Motion to Proceed to S. 4049, National Defense Authorization Act — Congressional Record, June 25, 2020
Summary
Page S3278 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for June 25, 2020, covering the close of morning business and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. The clerk reports the motion to proceed to S. 4049, a bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense. In his remarks Mr. McConnell says Democratic colleagues blocked the Senate from discussing police reform and credits Chairman Inhofe and the Armed Services Committee. The page also prints text establishing a commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys with 19 members.
Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used
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“Motion to Proceed to S. 4049, National Defense Authorization Act — Congressional Record, June 25, 2020.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-06-25-crec-2020-06-25-pt1-pgs3278-4-c767ff6596/
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S3278 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 25, 2020
Well, yesterday here in the Senate, NATIONAL DEFENSE CONCLUSION OF MORNING
the latest absurdity was added to the AUTHORIZATION ACT BUSINESS
list. Our Democratic colleagues tried The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning
to say with straight faces that they Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
on a completely different matter, the business is closed.
want the Senate to discuss police re-
Senate does not have the luxury of let- f
form while they blocked the Senate
from discussing police reform. They de- ting these disagreements prevent need-
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
clared that Senator SCOTT’s bill, which ed bipartisan progress on other fronts.
f
contains many bipartisan components, While the House has been missing in
which literally contains entire bills action on the longest spring break in NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA-
written by Democrats, was beyond the human history, the Senate has been TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR
pale. Senator SCOTT offered a wide- conducting the people’s business alone. 2021—Motion to Proceed—Resumed
open, bipartisan amendment process, We have confirmed nominees. We have The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under
and they walked away. conducted critical oversight. We passed the previous order, the Senate will re-
historic legislation for our national sume consideration of the motion to
Over in the House, when Democrats
parks and public lands. We have kept a proceed to S. 4049, which the clerk will
shoot down every Republican amend-
close watch on the bad actors abroad report.
ment in committee and allow zero
who would love nothing more than to The senior assistant legislative clerk
amendments on the floor, you can bet
take advantage of a distracted and di- read as follows:
it will be anointed a big, big success.
vided United States. Motion to proceed to S. 4049, a bill to au-
Now, as an aside, I could not help but thorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for
Today, months of focused work from
notice that in the Democratic leader’s military activities of the Department of De-
our colleagues on the Armed Services
lengthy remarks yesterday morning, fense, for military construction, and for de-
Committee will let the Senate start to
he did not once address or acknowledge fense activities of the Department of Energy,
move toward this year’s National De- to prescribe military personnel strengths for
the junior Senator from South Caro-
fense Authorization Act. Thanks to such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
lina as the author of the JUSTICE Chairman INHOFE and the committee,
Act—not one time. Not one time did Mr. MCCONNELL. I suggest the ab-
for a 60th straight year, the Senate has
the Democratic leader address Senator sence of a quorum.
an opportunity to lay out our priorities
TIM SCOTT as the author of the legisla- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
for the U.S. military with a united
tion he was trashing. clerk will call the roll.
voice. Chairman INHOFE and Ranking The senior assistant legislative clerk
I cannot see why the Democratic Member REED guided a collaborative, proceeded to call the roll.
leader talks right past Senator SCOTT bipartisan process. Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I
as if he were not leading this discus- The committee considered 391 ask unanimous consent that the order
sion, as if he were barely here. All I can amendments and reported out their for the quorum call be rescinded.
say is that it was jarring to witness, es- final bill on a nearly unanimous basis. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
pecially in a national moment like The result is legislation that honors objection, it is so ordered.
this. Senator SCOTT was the leader of the unique sacrifices of our men and RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER
the working group. He wrote the bill. women in uniform, from authorizing a The Democratic leader is recognized.
