E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020 No. 116 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was statutes. Their decisions will be driven rule of law and for the Constitution called to order by the President pro by what the law actually says, not itself. tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). their own personal policy preferences. If judges applying the law and the f This landmark achievement is the re- Constitution as they are written sult of the President keeping his word strikes any of our colleagues as a PRAYER and the unwavering determination of threat to their political agenda, then The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Leader MCCONNELL, Chairman GRAHAM, the problem, I would argue, is with fered the following prayer: and the Republican conference. their agenda. Let us pray. In the hands of these many strict f Eternal Father, our souls long for constructionist judges, the future of THE JUSTICE ACT You, for we find strength and joy in American jurisprudence is very, very Your presence. bright. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, Guide our lawmakers to put their I yield the floor. on another matter, today was supposed to bring progress for an issue that is trust in You, seeking in every under- f taking to know and do Your will. When weighing heavily on the minds of they go through difficulties, may they RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY Americans. In the wake of the killings remember that, with Your help, they LEADER of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, following weeks of passionate protests can accomplish the seemingly impos- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- from coast to coast, the Senate was sible. Lord, give them a faith that will jority leader is recognized. supposed to officially take up police re- trust you even when the darkness is f form on the floor today. Instead, our blacker than a thousand midnights. Democratic colleagues are poised to May they always find strength in Your JUDICIAL CONFIRMATIONS turn this routine step into a partisan providential meaning. Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, impasse. in a few hours, the Senate will confirm We pray in Your strong Name. Amen. Frankly, to most Americans, the sit- Judge Cory T. Wilson to join the U.S. f uation would sound like a satire of Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE what goes on in the Senate: a heated Yet again, President Trump has sent argument over whether to invoke clo- The President pro tempore led the up an outstanding nominee for this im- ture on a motion to proceed to a pro- Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: portant vacancy. Judge Wilson holds posal—a heated argument over whether I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the degrees from the University of Mis- to invoke cloture on a motion to pro- United States of America, and to the Repub- sissippi and Yale Law School. He has ceed to a proposal. We are literally ar- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, held a prestigious clerkship, found suc- guing about whether to stop arguing indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. cess in private practice, and spent about whether to start arguing about The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. years in public service as a lawyer and something else. BLACKBURN). The Senator from Iowa. a judge. The American Bar Association I can stand here for an hour and extol Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I rates Mr. Wilson ‘‘well qualified.’’ the virtues of Senator TIM SCOTT’s ask unanimous consent to speak for 30 Once we confirm Judge Wilson today, JUSTICE Act. His legislation has al- seconds in morning business. the Senate will have confirmed 200— ready earned 48 cosponsors because it The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 200—of President Trump’s nominees to is a straightforward plan based on objection, it is so ordered. lifetime appointments on the Federal facts, based on data, and based on lived f bench. Following No. 200, when we de- experience. It focuses on improving ac- part this Chamber today, there will not countability and restoring trust. It ad- JUDICIAL CONFIRMATIONS be a single circuit court vacancy any- dresses key issues like choke holds and Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, where in the Nation for the first time no-knock warrants. It expands report- the Senate will soon cross the mile- in at least 40 years. There will not be a ing, transparency in hiring, and train- stone of 200 judicial confirmations single circuit court vacancy anywhere ing for deescalation. since President Trump came to the in the Nation for the first time in at I am proud to stand with this legisla- Presidency in 2017. These have been least 40 years. tion, but the reality is that nobody nominees in the molds of Justice As I have said many times, our work thought the first offer from the Repub- Scalia, just as the President promised with the administration to renew our lican side was going to be the final nearly 4 years ago. They will strictly Federal courts is not a partisan or po- product that traveled out of the Sen- interpret the Constitution and Federal litical victory; it is a victory for the ate. What is supposed to happen in this ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S3161 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:41 Jun 25, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A24JN6.000 S24JNPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE 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.