Congressional Record—Senate S3162
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
S3162 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 24, 2020 body is that we vote or agree to get Yesterday, the Speaker of the House Democrats can explain to the Nation onto a bill, and then we discuss, de- told CBS News that because Senate Re- why they made sure the Senate did bate, and amend it until at least 60 publicans do support Senator TIM nothing. Senators are satisfied, or it goes no- SCOTT’s reform bill, we are all—listen f where. It goes nowhere at the end until to this jaw-dropping comment—‘‘trying 60 Senators are satisfied. to get away with murder . the mur- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME So what are they giving up? Nothing. der of George Floyd.’’ That is the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under They don’t want an outcome. The vote Speaker of the House accusing Senate the previous order, the leadership time we will take in a few hours is just the Republicans of trying to get away with is reserved. first step. We aren’t passing a bill. We murder. f aren’t making policy decisions. It is Are you beginning to see how this just a procedural vote to say that po- game works? Two weeks ago, it was CONCLUSION OF MORNING lice reform is the subject the Senate implied the Senate would have blood BUSINESS will tackle next. That is all it says— on our hands if we didn’t take up police The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning that police reform is the subject the reform. Now Democrats say Senator business is closed. Senate will tackle next. SCOTT and 48 other Senators have blood f Alas, our Democratic colleagues have on our hands because we are trying to suddenly begun to signal they are not take up police reform. EXECUTIVE SESSION willing to even begin the discussion on What fascinating times we live in. police reform. They are threatening to Armies of elites and Twitter mobs block the subject from even reaching stand ready to pounce on any speech EXECUTIVE CALENDAR the Senate floor. they deem problematic. Yet unhinged The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Yesterday, in a letter to me and on comments like these get a complete the previous order, the Senate will pro- the floor, the Democratic leader and free pass—a complete free pass. ceed to executive session to resume the junior Senators from New Jersey When our country needs unity, they consideration of the following nomina- and California put forward an argu- are trying to keep us apart. When our tion, which the clerk will report. ment that was almost nonsensical. Nation needs bipartisan solutions, they The senior assistant legislative clerk First, they explained a number of pol- are staging partisan theater. This is read the nomination of Cory T. Wilson, icy differences they have with Senator political nonsense elevated to an art of Mississippi, to be United States Cir- SCOTT’s proposal. No problem there. form. cuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit. The Senate has a handy tool for set- In a body that has amendments and The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under tling such differences; it is called legis- substitute amendments, it is nonsense the previous order, the time until 11:30 lating. We take up bills. We debate to say a police reform bill cannot be a.m. will be equally divided between them. We consider amendments from the starting point for a police reform the two leaders or their designees. both sides. And only if and when 60 bill. It is nonsense for Democrats to Mr. MCCONNELL. I suggest the ab- Senators are satisfied can we even vote say that, because they want to change sence of a quorum. on passage. Senator SCOTT’s bill, they are going to The PRESIDING OFFICER. The But this time, Senate Democrats say block the Senate from taking it up and clerk will call the roll. the legislative process should not hap- amending it. If they are confident in The senior assistant legislative clerk pen. This time, the Democratic leader their positions, they should embrace proceeded to call the roll. is saying he will not let the Senate the amendment process. If they aren’t Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I take up the subject of police reform at confident their views will persuade oth- ask unanimous consent that the order all—at all—unless I pre-negotiate with ers, that just underscores why they for the quorum call be rescinded. him in private and rewrite our starting don’t get to insert these views in ad- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without point until he is satisfied. vance—in advance—behind closed objection, it is so ordered. This last-minute ultimatum is par- doors. RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER ticularly ironic given the weeks of No final legislation can pass without rhetoric from leading Democrats about 60 votes. If Democrats do not like the The Democratic leader is recognized. how very urgent—how very urgent—it final product, it will not pass. The only JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT was that Congress address police re- way there is any downside for Demo- Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, form and racial justice. For weeks, the crats to come to the table is that they the names of George Floyd, Breonna Democratic leader has blustered that would rather preserve this urgent sub- Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery continue the Senate simply had to address this ject as a live campaign issue than pass to ring in the Nation’s ears, a searing issue before July 4. Well, that is what a bipartisan answer. reminder of the desperate need to re- the vote this morning is about. The majority has done everything we form policing and truly address injus- Last week, Speaker PELOSI said: ‘‘I can to proceed to this issue in good tice in America. Their memory is a na- hope there’s a compromise to be faith. I have fast-tracked this issue to tional call to action. reached in the Congress. .’’ because the floor this month, as our Demo- Democrats answered that call by pro- ‘‘How many more people have to die cratic colleagues said they wanted posing a broad, strong, comprehensive from police brutality?’’ So, as recently until 48 hours ago. I have expressed my policing reform bill that would bring as last week, leading Democrats called support for a robust amendment proc- deep and lasting change to police de- it a life-or-death issue for the Senate ess, as our Democratic colleagues said partments across America. House to take up the subject this month. they wanted until 48 hours ago. Democrats will pass that bill, the Jus- Well, here we are. Here we are. We are So make no mistake about it: Senate tice in Policing Act, as early as tomor- ready to address it. But now, in the Republicans are ready to make a law. row. last 48 hours, this bizarre, new ulti- We are ready to discuss and amend our However, here in the Senate, the Re- matum. Now they don’t want to take way to a bipartisan product, pass it, publican majority proposed the legisla- up the issue. They don’t want to de- and take it to conference with the tive equivalent of a fig leaf, something bate. They don’t want amendments. House. The American people deserve an that provides a little cover but no real They will filibuster police reform from outcome, and we cannot get an out- change. In less than an hour, Leader even reaching the floor of the Senate come if Democrats will not even let us MCCONNELL will ask the Senate to pro- unless the majority lets the minority begin—not even let us begin. ceed to the so-called policing reform rewrite the bill behind closed doors in I hope our colleagues reconsider and bill. advance. Let me say that again. They let the Senate consider police reform We have all gone over the bill’s defi- will filibuster police reform from even later today. If they do not, the next ciencies over and over. There are no reaching the floor unless the majority time another appalling incident makes good answers. Some on the other side lets the minority rewrite the bill be- our Nation sick to its stomach with have said the bills are similar. They hind closed doors in advance. grief and anger yet again, Senate are like night and day. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:41 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G24JN6.002 S24JNPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE June 24, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S3163 In response to the brutal killing of nizations, we write to express our strong op- yet pervasive practice of racial profiling, nor George Floyd—his wind pipe crushed position to S. 3985, the Just and Unifying So- does it include explicit bans on dangerous by a police officer—my Republican lutions to Invigorate Communities Every- practices like chokeholds or no-knock war- where (JUSTICE) Act. The JUSTICE Act is rants. It fails to address the militarization of friends drafted a bill that does not even an inadequate response to the decades of police or the need for a national standard re- fully ban the type of brutal tactics pain, hardship, and devastation that Black stricting the use of force, and lacks the na- that led to his death. people have and continue to endure as a re- tional, robust, and publicly available mis- In response to the death of Breonna sult of systemic racism and lax policies that conduct registry required for true trans- Taylor, killed by police executing a no- fail to hold police accountable for mis- parency.