He has been studying and working on pay raise for Active-Duty personnel to JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT
and living these issues since long, long ensuring high-quality housing, health,
before the Democratic leader came Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President,
and childcare services for families sta- the House of Representatives will pass
rushing to the microphones on this tioned at home and abroad.
subject a few weeks ago. the Justice in Policing Act today—a
Their product will help ensure our comprehensive, strong bill to bring
I can certainly take all the angry military continues to attract the next lasting change to police departments
comments my colleague from New generation of warfighters and leaders across America and tackle the ex-
York wants to throw my way. I don’t and that those men and women will tremely large and difficult problem of
mind. But if he would like to learn have cutting-edge equipment and tools police bias, police violence, racial bias,
something about the substance of this to face off with competitors and defend and the lack of transparency and ac-
issue, he might want to stop acting our security and our interests around countability in law enforcement.
like Senator SCOTT hardly exists and the world. Unlike the Republican policing bill,
learn from the expert who wrote the the Justice in Policing Act will fully
In just the last several weeks, China
bill. ban choke holds. The Justice in Polic-
has grown even bolder in its supposed
The American people know you do ‘‘enforcement’’ of disputed waters and ing Act will ban no-knock warrants in
not really want progress on an issue if picked deadly fights with the world’s Federal cases, not just study them like
you block the Senate from taking it largest democracy in the Himalayas. in the Republicans’ bill. Unlike the Re-
up. They know that most police offi- Russia has deployed aircraft to within publicans’ bill, the Justice in Policing
cers are brave and honorable and that Act will also bring sorely needed ac-
eyesight of U.S. airspace and has kept
most protesters are peaceful. They countability to police officers who are
testing the free world’s tolerance for
know our country needs both. We need guilty of misconduct, including quali-
cyber attacks. North Korea has threat-
both. The American people know they fied immunity reform, use-of-force
ened a new round of the Korean war.
don’t need history lessons from com- standards, and policies to end racial
Iran continues to flout international
mon criminals who are dragging profiling.
agreements and fuel instability
My Republican colleagues should
George Washington through the dirt. throughout its region. Terrorists prey
look to the House today if they want to
They know prayer is no less essential on the instability to advance their own
see what a serious attempt at policing
than protest. They know that a politi- extreme violence.
reform looks like and if they want to
cian who compares a policy disagree- Clearly, those who mean us harm will understand why their bill failed to earn
ment to a brutal murder has just per- not wait for America’s domestic chal- enough votes to proceed yesterday.
manently forfeited the moral high lenges to fade away, and they certainly The Republicans’ policing reform bill
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ground to the grownups who want solu- will not wait for the United States to failed because it was not a serious
tions. quit bickering. So, notwithstanding all enough effort at reform. The legisla-
Some forces are desperate to divide our other differences, I hope and expect tion itself was so threadbare, so weak,
our country any way they possibly can, this body will be able to put partisan- and so narrow, it could hardly be con-
but if people of good will and common ship aside and honor the bipartisan tra- sidered a constructive starting point.
sense stick together, the radical non- dition that has defined this crucial bill That is why more than 138 civil rights
sense will not stand a chance. for decades. organizations, which want nothing
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June 25, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S3279
more than to see progress on these Here again, 4 months into the virus, tion. The Democrats had hoped to con-
issues, strongly urged Senators to op- as the case numbers continue to grow tinue the bipartisan work—work that
pose the Republicans’ bill. That is why in so many places, the President’s lack produced the CARES Act—in April,
the Leadership Conference on Civil of attention is causing a national fail- May, and now June but to no avail. The
Rights called the bill ‘‘deeply problem- ure to overcome the COVID–19 pan- House passed the HEROES Act over a
atic’’ and a ‘‘menial, incremental ap- demic. The President is gallivanting month ago, which includes hazard pay,
proach.’’ That is why the lawyer rep- from State to State and holding polit- housing assistance, extended unem-
resenting the families of George Floyd ical rallies in two of the most affected ployment insurance, and aid to State
and Breonna Taylor said he was areas. and local governments. Yet, as the pan-
shocked that the Republicans’ bill The President joked—or perhaps demic continued to spread and unem-
could even be ‘‘thought of as legisla- didn’t joke—about instructing his ad- ployment skyrocketed, the Senate Re-
tion.’’ ministration to ‘‘slow down the test- publicans said they felt no urgency to
As I said the other day, I know my ing, please,’’ because the number of act immediately. There have been
friend from South Carolina is trying to coronavirus cases might make him more than 40 million unemployment
do the right thing, but the problem we look bad. Can you believe that? Again, claims—another 1.5 million this week
have and the problem so many civil the President urged the administration alone—and still Leader MCCONNELL and
rights groups have is with the sub- to ‘‘slow down the testing, please,’’ be- the Republican Senate don’t feel an ur-
stance of the bill and with the way the cause the number of cases might make gency to act.
