Endless Frontier Act (Cong. Rec., May 27, 2021)
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated May 27, 2021, at page S3549, carrying floor remarks by Mr. McConnell and the resumption of the Endless Frontier Act, S. 1260. Mr. McConnell says there is no new fact about January 6 that a Commission is needed to uncover and says he does not believe the Commission would promote healing. He also criticizes cuts to police funding, citing a cut of 20 percent in Seattle and $15 million in cuts approved by the District of Columbia city council. On the Endless Frontier Act, he says Eighty-six Senators voted to proceed and that Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo of the Finance Committee have a bipartisan provision ready, and he urges the Democratic leader not to force a cloture vote prematurely.
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“Endless Frontier Act (Cong. Rec., May 27, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-05-27-crec-2021-05-27-pt1-pgs3549-5cf59af5ec/
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May 27, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S3549
Crime and delinquency have many touches on big issues that span many JANUARY 6 COMMISSION
causes. In some ways, the pandemic committees—from economic policy to Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President,
likely contributed, but it is impossible national security, to scientific re- now one final matter. As my colleagues
to ignore that these terrible trends are search, and beyond. know, I have been clear and unflinch-
coming precisely as so-called ‘‘progres- Eighty-six Senators voted to proceed ing in my own statements about Janu-
sives’’ have decided it is time to de- to this debate, me included. That ary 6. But as I have also repeated,
nounce and defund local law enforce- wasn’t because the legislation was there is no new fact about that day we
ment. Seattle, for example, cut police ready to go. It happened because there need the Democrats’ extraneous Com-
funding by 20 percent. Minneapolis is broad bipartisan agreement that mission to uncover.
defunded cops by millions of dollars. America needs to upgrade our competi- The Department of Justice is deep
The District of Columbia’s city council tiveness with China. There was broad into a massive criminal investigation.
approved $15 million in cuts. These agreement that this subject deserved a Four hundred and forty-plus people
boneheaded decisions are the direct re- robust debate and amendment process. have already been arrested. Hundreds—
sult of an anti-law enforcement fad Since then we have voted on some hundreds—have been charged. Even
that has swept through the political amendments, but as of this moment, more arrests are said to be planned.
left like a wildfire. the Senate’s bipartisan work is simply And the Attorney General indicates
Perhaps just as important as these not completed. this investigation will remain a top
funding cuts is the wave of hostile sen- The Democratic leader indicated that focus. Multiple Senate committees are
timent that has come with them. Har- if the chairman and ranking members conducting their own bipartisan inquir-
vard scholars have found that, after worked together, if committees put ies. And, obviously, the role of the
high-profile incidents reduce the trust their heads together, their work would former President has already been liti-
that the public and politicians put in get consideration out here on the floor. gated exhaustively—exhaustively—in
the police, the cities in question re- the high-profile impeachment trial we
Well, Chairman WYDEN and Ranking
ceive less active policing and, subse- had right here in the Senate several
Member CRAPO of the Finance Com-
quently, see an increase in crime, in- months ago.
mittee have a bipartisan provision that
cluding homicides. I do not believe the additional extra-
is ready to go. They have already done
In other words, in the wake of ter- neous Commission that Democratic
the hard work. They have reached a so-
rible incidents like we saw last sum- leaders want would uncover crucial
lution, but thus far the Democratic
mer, local leaders should look for ways new facts or promote healing. Frankly,
leader has refused to include it in his
to build bridges and rebuild trust be- I do not believe it is even designed to
substitute and has not allowed the Sen-
tween the vast majority of brave and do that.
ate to vote on it separately.
honorable officers and their commu- That is why the Speaker’s first draft
nities. These are long-term issues we are
considering. We need to get this right. began with a laughably rigged and par-
Oh, no. Instead, from city councils to tisan starting point and why the cur-
the Halls of Congress, many on the far And during the time this legislation
has been on the floor, we have had en- rent language would still lock in sig-
left decided to crank the knob all the nificant unfairness under the hood.
way up on anti-cop rhetoric all across tire days come and go without any
votes at all on the bill. So I will continue to support the
the board: real, serious work of our criminal jus-
Not only do we need to disinvest from po-
In several instances, the Democratic
leader chose to pivot away from this tice system and our own Senate com-
lice but we need to completely dismantle the mittees, and I will continue to urge my
Minneapolis Police Department. legislation and devote floor time to
Policing in our country is inherently and nominations. colleagues to oppose this extraneous
intentionally racist . . . No more policing, layer when the time comes for the Sen-
So there is no excuse for shutting off
incarceration, and militarization. ate to vote.
debate prematurely before the Senate
Incredulous people asked whether has been able to have its say. f
this nonsense was ever meant seri- So we will have to see how today RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME
ously. unfolds, what additional amendments
Helpfully, one Member of Congress The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
the Democratic leader lets the Senate
clarified: ‘‘Defunding police means pore. Under the previous order, the
consider, how open a process he per-
defunding police.’’ leadership time is reserved.
mits.
That is a clarifying comment. f
Republicans don’t want some big
A small set of politicians may see fight over this. We would like to see an CONCLUSION OF MORNING
selfish opportunities for fame or fund- outcome—a bipartisan outcome. Even BUSINESS
raising if they defame and defund the now, discussions are continuing behind
police, but American families are pay- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
the scenes. pore. Morning business is closed.
ing a deadly price. But the Democratic leader should not
Defunding the police isn’t just a ter- f
try to force a cloture vote prematurely
rible idea for overall public safety; it is to stifle the Senate before Members are ENDLESS FRONTIER ACT—Resumed
also a uniquely awful strategy for ra- satisfied that our work is finished.
cial justice. One study recently con- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
There is nothing unusual about a mi- pore. Under the previous order, the
firmed: ‘‘Larger police forces save
nority party denying cloture to secure Senate will resume consideration of S.
lives, and the lives saved are dispropor-
more amendment votes. I have been 1260, which the clerk will report.
tionately Black lives.’’
here a while. This happens all the time. The senior assistant legislative clerk
So, look. I am not sure exactly how
the rantings of far-left Twitter about Six years ago, even after about two read as follows:
crime and policing became official dozen amendment votes, Democrats A bill (S. 1260) to establish a new Direc-
Democratic Party dogma in so many blocked cloture on a Keystone Pipeline torate for Technology and Innovation in the
bill until the Senate took a dozen more National Science Foundation, to establish a
places across America. What I do know regional technology hub program, to require
is that ordinary Americans cannot bear amendment votes on top of that.
a strategy and report on economic security,
much more of this, and that goes dou- Just last year, even as the economy
science, research, innovation, manufac-
was tanking around us, the Democratic
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
ble for the most vulnerable neighbor- turing, and job creation, to establish a crit-
hoods. leader blocked cloture multiple times ical supply chain resiliency program, and for
f
on the CARES Act—emergency legisla- other purposes.
tion. Why? He wanted more changes. Pending:
ENDLESS FRONTIER ACT But I hope it doesn’t come to that Schumer amendment No. 1502, in the na-
Mr. MCCONNELL. Madam President, today. I hope the Democratic leader ture of a substitute.
on another matter, last week, the Sen- lets the Senate be the Senate so we can Cantwell amendment No. 1527 (to amend-
ate took up sweeping legislation that finish this important legislation. ment No. 1502), of a perfecting nature.
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