifted. right now it's about 6,000 people per day. now, 18,000, i looked it up,

madam president. illinois has 1,466 cities. 1,324 of those cities have 18,,000 or fewer -- 18,000 or fewer citizens. that is their population. so that is the give lent -- equivalent that we are talking about. our friend from colorado was just on the floor, 482 cities there t. 439 -- there. 439 of them have 18,000 or fewer citizens. so we have alaska. we have 355 cities in alaska. 350 of them have 18,000 or fewer citizens. so it is like a new city of alaska or colorado or illinois or tennessee every single day.

so d.h.s. needs to come through. second, chairman durbin must summon secretary mayorkas to a hearing before the senate judiciary committee so that we can subject that plan that has been missing to scrutiny. and third, they need to consult with congress to give border patrol and law enforcement the manpower and resources they need to execute the plan. then and only then should we consider title 42. priority number two is to stop playing politics and embrace president trump's remain in mexico policy. we know for a fact that it helped control the influx of asylum seekers which in turn took the pressure off our limited resources at the border. and priority number three, the biden administration must stop denying reality, finish building the wall which is what border

patrol has been asking for for decades. give them a physical barrier. give them more officers and agents. give them more technology so they can protect our nation and our citizens. that is how we would get that border under control. and as i said, madam president, it affects crime in the streets. it affects drugs and fentanyl. this affects our citizens, our families that are heart broken, heart broken by loss of lives to drugs, to crime. there is a starting point. there is a way to make a difference. but if this administration wants to do something about crime, if they want to do something about the drug prices, they need to

start it at the southern border. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: madam president, by the time the average american worker retires, they have worked over 16,000 days. put another way, by the time the individual reaches the average retirement age in the united states, they will have clocked approximately 133,000 hours. point being americans work hard to retire comparably. in help them reach their retirement goals, many employers offer retirement savings and

investment plans. commonly known as the 401(k). in fact, 91 million americans invest in the 401(k). many of these plans have what is called a brokerage window which is a tool used by retirement savers to self-select some of the things that they buy within their brokerage account. they can do it themselves. broker's company does not do it. simply put, they get to choose what their hard-earned money invested in. if someone in lamar county, alabama, is getting up at the crack of dawn clocking 14 hours at work, knows their retirement goals and personal circumstances very well, who better to decide how to invest money they are

making? who better to decide but them. but as we have seen time and time again, common sense and individual freedoms are the enemy of the biden administration. the administration has their eyes set on america's financial freedom yet again. this time the department of labor is specifically targeting workers' ability to invest their 401(k) savings in assets as they see fit. recent regulatory guidance released by the department of labor, employees benefit security administration attempts to bar 401(k) account investing into cryptocurrency. singling out this specific investment type. the guidance threatens to investigate plans that allow participants to select

investments in cryptocurrency including plans where retirement savers use brokers' windows to self-select investments in cryptocurrency. this is consistent with long-standing practice. the department of labor has long permitted employers to offer brokerage windows as an option to employees who prefer to personally invest their own money and manage their own money within these windows. the agency's new guidance ends this tradition of economic empowerment in favor of big broker government -- big brother government control. the employees benefit security administration goes a step farther by seeking to place a massive new regulatory burden on 401(k)'s. and requiring them to assess the

suitability of investments assessed using a brokerage window. this would undermine the ability of retirement savers to invest as they see fit. it's their money. they should be able to invest how they want to invest it. the biden administration department of labor, their guidance singles out this cryptocurrency for some reason. but it's clear retirement savers want to have that option to invest their own money. fidelity, the nation's number -- one of the number-one financial agencies -- is the largest 401(k) provider in the country recently announced that it will make bitcoin available on its platform. they aren't the first 689 there's others. and they won't likely be the last. sadly, the department of labor has already criticized these plans to empower investors.