Republican leader—Leader MCCONNELL, him look bad. Whether it was a joke or Leader MCCONNELL originally said
who controls the floor—set up the proc- not, it is not a joking matter; it is seri- that another emergency relief bill was
ess. The Republican majority drafted a ous stuff. likely during June. Now he is saying
bill on its own, and instead of putting Throughout this struggle with the late July. A few days ago, the Repub-
it through committee, where members coronavirus, the administration, at lican leader said:
of both parties could analyze and best, has been late to the debate or
amend it, he dropped it on the floor If there is something that’s going to hap-
asleep at the switch or, at worst, has pen, it will emerge in the Senate; it will be
and dared the Democrats to block it.
Let me be very clear: The debate on been doing things that actually harm written beginning in my office.
policing reform is only over for those rather than help. Once again, Leader MCCONNELL
There were reports yesterday that seems to prefer partisan pronounce-
who want it to be over and for, maybe,
the administration will, in fact, halt ments to bipartisan legislating.
those who never truly wanted this de-
bate in the first place, because the Federal funding for a number of com- This is the same failed approach that
truth is, by the end of the day today, munity-based COVID testing sites, delayed the CARES Act 2 months ago
the House will have passed the most se- many of which are in Texas—a State and that failed yesterday on policing
rious policing reform bill in decades. that is getting hit hard. The adminis- reform. It will only delay another
Here in the Senate, the Senate Demo- tration is actually preparing to slow emergency relief bill, and such delays
crats have been clear that we want to down the testing, amazingly enough. A will be measured in hospital beds, de-
sit down with our colleagues and try to lesson from so many countries is that serted storefronts, and pink slips.
negotiate a bipartisan product that can good, strong testing and contact trac- There is one other point—the lack of
go through committee and come to the ing is the key, but this President seems oversight. This morning, the GAO an-
floor. to be blithely dancing along, going to nounced that $1.4 billion in relief
As I said a week ago, I know my his little events, and not paying atten- checks were sent to people who were
friend from South Carolina is trying to tion to the crisis and doing what is dead. Where is the oversight? This is a
do the right thing, but Leader MCCON- necessary to get a real handle on it. We $3 trillion package, and every small bit
NELL decided to go about this the are witnessing the highest number of of oversight that the Republicans have
wrong way—the partisan way. Let’s new cases since April, and the Trump done has had to be pushed by the
start over the right way—the bipar- administration is cutting funding for Democrats. We should be having far
tisan way. I have no doubt we can ar- testing in some of the worst hotspots— more robust oversight over what has
rive at legislation that, unlike the bill a terrible decision at a terrible mo- happened as well as moving forward on
that failed yesterday, would bring com- ment but, unfortunately, not atypical a new bill.
