Senate the Senate Met at 2 P.M
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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, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2021 No. 109 Senate The Senate met at 2 p.m. and was ator from the State of Nevada, to perform ernment should not intervene. Who called to order by the Honorable JACKY the duties of the Chair. said that? Southern Senators from the ROSEN, a Senator from the State of Ne- PATRICK J. LEAHY, Civil War all the way through said vada. President pro tempore. States’ rights—used as a tool to pre- Ms. ROSEN thereupon assumed the f vent particularly people of color from Chair as Acting President pro tempore. voting. And to invoke that in 2020? The PRAYER f majority leader is way off—way off The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME base. It is disgraceful that he would fered the following prayer: even invoke that. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Let us pray. Yesterday’s vote was another piece of Gracious God, today accept the love pore. Under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. evidence that voter suppression is now and loyalty of our hearts. We are grate- part of the official platform of the Re- ful for Your loving kindness and tender f publican Party. But I want to be clear mercies. RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY about one thing. As I said last night, Lord, we desire to please You by liv- LEADER the fight to protect voting rights is far, ing for Your glory. Continue to bless very far from over. Yesterday’s vote our lawmakers. May they seek guid- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- pore. The majority leader is recog- was the starting gun, not the finish ance from Your holy Word, permitting line. sacred precepts to provide lamps for nized. their feet and light for their path. May f As the Senate majority leader, I re- serve the right to bring up this issue this light also illuminate the road FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2021 ahead for others who walk in darkness, for debate again. Yesterday was the so that Your will for our Nation and Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, first time we tried to consider major world may be done. yesterday, the Senate was given an op- voting rights legislation, but it won’t We pray in Your merciful Name. portunity to begin debate on a subject be the last. Democrats will explore Amen. that by all rights should be beyond de- every option available to us for recon- bate: protecting the right to vote. sidering legislation on this topic. We f As we all know, Republican legisla- will leave no stone unturned. Voting PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE tures across the country are passing rights are too important. The fight some of the most draconian restric- against modern-day voter suppression The Presiding Officer led the Pledge tions on the right to vote in decades— is just beginning. of Allegiance, as follows: a throwback to Jim Crow. One other point. Some of them like I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Every single Democrat yesterday to make this point: Oh, this is just a United States of America, and to the Repub- voted to begin debate on legislation to lic for which it stands, one nation under God, partisan fight. Bull. This is a fight for fight back against this assault—and indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the soul of America, and it shouldn’t be that is what it is, an assault on our de- partisan, and it never was in the past. f mocracy—every single one. It was the When legislatures try to prevent poor first time in this Congress that we APPOINTMENT OF ACTING people, people of color, urban people, have united all 50 Democrats on mov- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE and young people from voting, that is ing forward with strong and com- not a political fight; that is what The PRESIDING OFFICER. The prehensive voting rights legislation. clerk will please read a communication Senate Republicans, to the very last America is all about. So don’t try to to the Senate from the President pro Member, voted against allowing the hide under that guise. tempore (Mr. LEAHY). Senate to even have a debate on voting It is Republican legislatures doing The senior assistant legislative clerk rights. Not a single Republican voted this. But in the past, when legislatures, read the following letter: to move forward with a simple debate. usually in the South, tried to do these U.S. SENATE, In fact, the Republican leader went so things—and in other places—both par- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, far as to say that ‘‘regardless of what ties united to stop it. No more, sadly. Washington, DC, June 23, 2021. To the Senate: may be happening in some states’’— Shame, shame, shame, shame on my Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, voter suppression laws, phony audits, Republican colleagues. This is a very of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby or the partisan takeover of election bad day for them that history will rec- appoint the Honorable JACKY ROSEN, a Sen- boards—he believes the Federal Gov- ognize. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S4707 ® Pdnted on recycled papfil. VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A23JN6.000 S23JNPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE S4708 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 23, 2021 JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS the White House to discuss the next working with Senator WARREN on ways Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, steps on this very topic. Here in the to provide even more comprehensive, now on another matter, this week, the Senate, Democratic members of the life-changing student loan forgive- Senate will continue restoring balance Budget Committee continue to build on ness—a policy, I believe, that will ex- to the Federal courts by considering the fruitful conversations we had last pand opportunity for millions, millions more of President Biden’s judicial ap- week. In fact, earlier today, I spoke of young Americans. pointments. with all of our committee chairs about I yield the floor. Over the next 2 days, we will consider a forthcoming budget resolution. I suggest the absence of a quorum. Deborah Boardman to serve as district As I have said, discussions about in- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- judge in Maryland and Candace Jack- frastructure are progressing along two pore. The clerk will call the roll. son-Akiwumi to serve as judge on the tracks. The first is bipartisan, and the The senior assistant legislative clerk Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. To- second incorporates elements of the proceeded to call the roll. gether, Ms. Boardman and Ms. Jack- President’s American jobs and families Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, son-Akiwumi have had over 20 years of plan. The second track is something we I ask unanimous consent that the order experience as Federal defenders. must support even if it doesn’t get any for the quorum call be rescinded. I believe that bringing professional Republican support. For several weeks, The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- diversity as well as personal diversity the trains have been chugging down pore. Without objection, it is so or- to the bench should be and is now a top both tracks quite well. When the Sen- dered. priority. There are plenty of former ate returns after the July 4 work pe- f riod, it will be time to take the next prosecutors and corporate lawyers RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY step forward. wearing black robes. It is time that LEADER This summer, the Senate will begin some voting rights attorneys, civil The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- rights attorneys, and former Federal considering the fiscal 2022 budget reso- lution and a bipartisan infrastructure pore. The Republican leader is recog- defenders, like these two nominees, nized. bring their perspectives to the bench. bill on the floor. It is my hope to have A final vote on Ms. Boardman’s nom- both a bipartisan infrastructure bill f ination will come this afternoon, and and a budget resolution for the Senate RUSSIA to consider this summer. I believe the then we will proceed to the nomination Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, of Ms. Jackson-Akiwumi, which we will progress we have made in recent weeks will ultimately produce the result that for the first time earlier this month, finish before the end of the week. President Biden traveled to Europe. Again, the Senate will not leave for the will set our economy on a path to pros- perity for generations to come. The primary purpose for this trip was week until we finish considering these to engage with some of America’s clos- f judges. The Democratic majority in the est friends and allies, but the agenda Senate will continue to swiftly fill ju- STUDENT LOANS also included a one-on-one meeting dicial vacancies. Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, with a staunch adversary, Vladimir On a related note, today, Chairman one final matter: student loans. Today, Putin. PETERS will ask the Senate to approve I have joined Senator WARREN and a The President took office armed with two critical cyber security nominees: number of my House and Senate col- a great deal of tough talk on Russia. Jen Easterly to be the Director of the leagues to urge the Biden administra- He called his counterpart a ‘‘killer’’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Secu- tion to extend the pause on payments and a ‘‘KGB thug’’ and warned he rity Agency and Robin Carnahan to be and interest for the vast majority of would ‘‘pay [the] price’’ for inter- the Administrator of the GSA.