but if this is not just about cryptocurrency and it could not be just about cryptocurrency, it's bigger than that. today the biden administration is targeting cryptocurrency. which investment class is next? is it fossil fuels? is it oil companies? is it a gun company, securities, other investments that don't align with the environmental, social, and corporate government preferences of president biden? this is about americans' freedoms to chart their own financial destiny. americans should be able to invest their retirement savings as they choose. that's why i introduced the financial freedom act. my bill would prohibit the department of labor from issuing any regulation or guidance limiting the type of investments that self-direct 401(k) account

investors. they do not limit what they can choose through a brokerage window. it would also push back on the biden administration's plan to punish asset managers who authorize individual retirement savers to self-direct their investment choices using a brokerage window o the financial freedom act empowers the american retirement safer and preserves the precedent of investment freedom. for decades, 401(k) participants in plans with brokers' windows have been able to buy and sell upvestments of the their choice. that freedom to choose is the entire purpose of the brokerage windex the department of labor should not be able to limit the range or type of investment savers can select. the choice of what you

investment your retirement savings in should be yours, not the governments. the government-knows-best approach being pushed by the current administration runs counter to the values that made our country the most prosperous nation in history. i urge my colleagues to support financial choice and freedom, to uphold our tradition of economic empowerment. i hope my fellow senators will join me in preserving the choice of every american worker. so they should have their own financial decisions where they can make those decisions for their future and for their family's future, chart their own destiny and reap the benefits of their hard work. i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: thank you, madam president. i feel as though the -- mr. bennet: thank you, madam president. i feel as though the presiding officer has the misfortune of being the presiding officer every time i come out here to speak. i thank you for your indulgence. when i was in the second grade, we were asked to line up in our classroom by the people whose family had been here the shortest period of time and whose people had been here the longest period of time. and i turned out to be the answer to both of those questions. my father's family went all the way back to basically before the founding of the united states, and my mother had recently arrived, having survived the

holocaust in and around warsaw with her parents, john and helene kledgman. one person going back to the beginning, another person recently arrived. that's a usual story for this country. it's an unusual story in the world because a lot of other countries aren't like the united states of america in this way. there's literally no other country on the planet for which immigration is so central to its history and identity as the united states of america. and people all over the world want to come here because we live in a country that respects human freedoms and respects human rights. they want to share in the american dream. they want to be part of the oldest democracy in human history. we should celebrate that on this

floor. we should celebrate that fact on this floor. people aren't lining up to go to russia. they aren't crossing the gobi desert to go to china. they want to come here. that should give us enormous pride as americans. i feel proud of that. i'm proud of that. my grandparents were filled with joy to be americans. i have never met anybody -- i've traveled my state extensively and the united states extensively. i have never met a person that has a stronger accent than my grandparents have. and they're the greatest patriots i ever knew, not because they thought this country was perfect but because they believe we had a way of correcting our imperfections and that they could be part of that, even though they came from someplace else and spoke a different language. and over our history, immigration has been a uniquely

american strength. today immigrants lead one in four start-ups. they are more than half of all stem workers with ph.d.'s. they're nearly three in ten physicians in this country. nearly four in ten home health care aides. and they're more than 70% -- 70% -- of all farm workers, the men and women who work tirelessly day after day after day late into the night to keep us fed, and we're doing that during the pandemic. -- without rest. and while other industrialized nationed have seen their populations decline and their economies stagnant, immigration has been vital to the american economy. if you look at the history of the united states for the last 150 years or so, what you see is there's variations -- sometimes we grow, sometimes we don't -- but roughly it's 3% a year of economic growth. 2% of that is organic.

one percent of that is immigration. if you cut off immigration, that's a third of our economic growth over the years. i think most of america understands this. i think people in colorado understands this well. they know that immigration is fundamental to our history and to our identity, to our economy, but they also have a reasonable expectation that the government is managing immigration in a reasonable way, in a way that's consistent with our best traditions as a nation and upholds the rule of law. after i was first elected to the senate, madam president, one of the first things i worked on was something we called the colorado compact. i stole the idea from a republican -- i think it was the attorney general of the state of utah. he created the utah compact. and i went out with my friend, a former senator, a republican,

from colorado named hank brown and we developed something called the colorado compact. i spent 18 months working on it, traveled 6,300 miles around the state of colorado. we had 230 meetings. we talked to farmers and business owners, law enforcement, educators, faith leaders, ski resorts, latino leaders, all of them were struggling with different pieces of our broken immigration system. and not surprisingly, when you have conversations like that around people's kitchen tables or, you know, in the county courthouses, we found that there was a lot more agreement on what immigration reform should look like than you would ever think possible if all you did was listen to the cable television at night or read your social media feed, neither of which i recommend anybody spending their time doing. we developed a set of principles