prehensive and lasting change that pro- of this administration’s total inepti- The Democrats are not going to wait
testers, civil rights organizations, and tude. until July to bring some attention to
the families of George Floyd, Breonna To cap it all off, today the Trump ad- COVID-related issues. Next week, on
Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery demand. ministration is filing briefs in the Su- the floor, we will ask our colleagues to
CORONAVIRUS preme Court in an attempt to invali- take up some important legislation on
Madam President, the COVID–19 pan- date the Nation’s health law at a time housing and rental assistance, hazard
demic continues to spread and swell when roughly 27 million Americans pay for essential workers, small busi-
across the United States. Yesterday have lost job-based health coverage, ness relief, funding to help schools
afternoon, the New York Times re- and their only backstops are the ex- open safely, and aid to State and local
ported that new cases of COVID–19 are changes in the healthcare law, but the and Tribal governments. With cases
now at the highest levels in the United administration is proposing to get rid rising in more than 20 States and with
States since the month of April, as of it. It is sort of similar to yesterday, emergency unemployment insurance
35,000 new cases were identified on with the nomination on the floor of for American families set to expire, we
Tuesday alone—the third worst single somebody so anti-voting rights to go to cannot wait another month to act.
day of the entire pandemic. Hos- the Fifth Circuit. A total contradiction I yield the floor.
pitalization rates in Arizona and Texas of what they say is what they do. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
have hit daily records, and Florida is From the beginning, the President The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
not far behind. has downplayed the severity of the dis- clerk will call the roll.
The rise in cases, scientists warn, is ease. He has spread misinformation The senior assistant legislative clerk
not explained by the current rate of about how to stay safe and put his po- proceeded to call the roll.
testing in this country. One of the litical interests—his desire for credit Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, I ask
main reasons our Nation has struggled and avoidance of blame—above the unanimous consent that the order for
medical needs and safety of the Amer-
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so to contain the coronavirus is Presi- the quorum call be rescinded.
dent Trump’s complete mismanage- ican people. As a result, President The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
ment of the government’s response. In Trump has helped put America first in objection, it is so ordered.
the early days of the virus, the Presi- the number of COVID–19 cases in the Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, I ask
dent’s lack of attention led to a short- world, and unfortunately the situation unanimous consent to be recognized for
age of PPE, ventilators, and a pain- is not much better in the Senate. such time as I may consume.
fully, damagingly slow ramp-up of test- It has been 2 months since the pas- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
ing. sage of the last COVID relief legisla- objection, it is so ordered.
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S3280 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 25, 2020
S. 4049 is larger than theirs. It is just that we tary advantage erode. For 8 years, we
Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, for don’t get accurate information, and we had a President for whom the military
the next week, the Senate is going to know the threats that are out there. was not a top priority. I respected him
be debating what I consider to be and Because of these investments, China because he had other areas that he
what I think most people consider to and Russia have grown not just the thought were more significant. Of
be the most important bill of the sizes of their militaries but their capa- course, he was President of the United
year—the National Defense Authoriza- bilities as well. Last October, China pa- States, and he did it.
tion Act. It is an act that we passed raded a hypersonic weapon. I remember But I have to remind you of what I
and have passed every year for 60 that so well because it was live on TV. just said a minute ago. We went down
years. I saw it on television. This was state- by 25 percent between the 5-year period
In just a few days, American families of-the-art for both offense and defense, of 2010 and 2015. At the same time, Rus-
across the country will celebrate the and China had it. Some people said sia was increasing by 35 percent. We
Fourth of July, Independence Day—the China was maybe faking it, but I be- were reducing 25 percent, and they
day that honors our blessings of life, lieve it had it. It was in a parade, and were increasing. China was increasing
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. China showed us that it had something by 83 percent. Defending America
Not all countries share these values; in we don’t even have. We don’t have it wasn’t his top priority, but he was hon-
fact, they reject them. China and Rus- yet. est about it, and we learned that there
sia would rather have an authoritarian Their investments aren’t restricted were areas where we were falling be-
world, one where democracy doesn’t by their borders, and I have seen their hind.
exist, where the rest of the world yields buildup, actually, across the world. Now we have started turning around.
