Business before the Senate (Cong. Rec., Sept. 13, 2021)
Summary
Congressional Record, Senate proceedings for Monday, September 13, 2021, Vol. 167 No. 157, including pages S6439 and S6440. The House was not in session; the Senate met at 3 p.m. with Hirono as Acting President pro tempore. Under Business before the Senate, Schumer says the Senate will begin the week with a cloture vote on James Kvaal to be Under Secretary of Education and will move nominations including David Estudillo and Veronica Rossman. He says the Senate will continue the fight to preserve voting rights and work to pass the Build Back Better agenda, recalling the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill and the budget resolution with reconciliation instructions.
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“Business before the Senate (Cong. Rec., Sept. 13, 2021).”
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Congressional Record
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117 th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
United States
of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE
Vol. 167 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 No. 157
House of Representatives
The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at 11 a.m.
Senate
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021
The Senate met at 3 p.m. and was The legislative clerk read the fol- Kelly to serve as district judge for the
called to order by the Honorable MAZIE lowing letter: District of Massachusetts, and the Sen-
K. HIRONO, a Senator from the State of U.S. SENATE, ate will also begin consideration of
Hawaii. PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Veronica Rossman to be the circuit
f Washington, DC, September 13, 2021. judge for the Tenth Circuit.
To the Senate: On the legislative front, the Senate
PRAYER Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3,
will pick up exactly where we left off
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby
appoint the Honorable MAZIE K. HIRONO, a last month. We will continue our fight
fered the following prayer: to preserve voting rights for millions of
Senator from the State of Hawaii, to perform
Let us pray. the duties of the Chair. Americans, and, of course, we will con-
Eternal God, who soars on the wind PATRICK J. LEAHY, tinue working to pass President
and stabilizes us through the chal- President pro tempore. Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and
lenges of life, we worship You. You re- Ms. HIRONO thereupon assumed the set our country on a path to prosperity
main the source for all our blessings. Chair as Acting President pro tempore. for decades to come.
Your daily mercies prompt us to praise At the end of last work period, the
f
Your Name. Lord, You forgive our dis- Senate took two important steps to
obedience and clear our record of guilt. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME achieving that goal. First, we passed
Today, use our lawmakers for Your The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure
glory. Guide them along the best path pore. Under the previous order, the bill that will make historic invest-
for their lives as You fill them with leadership time is reserved. ments in our Nation’s physical infra-
Your peace. Lord, as they depend on structure.
You for each decision, surround them f
Second, Senate Democrats came to-
with Your unfailing love. Give us all RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY gether to pass a budget resolution with
pure hearts so that we may serve You LEADER reconciliation instructions that will
with honor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- clear the way to pass a reconciliation
We pray in Your great Name. Amen. jority leader is recognized. bill with historic and transformative
f investments in American jobs, Amer-
f
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ican families, and the fight against cli-
BUSINESS BEFORE THE SENATE mate change.
The Presiding Officer led the Pledge
of Allegiance, as follows: Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, Over the August State work period, I
first, I want to welcome back all of my remained in constant communication
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the
United States of America, and to the Repub- colleagues from the August work pe- with the chairs of the Senate’s relevant
lic for which it stands, one nation under God, riod. As we return to Washington, as committees, as well as with the Speak-
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. everyone knows, the Senate has a very er and the White House, including the
f busy schedule ahead of it. President. I am pleased to say we have
On the nominations front, we will made substantial progress in trans-
APPOINTMENT OF ACTING begin this week by holding a cloture lating provisions of the budget resolu-
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE vote on James Kvaal to be the Under tion into policies we can pass into law.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Secretary of Education. Tomorrow, we As we continue our work over the
clerk will please read a communication will move the nominations of David next few weeks, I want to take a step
to the Senate from the President pro Estudillo to be district judge of the back and explain why this legislation
tempore (Mr. LEAHY). Western District of Washington, Angel is so important.
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∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
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S6440 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 13, 2021
For far too long, millions of Amer- together to address the debt ceiling. In So both sides—both sides—have a re-
ican families have worried that the America, when it is time to pay the sponsibility to pay our bills. Both
American dream has increasingly fall- bills, we follow through on our obliga- sides, led by the Republican Senate, in-
en out of reach. Too many in the mid- tions, without exception. For a long curred much of this new debt. Senators
dle class are just struggling to stay time, addressing the debt ceiling was from both parties voted overwhelm-
there. Too many who are trying to get considered a routine and responsible ingly in support of the many laws that
to the middle class find the ladder up step that both sides worked together to contributed to this obligation.
steeper and steeper. achieve. Even when President Trump In the middle of the COVID pan-
Today, the cost of raising a family, was in office, Democrats worked three demic, the Congress came together
saving for college and retirement, get- times with Republicans to suspend the under Donald Trump, when Donald
ting a good-paying job and affording debt ceiling because it was the right Trump was President, to pass succes-
healthcare have become very, very and obvious thing to do. We didn’t pick sive COVID relief laws, like the CARES
hard. As a result, that sunny American excuses and say: Here is why we don’t Act, the PPP extension, and the ‘‘908
optimism, so key to our national iden- want to do it. We knew it was impor- COVID deal’’ in December. Democrats
tity, has been replaced by a growing tant and it was time to lay aside dif- and Republicans voted in huge numbers
sourness and divisiveness in the land. ferences and move it forward. in support of these laws. Republicans
We have to do better, and we will do But now, unfortunately, some of our voted to make these expenditures.