in a bipartisan way in rural parts of colorado as well as urban and suburban parts of the state. we had the most -- some of the most conservative organizations in colorado -- club 20 comes to mind, who endorsed this. and some of the most progressive immigrant rights groups who supported this. and the principles that we developed included a commitment to -- a commitment to rule of law, our heritage as a nation of immigrants, and a secure border. that's how you get a broad coalition together on immigration. one thing we agreed on was that the issue needs more than piecemeal reforms. no state effort is the a substitute for commonsense national strategy to overhaul our immigration system. and that's why a few years later i was one of four democrats who

served on the gang of eight here in 2013. we had four republicans and we had four democrats. and we worked for months on a piece of legislation that became known, i guess, as the gang of eight bill, the first comprehensive immigration bill in years. -- in this place. and the elements of it were aligned exactly with what we had said in the colorado compact -- a tough but fair pathway to citizenship, the most progressive dream act that had ever been conceived, much less written or voted on on the floor of the senate. a massive overhaul of our visa system. $46 billion for border security, not a medieval wall, not a medieval wall but state-of-the-art military technology so we could see every inch of the border. we doubled the number of border agents in that bill. we had 300 miles -- i think even more than that -- of new fencing as a result of that bill.

and in a moment that today almost seems unimaginable -- but this is why i want to come to the floor today really was to remind people of this. the pages that are here won't even believe it. this came to the floor and it passed with 68 votes. it almost got 70 votes in 12013. -- in 2013. and then it went over to the house of representatives and, tragically, tragically, instead of just putting the bill on the floor and letting the house work its will, the freedom caucus got to exercise a veto, and they said, if you can't get a majority of the majority, we're not going to let you pass this bill, even though a majority of the house of representatives wanted to pass the bill, because there were enough people from

both parties a that could see the benefit of this comprehensive immigration bill. and i realized, you know, now we're in a different day. that was then. this is now. it was a different negotiation, a different deal, and it was a different senate, for that matter. it was a senate, thanks to john mccain, that occasionally worked, and others like him. i think that we have got to figure out a way to get passed this long jam and toward a solution where we honor our heritage as a nation of immigrants, we secure the benefit to our economy of a working immigration system, we comply with the rule of law, and we give the american people confidence that our border is secure. none of that is an unreasonable expectation. but we're nowhere meeting that expectation today.

instead, politicians have used our broken immigration system as one more issue to bludgeon the other side, to not make progress. that was the theory of the people that killed the bill in 2013, is that they could get more out of the politics of not passing the bill than they would by passing the bill. and i actually think they actually got more than they were even bargaining for. they couldn't imagine when they were voting against that bill that they'd end up nominating a presidential candidate who rode an escalator down in his building talking about how mexicans are rapists, and that guy not only was nominated, he went on to become president of the united states. staggering. staggering. i think there's some question about whether american history would have changed in really profound ways if we'd been able to pass that comprehensive bill.

and the cost has been just terrible for the country. our inability to do it. our businesses are desperate to hire computer scientists and engineers, but because our visa system is broken, madam president, we're literally training ph.d.'s and send them back to countries like india, china, or to canada. we've got dreamers living in perpetual fear, unable to plan for their future, in the only country that they've ever known. we have -- this senate has been unable to deal with the issue of the afghan interpreters, who are people that fought side by side, worked side by side with our soldiers in afghanistan, because of our broken system and the politics around immigration. in colorado, we have a $ 47 billion agriculture industry. it is the lifeblood of our

state. and i've met vegetable growers in brighton and peach growers in palisade who don't have enough labor to harvest the crops, and the system is broken. we fixed that in 2013, 20. i negotiated that with orrin hatch, god rest his soul, and marco rubio and diane feinstein. that's who negotiated the agriculture provisions of the bill. and in colorado it's not just farmers, you know. we don't have enough workers for our ski area. across the country we don't have enough doctors. we don't have enough nurses or child care providers or home health aides. we have 11 million unfilled jobs in this country right now, because the economy has come back, but we haven't been able to fill these vacancies. you can draw a straight line from our broken immigration system to the country's labor

shortages to some of the high prices that we see in this economy. so americans, you know, once again, no one around here bears the burden of not getting the job done, but americans are paying the price for an immigration system that doesn't work. the last time we reformed our immigration system in a comprehensive way was 1986. so for those keeping score i was a junior in college then. i'm 57 today. so that's an incredibly long period of time, and that was when ronald reagan was president. a lot has changed in 36 years. today we're in an era of mass migration, propeled by covid, global instability and climate change, and it's only going to get worse. but our immigration system, include our asylum system isn't built for today's conditions.