to them. One prime example is that China re- Now we have a President whose pri-
The national defense strategy is a cently built its first overseas military ority is keeping American families se-
document that I refer to all the time. base. It was in Djibouti. Now, prior to cure, and over the past few years, we
It was put together a few years ago this time in Djibouti and throughout began rebuilding our military. Thanks
when actually 12 really expert Demo- Africa, there was nothing. There was a to President Trump—the guy that ev-
crats and 12 expert Republicans came lot of Chinese presence but not a mili- eryone criticizes—we are restoring our
to an agreement as to what our defense tary operation. In fact, historically, military might with new planes, new
should look like in the future. Accord- military operations from China have ships, and new weapons.
ing to this book, China and Russia are Take what we are doing at Fort Sill,
always started in and were evident
our greatest threats right now. They as an example. Fort Sill is in my State
within its own city limits. I mean, this
are building up their militaries and ex- of Oklahoma. Right now, we are out-
is where China worked—not in
panding their influence around the ranged and outgunned by Russia and
Djibouti, not in northern Africa. In
world. China. Fort Sill is leading the Army’s
fact, I actually flew over the area. It
The fiscal year 2021 National Defense modernization efforts on the long-
was supposed to be a restricted area.
Authorization Act is about sending a range precision fire to restore our com-
So there is China over there in Afri-
message to China and Russia that bat advantage. That is what is hap-
ca, where they have never been before,
there is no way you can defeat us, so pening all over the country too. So we
and in Djibouti, and not just in
don’t try. That is a pretty blunt mes- are pulling out of this thing.
Djibouti but all the way into southern Restoring our might is important,
sage. We couldn’t have sent that mes- Tanzania. but it is not the only thing that mat-
sage 2 years ago. We have been building And so that is what is going on right ters. We have to make sure that the
up, but we are still not where we now. It wasn’t going on before. Now we planes, the ships, and the weapons are
should be. see China and Russia grow more and
We know the way we preserve peace in the right places at the right time,
more aggressive and antagonistic. and that is what the NDAA does. That
is by demonstrating our strength. We China, in particular, has used the is what we are talking about right now.
have the best military in the world, pandemic to lash out in every direc- The NDAA, as I stated before, I think
and our enemies need to know that. We tion. They have antagonized and har- is the most significant bill that we
can’t rest on our laurels. We have to assed the Taiwanese, the Vietnamese, have all year round, and this will be
implement the national defense strat- the Indonesian vessels in the South the 60th year that we have passed it. It
egy because our comparative military China Sea, and they have used every makes sure that we have a credible
advantage is at risk right now. China tool that they could to harass them. military deterrent that signals to any
and Russia are actually catching up Do you know what they are doing in potential adversaries that they don’t
and have surpassed us in some areas. the South China Sea? And I did witness stand a chance against us. That is what
Here is one big reason: China and Rus- this. They did something that most we are in the process of doing. That is
sia have invested in their military. people don’t know is going on. China what this bill is all about.
This is a shocker when you talk to has actually built seven islands, and We introduced it and started talking
people because they don’t expect it. I when you see what they have on these about it yesterday. We probably should
learned many years ago—or at least I islands—they don’t hide it—it is as if have this finished prior to the 4th of
believed—that we had the best of ev- they are preparing for World War III. July recess. We should have it passed,
erything ever since World War II, and Now, we saw 20 Indian soldiers dead, although that may be a little bit ambi-
it was true for a long period of time. killed by what are essentially baseball tious.
Yet, during the period of time between bats with spikes when the Chinese con- So we are implementing the National
2009 and 2018, China increased its mili- ducted a military incursion in terri- Defense Strategy. That is this book
tary spending by 83 percent. That is tory claimed by China. That just hap- that we are all so proud of. It is bipar-
just remarkable. Russia has grown its pened. tisan. It is saying what we need to do
budget by 35 percent. During that same I called and talked to their Ambas- to defend America, and this document
period of time, from 2010 to 2015, for sador and gave them our condolences, is one that we are following to the let-
that 5-year period during the Obama but that is what China is capable of ter right now. It is our roadmap.