better. Republican colleagues—even though Now we must come together to do
With this legislation, we have a once- they were eager to have Democrats the responsible thing and pay those
in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild support them when President Trump bills. Leader MCCONNELL assured the
our economy and rekindle faith in was President—now some of our Repub- country in 2019, when Donald Trump
America’s future. It will include the lican colleagues are reportedly contem- was President, that we would ‘‘no
largest tax cut for the middle class in plating a reckless idea, spearheaded by doubt [raise the debt ceiling] on a bi-
a generation. It will include provisions the Republican Senator from Wis- partisan basis.’’ Again, that is what
that are both critically important and consin, to oppose any effort to raise McConnell said when Trump was Presi-
overwhelmingly popular with the the debt ceiling whatsoever. And, un- dent: We will ‘‘no doubt [raise the debt
American people, from strengthening fortunately and sadly, the Republican ceiling] on a bipartisan basis.’’ He said,
childcare and education to making leader seems to be going along. when Trump was President, failure to
healthcare more affordable for mil- Let me be clear: taking the debt hos- do so would be a ‘‘disaster.’’
tage and playing games with the full Failure to do so now, Leader MCCON-
lions. And, crucially, it will include un-
NELL, is an equal disaster. It doesn’t
precedented steps to fight the climate faith and credit of the United States is
matter who is President. We still in-
crisis and preserve our planet for the reckless, irresponsible, and will harm
curred the bills. So I believe it should
next generation. every single American. It is a complete
After yet another summer marked by be no different this time around.
nonstarter. The United States has never, ever,
hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, we This is not just another political de-
defaulted on its debt. I can’t imagine
cannot hold off on taking action any bate. It is about honoring our unbroken
Republicans would want to be respon-
longer. The world is looking to us for commitment to pay our debts and
sible for the first-ever default. We need
leadership on climate change. By avoid another financial crisis at a cru-
to work together to raise the debt ceil-
achieving the emissions goals Demo- cial moment for our country.
Now it is important to remember ing and avoid causing irreparable harm
crats are laying out, we can reassert
that this is not about green-lighting to our economy, still recovering from
America’s leadership.
future spending. This is about paying the devastation of the pandemic.
And through it all, we are going to I would say to the business commu-
make sure that this bill is paid for and debt from past spending, which was in-
nity and the financial community, let
that those at the very top finally pay curred during the Trump administra-
Leader MCCONNELL know, stop playing
their fair share. tion and which received favorable votes
games with the debt ceiling.
When this Senate majority began its from the majority of Republicans and
work many months ago, our original Democrats. f
task was to pass legislation that would Indeed, it is a new study that came VOTING RIGHTS
get our country out of the depths of the out. According to the nonpartisan Con- Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President,
COVID pandemic. Now, the legislation gressional Research Service, the now on one final issue, on voting. Be-
we will work on over the next 2 weeks Trump administration incurred $5.4 fore the Senate concluded the previous
will lay a new foundation for the future trillion in new debt after the debt ceil- work period, Republicans blocked mul-
of our economy. It will restore the mid- ing was raised in 2019, up through his tiple efforts to even debate voting
dle class in the 21st century and give last day of office. So all of the new $5 rights legislation in the U.S. Senate.
many more Americans the opportunity trillion in debt, bottom line, was Let me be clear: Republicans refusing
to get there. Building ladders to middle caused under the Trump administra- to support anything on voting rights is
class—that is what this is about, and tion, not by Democratic spending— not an excuse for Democrats to do
that is what we are going to do. under the Trump administration, $5.4 nothing.
The next few weeks will be crucial to trillion from the last day the debt ceil- Over the recess, a number of my col-
achieving this goal, and I look forward ing was raised in 2019 to the last day of leagues and I, including Senators KLO-
to working with my colleagues to con- Trump being in office. BUCHAR, MERKLEY, WARNOCK, MANCHIN,
tinue to deliver on our promise of big, Another report by the Treasury De- PADILLA, KAINE, KING, and TESTER,
bold change for the American people. partment further states that, over the worked diligently to craft a revised
Of course, even as we work to deliver entirety of the Trump administration, voting rights piece of legislation.
on our Build Back Better agenda, the that figure rose to as high as $8 tril- This compromise proposal would pro-
House and Senate will also work on lion. tect the freedom to vote, end partisan
other important priorities that demand Again, let me repeat this so my Re- gerrymandering, stop the scourge of
immediate attention, including passing publican colleagues hear it loud and dark money in our politics, among
a continuing resolution before the Sep- clear. This is not about the Democrats many other good things.
tember 30 expiration of government incurring debt. Between the last time I applaud my colleagues for their
funding, providing emergency funding that the debt ceiling was raised in 2019 hard work and their progress to come
to help those devastated by recent nat- and the final day of the Trump admin- together with a very strong voting
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ural disasters, and helping resettle our istration—nothing to do with Biden or rights bill that all Democrats can sup-
Afghan allies and partners. I expect all Democrats or anything in 2021—his ad- port, while respecting the role of
of this to be done in a bipartisan and ministration added more than $5 tril- States and promoting greater con-
timely way. lion to the national debt; and over the fidence in our democracy.
Of course, over the next few weeks, 4 years of Donald Trump, new debt to- Now Senator MANCHIN has been hav-
the House and Senate must also come taled as much as $8 trillion. ing discussions with our Republican
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