it's one reason we have a perpetual humanitarian crisis at our southern border. and that crisis should not be an excuse to not act. that crisis should be a reason for us to act. and right now the administration has the resources to process 3500 migrants a day at the border, but they're receiving 8,000 a day. and we could see up to 18,000 a day by this summer. if that happens, the money's going to run out in july, madam president, overwhelming any border infrastructure and deepening the humanitarian crisis that's there. and none of this should surprise us. there's a surge at the border every summer. since we know what's coming, we need a plan. i'm sorry to say this, but the administration doesn't have one. i read what they put out last month. i didn't see any benchmarks, any timelines, any accountability on

implementation. i did see a lot of what i think is wishful thinking about everything being under control when they aren't under control. that's not what the american people believe. that's not what public servants and organizations at the border report. and now the administration wants to lift title 42, which is going to make a bad situation even worse. we can't keep title 42 forever. it's no substitute for a comprehensive plan. but lifting it now, before we have a plan? i think it's a mistake. it's going to erode the american people's confidence that we have the situation at the border under control, and it is going to deepen the humanitarian crisis at the border. it is going to deepen the humanitarian crisis at the border. by the way, part of that plan, if we had a plan, should be having a conversation, leading a

conversation with leaders across latin america to see how we can come together as a region to help people that have been dislocated by violence and by corruption. until we solve this in a comprehensive way, these issues are going to keep coming up, and they're going to keep dividing us here. today it's title 42. in the last administration we literally shut the government done -- literally shut the government down -- over a debate about whether mexico would pay for the wall. which, by the way, they were never going to do, and they never did. we created daca under one president, only to see it canceled in the next presidency. we could have spared america all of this. we could have spared america all of this if we had passed the gang of eight bill in 2013. we could have spared the harm to our communities and our economy, but also the harm to our democracy from the mindless

political fights over the past decade when people in the senate turned immigration into political napalm, instead of lifting it up as part of our history, an essential part of who we are. but if there's any silver lining to our failure to pass comprehensive reform in 2013, it's that we have clearly demonstrated that democrats cannot fix this by themselves. we're going to need two parties working together to do it. and the good thing about immigration is that there are a lot of different issues, there are a lot of different constituents -- constituencies and a lot of ways to form a deal. the performer chair of the committee is on the floor, senator leahy from vermont. if i'm not mistaken, senator leahy was the chair of the committee when considering the bill. that was an open amendment process -- i'll yield for the

chairman. mr. leahy: the senator is absolutely right. he was essential at putting that together. unfortunately, it passed here. would have passioned the house. they had enough votes, enough votes, republicans and democrats, but the then speaker said he couldn't bring it up because it didn't have the majority of his party, and it would violate the sacred dennis hastert rule. i don't think they followed that rule after former speaker hastert went to jail. mr. bennet: i thank the gentleman for his historic recollection, which is 100% correct. i want to make it clear how extraordinary the process was. i think people in this country are entitled to believe that the way this place works is the way that old schoolhouse rock cartoon said it worked, about

how a bill becomes a law. i think people ought to be entitled to believe that is the way this place works. it almost never works that way. it did in the case of this bill and in the case of the chairman's leadership of the judiciary. we need people willing to work together here. i've continued to work with mike crapo from idaho, a republican who's been working on a deal to try to create a pathway to legalization for farm workers. if we can do that, i don't see why we can't raise our sights and come together as a senate to finally fix our broken immigration system. there is no one else to address this but the 100 senators in this chamber, and i'm prepared to work with any one of them -- anybody here -- to get it done, because we don't have to choose between our heritage as a nation of immigrants and our commitment to the rule of law. we do not have to choose between a medieval wall and the statue of liberty. and we can end the partisan

warfare over immigration that has hurt our economy, communities, and our standing in the world. we can give a real pathway to citizenship to those willing to invest in the american dream. we can secure the border. and we can make immigration the wind in our sails once again and give the american people confidence that we have a fair system in place to welcome people, like my mom and her parents, who want nothing more than to contribute to this nation and to our democracy. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. leahy: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i first ask unanimous consent that i be allowed to finish my statement prior to the vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: first, madam president, i hope everybody listened to the speech of the