administration, we reduced our mili- doing. The bill establishes the Pacific De-
tary by 25 percent. Think about that. Meanwhile, Russia continues to prop terrence Initiative. That is kind of pat-
China increased theirs by 83 percent, up the murderous Assad regime. Putin terned after the European Deterrence
and we reduced ours by 25 percent dur- has sent mercenaries to Libya and Initiative. It focuses resources on the
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ing that same time period. throughout Africa. Indo-Pacific, addressing key military
Don’t forget that these countries Both countries have been supporting capabilities and gaps. That is the area
willfully mislead on many things, in- the corrupt Maduro regime in Ven- that we are concentrating on right
cluding on the actual sizes of their de- ezuela. now, and that is what our document
fense budgets. Russia’s is almost three We have seen warning signs of this says we should be doing. That is what
times larger than most people think it for at least a decade. Meanwhile, the we are doing with the Defense author-
is. They look at it and think, well, ours previous administration let our mili- ization bill.
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June 25, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S3281
The bill ensures that we have a com- The legislative clerk proceeded to (1) The Senate majority leader shall ap-
bat-credible forward posture, and it call the roll. point one member who is not employed by
helps us develop and field the joint ca- Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I ask the Federal Government and is an expert on
unanimous consent that the order for issues affecting Black men and boys in
pabilities needed to take on the con-
America.
flicts envisioned by this NDS report. the quorum call be rescinded. (2) The Senate minority leader shall ap-
We push back on China’s and Russia’s The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without point one member who is not employed by
attempts to expand their influence by objection, it is so ordered. the Federal Government and is an expert on
building new alliances and partnerships f issues affecting Black men and boys in
and strengthening existing ones. They America.
are busy. They are out there. COMMISSION ON THE SOCIAL STA- (3) The House of Representatives majority
We protect against intrusion from TUS OF BLACK MEN AND BOYS leader shall appoint one member who is not
China and Russia in space and beyond. ACT employed by the Federal Government and is
That is what we have in the bill. That Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I ask an expert on issues affecting Black men and
is what we are envisioning we will be unanimous consent that the Com- boys in America.
(4) The House of Representatives minority
able to do. mittee on Health, Education, Labor, leader shall appoint one member who is not
We safeguard proprietary technology and Pensions be discharged from fur- employed by the Federal Government and is
and intellectual property from being ther consideration of S. 2163 and the an expert on issues affecting Black men and
infiltrated by the Government of Senate proceed to its immediate con- boys in America.
China. sideration. (5) The Chair of the Congressional Black
We also reduce our reliance on for- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Caucus shall be a member of the Commis-
eign countries like China as a source objection, it is so ordered. sion, as well as 5 additional Members of the
for a variety of materials and tech- The clerk will report the bill by title. Congressional Black Caucus who shall be in-
nologies, including some of the micro- The legislative clerk read as follows: dividuals that either sit on the following
electronics and rare earth minerals, committees of relevant jurisdiction or are
A bill (S. 2163) to establish the Commission
experts on issues affecting Black men and
but also medical devices. on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys,
boys in the United States, including—
Last but not least, we accelerate in- to study and make recommendations to ad-
(A) education;
vestment in research and development dress social problems affecting Black men
(B) justice and Civil Rights;
into technology that would help us and boys, and for other purposes.
(C) healthcare;
catch up with China and Russia— There being no objection, the com- (D) labor and employment; and
hypersonic weapons, artificial intel- mittee was discharged and the Senate (E) housing.
ligence, quantum computing, and proceeded to consider the bill. (6) The Staff Director of the United States
more. Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I ask Commission on Civil Rights shall appoint
We are not leading in all areas, as unanimous consent that the Lankford one member from within the staff of the
most people in America think we are, amendment at the desk be agreed to United States Commission on Civil Rights
but we are making such great progress. who is an expert in issues relating to Black
and the bill, as amended, be considered men and boys.
