Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 117 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 117 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 167 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021 No. 93 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Friday, May 28, 2021, at 10 a.m. Senate THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was The senior assistant legislative clerk two words together. RAND PAUL; voice called to order by the Honorable JACKY read the following letter: vote—four words. I said the two con- ROSEN, a Senator from the State of Ne- U.S. SENATE, cepts together: RAND PAUL; voice vada. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, vote—four words. f Washington, DC, May 27, 2021. Now, the media will tell you that if To the Senate: you are talking process, you are losing, PRAYER Under the provisions of rule I, para- but the process was really important The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- graph 3, of the Standing Rules of the here. For years, Senators have been fered the following prayer: Senate, I hereby appoint the Honorable clamoring for a more open process and Let us pray. JACKY ROSEN, a Senator from the State more amendment votes. I can’t tell you Eternal God, hear our prayers and be of Nevada, to perform the duties of the how many speeches I have heard on the merciful to us. We find protection in Chair. floor about the virtues of regular order. the shadow of Your wings. Our longings PATRICK J. LEAHY, Well, this competition bill ought to be lie open before You. You know the de- President pro tempore. the answer to my colleagues’ prayers. sires of our hearts. Ms. ROSEN thereupon assumed the The bill has moved through regular Sanctify the motives of our law- Chair as Acting President pro tempore. order, flying through various Senate makers so that they will work with all f committees with staggering bipartisan their might as if working for Your ap- votes. The entire Senate opted to take RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY up the bill by a vote of 86 to 11. proval. May they live for Your glory. LEADER Lord, deliver them from the deceptive Here on the floor, we have held the forces that seek to distract them from The ACTING PRESIDENT PRO TEM- kind of vigorous, bipartisan, open Your redemptive wisdom. PORE. The Democratic leader is recog- amendment process that Senators have Do not leave or forsake us, for You nized. been calling for. Some of these votes are the hope for our tomorrows. f were tough for our side. In the old days, we would have said no. We said We pray in Your merciful Name. ENDLESS FRONTIER ACT Amen. yes, we will vote for them, but let’s Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, keep moving forward, and we are. f the Senate opens this morning after a Listen to this. It is only May, rough- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE very late night of amendment votes on ly 5 months since Democrats took the The Presiding Officer led the Pledge the U.S. Innovation and Competition majority in this Chamber, and already of Allegiance, as follows: Act—USICA; those are the initials— more amendments have received roll- five in total, four of which of these I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the call votes than during any of the past United States of America, and to the Repub- amendments were sponsored by Repub- 4 years. Let me repeat that so people lic for which it stands, one nation under God, licans. So far on this bill, the Senate hear it from one end of the Capitol to indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. has held votes on no fewer than 18 the other, particularly on this side of f amendments, 4 from Democrats and 14 the aisle. In 5 months, more amend- from Republicans, and there are more ments have received rollcall votes in APPOINTMENT OF ACTING to come. this Democrat-led Senate than during PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE As I mentioned yesterday, in a land- any of the years in which Donald The PRESIDING OFFICER. The mark moment for bipartisanship in the Trump was President and Senator clerk will please read a communication Senate, we even adopted an amend- MCCONNELL was majority leader. to the Senate from the President pro ment from Senator RAND PAUL by We have considered the competition tempore (Mr. LEAHY). voice vote. Yes, that is right. I said the bill in an exceedingly bipartisan way. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S3547 ® Pdnted on recycled papfil. VerDate Sep 11 2014 12:30 May 28, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A27MY6.000 S27MYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE S3548 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 27, 2021 There will be a few final steps to take, other President in recent history has EXECUTIVE SESSION a few final amendments to consider, done. Rather than accept the results of but I hope my Republican colleagues the election and support the peaceful --- have seen our commitment to devel- transfer of power—a hallmark of our EXECUTIVE CALENDAR oping, drafting, and perfecting this leg- democracy that has inspired democ- Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I islation in total concert with the other racies all over the world—former Presi- ask unanimous consent that the Sen- side of the aisle. dent Trump unabashedly lied, repeat- ate proceed to executive session to con- With cooperation from our Repub- edly, about the results of the election sider the following nomination: Cal- lican colleagues, we can finish the bill and fomented an armed rebellion at the endar No. 135; that the nomination be today, and I hope we do. That is our in- U.S. Capitol. confirmed, the motion to reconsider be tention, because despite the lack of at- We are all witnesses to those events. considered made and laid upon the tention it has garnered from the press, We all heard the lies. We lived through table with no intervening action or de- the U.S. Innovation and Competition their terrible consequences. Lest we bate; that no further motions be in Act will be one of the most significant forget, 140 police officers were injured order to the nomination; that the pieces of bipartisan legislation we pass in the attack, and 5 Americans would President be immediately notified of in a very long time. It could be a mo- eventually lose their lives. the Senate’s action; and that the Sen- ment in history that future genera- In the weeks since, faith in our elec- ate then resume legislative session. tions look back on as a turning point tions has plummeted. More than half of The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- for American leadership in the 21st the Republican Party now believes that pore. Without objection, it is so or- century. the 2020 elections were rigged and that dered. Everyone knows the Federal Govern- Joe Biden isn’t the actual President of The nomination considered and con- ment’s commitment to science and the United States. Republican State firmed is as follows: technology has been slipping for dec- legislatures across the country, cap- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ades. We have become complacent at tured by Donald Trump’s Big Lie, are the top of the global heap, and our po- tripping over themselves to restrict ac- Christine Elizabeth Wormuth, of Virginia, to be Secretary of the Army, vice Ryan sition as the world’s economic leader is cess to the ballot box. Arizona Repub- McCarthy. teetering. We now spend less than 1 licans, in an ‘‘election audit,’’ have percent of our GDP on basic scientific been searching for traces of bamboo fi- f research. The Chinese Communist bers in the 2020 ballots—chasing a ba- LEGISLATIVE SESSION Party, as a percentage, spends more nanas-crazy, rightwing internet con- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- than twice that. We have put ourselves spiracy that China had ballots im- pore. The Senate will now resume leg- in the very precarious position of po- ported to tip the scales for Biden. That islative session. tentially falling behind the rest of the is how insane this has become—hunt- Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I world in technologies and industries ing for bamboo in ballots. suggest the absence of a quorum. We need to put a stop to this cancer that will define the next century. If The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- in the Republican Party. We need to that happens, the days of America pore. The clerk will call the roll. stand up to the Big Lie. We must get at leading the world in scientific innova- The senior assistant legislative clerk the truth and do everything in our tion and the days of America being the proceeded to call the roll. leading economic and military power power to restore Americans’ faith in Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, our elections and this grand, ongoing, in the world may be over. I ask unanimous consent that the order This is a moment when the U.S. Sen- noble experiment of democracy. for the quorum call be rescinded. ate can arrest the decline and lay the In that light, a national, bipartisan, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- foundation, instead, for another Amer- independent Commission to report on pore. Without objection, it is so or- ican century. That is why this is a mo- the events of January 6 is exactly what dered.