distinguished senator from colorado. it's the sort of thing that when my grandparents came to vermont from italy, or my great-grat parents -- great grand-parents to vermont from ireland, it's what would have appealed to them. we're about the only ones who can say if you're against immigration, leave, the only ones are native americans, and they don't say that. so i think he's absolutely right. on another matter, madam president, the horrors we've witnessed at the weeks and months following vladimir putin's unprovoked attack on ukraine are an abomination, an affront to all civilized people. entire communities wiped from the face of the earth, countless lives ruined. we have seen pictures of unarmed

civilians summarily executed randomly in the street. civilians. millions of desperate people fleeing everything they've ever known because of one man's zeal to destroy whatever is necessary to realize his own twisted version of the world. all of this while fueling a broad broader humanitarian crisis across the region, spiraling costs and sparking a global hunger crisis. now, need is clear for this congress to act decisively, to act now -- now, now -- to reaffirm our unwavering support for the ukrainian people, protecting their lives and their country in the stem of this global crisis. the united states stands against the atrocities inflicted upon the free people of ukraine. it's an independent country, it has a democratically elected

government. now, last tuesday, a week ago, the house passed h.r. 7691, providing more than $40 billion in emergency funding. did that with overwhelming bipartisan support. and the senate should have done the same. we had plenty of time. we should have sent this bill to the president so he could immediately execute on it, get this much-needed aid into ukrainian hands. unfortunately, one member out of 100 has decided to slow this process down. one member has caused needless delay. in a few moments, we'll vote to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to h.r. 7691. because of senator paul's objection, we must go through this step just to bring this bill up for debate. so i urge everyone to vote yes, and i would urge the senator

from kentucky to reconsider his objection and help us move quickly to get this bill to the president. do what the american people want to do to help the people of ukraine. this emergency bill provides $ 40.1 billion, $7.1 pl more -- $ 7.1 billion more than the administration requested in critical humanitarian assistance to ukraine to help democracy abroad, to address the global hunger crisis the world is facing, in large part due to russia's aggression. that included $8.5 billion in additional presidential drawdown authority for critical weapons transferred, $6 billion for ukrainian security assistance initiative. this will allow us to continue to supply the ukrainians with the tools they need to defend themselves and their country and their freedom. and the urgent need for these resources cannot be overstated.

as we stand here today, the administration is raising the alarm that if we do not act the resources we provided in march which were critical to ukraine's success on the battlefield will be exhausted in days. we tell them put your life on the line to stop this dictator from russia, but we're not going to back you up. that's why we have more than $ 8.5 billion for the economic support fund to respond to emerging needs in the country -- medical care, food, the humanitarian crisis instigated at the hands of vladimir putin is not limited within ukraine's borders. or even within the borders of eastern europe. last year, before putin's war, ukraine grew enough food to feed 400 people. today, they can't even feed their own people.

as david beasley, executive director of the u.n. world program, testified before appropriations last week, war has forced ukraine from being a global breadbasket to being on the bread lines. just think of that. ports that are open, food, wheat stolen or gone to waste. we know that's going to have a ripple effect. increasing the number facing acute hunger by 47 million, people suffering from acute hunger in 81 countries. that's why we cannot wait to act on this crisis. as a "washington post" editorial, preventing a looming global famine is as urgent and

morally necessary as lg sending tanks to ukraine. if the funds are programmed quickly, they're going to save millions of lives. vladimir putin's war is exacerbating the global crisis of food insecurity set in motion by the covid pandemic. in that regard, i'm extremely disappointed, and many members of our appropriations committee are extremely disappointed. the bill does not include new resources to address the ongoing covid pandemic. last week we passed a grand total of one million covid deaths in our country, as many as 20 million worldwide. if we don't act soon and prepare for anticipated surges in the fall and winter as immunity for existing vaccines wanes, the death toll rise perhaps

exponentially. for months, for months the administration has warned we don't have the necessary vaccines, therapeutic tests to stay ahead. we don't have enough funding to purchase new ones. and you don't do this by simply flipping a switch. we just can't say we'll appropriate the money later in the fall if it's needed. what's that going to pay for the months and months of preparation fo -- to get there to protect us? we have only weeks to provide this funding. as chairman of the appropriations committee, i'll work very hard to get it. but we have to all come together. this is not a democratic or republican matter. this is an american matter. of course we should help the people in ukraine. i strongly support that. but we've also got to help the people in america.

but the people of ukraine, the millions facing acute food insecurity require the funds in this bill today. it never should have been held up last week. so i strongly urge the senate to pass without further delay, and i ask consent that my full statement be made part of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 368, h.r. 7691, an act making emergency supplemental appropriations, and so forth and for other purposes. signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the motion to proceed to h.r.