Our Defense authorization bill last read a third time. (7) The Chair of the United States Equal
year put us way ahead of where we The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there Employment Opportunity Commission shall
were before, and this bill does the same objection? appoint one member from within the staff of
thing. So the bill sends a message—a Without objection, it is so ordered. the United States Equal Employment Oppor-
strong message—to China and Russia The amendment (No. 1809) was agreed tunity Commission who is an expert in equal
and anyone else who would try it: We to as follows: employment issues impacting Black men.
know what you are up to. We know how (Purpose: To require an equal number of Re- (8) The Secretary of Education shall ap-
to stop you. You simply can’t win publicans and Democrats to serve on the point one member from within the Depart-
Commission on the Social Status of Black ment of Education who is an expert in urban
against us.
Men and Boys) education.
So I encourage my colleagues, first of
(9) The Attorney General shall appoint one
all, to get all of their amendments in. At the end of section 2, add the following:
(c) MEMBERSHIP BY POLITICAL PARTY.—If member from within the Department of Jus-
We are trying to get our amendments tice who is an expert in racial disparities
after the Commission is appointed there is a
in by Friday. If we can do that, we will within the criminal justice system.
partisan imbalance of Commission members,
probably get this thing done possibly the congressional leaders of the political (10) The Secretary of Health and Human
even by a week from today. party with fewer members on the Commis- Services shall appoint one member from
So we have been working on it all sion shall jointly name additional members within the Department of Health and Human
year long, and this is one of the bills to create partisan parity on the Commission. Services who is an expert in health issues
that we work on all year long, and we facing Black men.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed (11) The Secretary of Housing and Urban
have a whole team working, including for a third reading and was read the Development shall appoint one member from
Liz King and John Bonsell. John third time. within the Department of Housing and Urban
Bonsell is the Republican staff direc- Mr. HAWLEY. I know of no further Development who is an expert in housing and
tor, and Liz is with the Democratic debate on the bill, as amended. development in urban communities.
staff group, working with my partner The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there (12) The Secretary of Labor shall appoint
in this. They have worked very well to- is no further debate, the question is, one member from within the Department of
gether, and we should have this bill Labor who is an expert in labor issues im-
Shall the bill pass? pacting Black men.
done and ready to take out. The bill (S. 2163), as amended, was
Of course, let’s keep in mind what we (13) The President of the United States
passed, as follows: shall appoint 2 members who are not em-
want to accomplish. We want to put S. 2163 ployed by the Federal Government and are
our country ahead of China and Russia Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- experts on issues affecting Black men and
and get us out of this problem area resentatives of the United States of America in boys in America.
that we have—an area where our allies Congress assembled, (c) MEMBERSHIP BY POLITICAL PARTY.—If
believe they are preparing for World SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. after the Commission is appointed there is a
War III. So that is what the bill is all This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commission partisan imbalance of Commission members,
about. Hopefully, we will get this thing on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys the congressional leaders of the political
done and have the necessary ingredi- Act’’. party with fewer members on the Commis-
SEC. 2. COMMISSION ESTABLISHMENT AND MEM- sion shall jointly name additional members
ents in there. This should be the year
BERSHIP. to create partisan parity on the Commission.
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
that we actually go ahead of China and
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Commission on SEC. 3. OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO APPOINT-
Russia. We want to make it happen, MENT; REMOVAL.
the Social Status of Black Men and Boys
and this is the only way to do it. (hereinafter in this Act referred to as ‘‘the (a) TIMING OF INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—Each
I yield the floor. Commission’’) is established within the initial appointment to the Commission shall
I suggest the absence of a quorum. United States Commission on Civil Rights be made no later than 90 days after the Com-
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Office of the Staff Director. mission is established. If any appointing au-
SCOTT of Florida). The clerk will call (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Commission shall thorities fail to appoint a member to the
the roll. consist of 19 members appointed as follows: Commission, their appointment shall be
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