7691, an act making emergency supplemental appropriations for assistance for the situation in ukraine for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2022, and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote: the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 81, the

nays are 11. three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, this motion is agreed to.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent --. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i'm trying to make equal the amounts of volume, but i can't do that. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs be discharged from further consideration of s. 1596 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 1596, a bill to require the secretary of the treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the national world war ii memorial in washington, d.c., and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the committee is discharged, and

the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: and, mr. leader -- mr. president, rather, i ask unanimous consent that the rounds-shaheen substitute amendment which is at the desk be considered and agreed to, the bill as amended be considered, read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar 351, h.r. 4426. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 351, h.r. 4426, an act to amend the homeland security act of 2002 to ensure that the needs of children are considered in homeland security planning, and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the bill 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. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate now proceed en bloc -- to en bloc consideration of the following senate resolutions -- s. res. 633, s. res. 634,s. res. 6356789. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measures en bloc? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate be authorized to appoint a committee on the part of the senate to join with the like committee on the part of the house of representatives toes court his excellence isy,

mitsotakis into the house joint meeting on may 17, 2022. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the notice of issuance of final regulations pursuant to the to the congressional accountability act be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: finally, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 2:30 p.m. on tuesday, may 17, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed, and that upon conclusion of morning business, the senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to calendar 368, h.r. 7691, a bill to provide aid to ukraine postcloture. further, that all postcloture debate time expire at 4:00 p.m. and that if the motion to proceed is agreed to, it be in order to file cloture on the

bill during tuesday's session. further, that following the disposition of the motion to proceed, the senate vote on the motions to invoke cloture on the rochon, thompson and sykes nominations and if cloture is invoked, all postcloture time be expired and the confirmation votes be at a time to be determined by the majority leader or his designee in consultation with the republican leader. finally, that following the cloture vote on the sykes nomination, the senate resume legislative session and proceed to h.r. calendar 368, h.r. 7691. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. schumer: for the information of senators, the senate will begin gathering in the senate chamber at 10:20 a.m. and depart at 10:35 to proceed as a body to the hall of the house for the joint meeting. senators should also expect four roll call votes beginning at 4:00 p.m. if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned

under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 2:30 p.m. tomorrow. >> this is voted to advance of $40 billion house passed ukraine bill, how final vote accepted of the believer this week, and is always can watch live coverage of the senate, here on "c-span2". sees manager unfiltered view of government funded by these television companies and more including cox. >> cox is committed to providing eligible access to affordable internet through the e program

bridging the digital divide it one connection engaged student had a time, cox, bringing us closer. >> cox support cspan, has a public service along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> tonight a look at threats facing the u.s. and an update of the war in ukraine, with the director of national intelligence and the director of the defense intelligence agency, they take questions from members of the senate armed services me tonight at 930 eastern on "c-span2", you can also watch online, as eastman .org or watch coverage on c-span now, her free video app. >> after months of closed-door investigations, the house january 6, committee is set to, starting at tonight, committee members question key witnesses about what transpired, and why and during the assault of the u.s. capitol pretty watch our

live coverage beginning on thursday, june 9, on c-span, cspan noun are free mobile video app or anytime, hotline, at cspan.org. earlier today senate majority leader chuck schumer, the senate floor about saturday's mass shooting and his home state calling it the deadliest shooting in history of buffalo, the birds mass shooting in america this year predict the new york senator plans to travel with president of biden and the first lady tomorrow to me with the families of those killed it printed is remarks were followed by senate judiciary committee chair, durbin. >> two days ago, the descended upon the city of buffalo, and about 2:30 p.m. on saturday, and predominantly back neighborhood buffalo seaside cumberland gunman driving from 200 miles away, we cooked with an assault rifle a video ca